BeaverDamForge

At least there ARE bees this year...

Good Luck!

I've got a grinder like that, it does have a pretty good gear ratio. The smaller diameter needs more speed, but there are lots of fins in that fan. It might work pretty well, but I'd want to try it before shelling out. Not an EBAY item IMO.

Good Luck!

I want to learn to make hinges, latches, and maybe even locks for a timberframe house. I worked on a piece of rail for about 9 months before I was given a real anvil, 100lb Fisher. My present forge is a stack of firebricks/mud with a box bellows I made from some scrap plywood. Smithy is a lean-to against the house with a gravel floor. It's a hobby for me, I like to spend a couple afternoons a week forging if the weather is good.

Good Luck!

Thanks for helping with the gaps in my knowledge, guys! I figured someone knew more about it...

I had my gasifier fired up but had a problem with the internal air valve, leading to a problem with the grate - but I did have a gas fire for a few seconds.

Good Luck!

AFAIK, aluminum doesn't burn. Magnesium is used in road flares...

Good Luck!

Are you sure it wasn't magnesium? There's a reason they quit making wheels out of it...

Good Luck!

Hi babuga, and thanks for making contact with Das! I figured that would be a dead end, as old as the page is (Nov 5, 01).

Interesting that three of the pix show a lid (with no apparent holes) on the chip hopper. I thought that was supposed to be open for downdraft air. Whatever he's doing it's obviously working, I may have to get his CD.

The chips are similar to what I use now, but I'm thinking about a homeowner chipper for making chips. Right now I'm slicing logs into 3-4" discs and chopping those up with a hand axe.

So far I have a section of 6" stove pipe with an elbow at the bottom. There is a cap on the elbow for ash cleanout, and a cap at the top that I've made a hole in and inserted a piece of 3" stove pipe. I made a baffle to go around the lower end of the 3" pipe, to locate and seal it within the 6" pipe. There is a 1 1/2" hole in it for combustion air, which I need to make a valve for. In the bottom of the 3" pipe I stuck a stainless drain grate, and dropped a flared piece of 2.5" ID exhaust pipe for a throat (mainly to keep the fire away from the thin tin pipe). I built a box around an old microwave blower for an air supply.

I need to make a stand to hold it up, air valves for the blower and baffle, and holes for combustion air. And, of course, some sort of oven to hold the heat. It's pretty nice outside (60* morning in mid March!) but we're supposed to get a good storm today (the wind is starting up). I've been procrastinating on the internal air valve, but I think the simplest thing to do is roll a tin cone and attach it to a coat hanger so I can adjust how far it drops into the hole.

Good Luck!

Being new to the concept of gasification, I've been trying to find all the material that I can on it. Here's one I found interesting, it mentions gas temperatures; updraft 80-100*C, downdraft 700*C. It also says "... updraft gasifiers are usually just operated in a close-coupled mode to a furnace or boiler..."
Industrial Uses of Biomass Energy ... - Google Book Search

Here's another one where they tout efficiency converting fuel to power, one of the advantages they claim for updraft is "The updraft gasifier features a high carbon conversion and high cold-gas efficiency (a measure for transforming chemical energy from solid fuel into gas)." Of course leaving the tar in the gas means it has to be burnt later and the temperature raised more, I'm hoping that isn't too big of a problem.
Babcock Wilcox V

Ice Czar, after taking in your comments about too much air and reading the superficial velocity paper, I tried using less air and less wood and got pretty good results. I had been thinking that the pyrolysis was keeping the temperature down, and designed (arranged?) the setup to keep the pyrolysis happening before the material reached the firebox. Most of the pyrolysis gasses were burning in the air before, keeping them in the chimney more retained some heat to transfer to new wood chips. The pic is pretty much the current setup, there are 1/2" spacers under the top bricks to let more air into the chimney.

I'm now thinking of building something like a big MIDGE (mostly taller) using air from the bellows or a small blower, and an oven over the top. This would be more or less a continuous updraft setup, maybe started by filling and burning down. If I do use the bellows, how quickly will the gas fire go out without draft? I guess the charcoal fire would not reignite it like with the MIDGE, since there will likely be material in between. Could I use a small tube with natural air draft for a pilot?

I visited the Indian site linked to from the Woodgas site, their design is very close to what I drew up, but mine would run the other way.

While playing with the MIDGE, I happened to remember there was a grill on the market about 20 years ago, the TV ads claimed it would cook delicous hamburgers using just a sheet (section?) of newspaper. I'm thinking it must have been a gasifier. Anybody else recall that gadget?

Thanks for all the help, and as always -
Good Luck!

Oh yeah, I've got about half the tools on your list, the major ones I don't have include the MIG and plasma cutter. But mainly it looks like you have a lot more skill and experience! :)

I used my "new" anvil yesterday, I figured I better make some staples and tie it down before it grew legs. The difference was amazing! Hammer blows seem 25-50% more effective, and it doesn't ring!

Now what do I do about the hammer ringing?

Good Luck!

Beautiful work, Ice Czar!

I'm afraid my metal fab capabilities (and empty pockets) will lead to something more like the original Dasifier, are there any pics of that? How is the upper can attached to the paint can lid? It looks like there is a refractory lining in the paint can, will red (clayey) mud work? What is the temperature of the gas coming out?

I have put together a tin can stove similar to the MIDGE but it doesn't seem to get enough air to the bottom (I punched more holes than shown, maybe velocity is too low). The reacting wood doesn't stay hot enough without blowing on it occasionally (fuel was kiln dried oak 1/8 x 3/4 x 2). I didn't have a pot on it, maybe that would reflect enough heat back into it to keep it going. When it got down to charcoal there was little gas being produced. Adding fresh chips and blowing on it got it back to a good gas flame, adding a chip every minute or so might keep it going. I want to try redoing the inner can to see if I can make it work better. Cool stuff!

Good Luck!

Thanks, AM!

I haven't used a lung type bellows but a book I got recently, The Blacksmith by Aldren A Watson, has a chapter on constructing one. I haven't read that chapter but it has very detailed diagrams, you could probably just go by the pix. If you have room, they can be mounted overhead, out of the way.

Leather is prone to decomposing and being eaten, I wonder how Tyvek would do...

Good Luck!

Thanks! I've been looking at some of the "inverted updraft" cookstoves, they look simple enough to experiment with.

I talked with my father, a retired engineer, and he said he did some work with injectors at one time. I had thought about a venturi, he confirmed it would be the way to go. I am a little surprised at the position of the "motive fluid nozzle" in the wiki diagram. Being familiar with carburetors I expected to see it in the middle of the venturi. Learn something new every day...

Looking forward to updates, you've opened my eyes to how much better I could be doing with the wood I'm using.

Thanks and Good Luck!

I built one to start out (I'm not that far along) and it works great for me. I used the widest (~17") piece of some prefinished 1/4" plywood scrap I had from a cabinet shop. It has a very smooth surface on one side, you can see a reflection on the top of the manifold in the first pic, where I put the good side out. I made the height and width the same for maximun area. The length is 24" so I could get 4 sides out of the piece I had and it provides a good stroke length. The valves are 1/4" ply with (red) duct tape on one side to (maybe) seal better and duct tape for a hinge. I put stiffeners on the sides to reduce flex and cut the corners out of some 2x4's I had. It's glued and stapled together except for the ends and manifold which are attached with screws for convenience and maintenance. You can see I switched the ends so I could put it on the left side of the forge. The manifold is "chinked" with hot melt glue outside, has 3/4" square pieces inside to staple to. The piston is a piece of 3/4" ply with a chunk of 2x4 on either side where the push rod goes through. It's cut about an inch smaller than the inside dimension of the box, and I used a round piece of foam ("backer rod" at Lowes) to pad the edge. There's a piece of towel over it to seal, stapled on either side of the piston. I also used a piece of towel to seal around the push rod at the front. A piece of rubber hose for a grip and a rolled up piece of tape plug the pushrod after cutting to a good length.
Edit: I should mention the push rod goes through the piston far enough to be a stop so the piston doesn't hit the exhaust valve hole, and a piece of larger tubing around the pushrod serves as a stop on the back stroke.

In use, I've only messed with charcoal and wood, not coal (although the forge has gone through some changes since this pic). With lump hardwood charcoal, you'll get a lot of fleas if you start pumping hard. With wood you get a lot of embers & ash. When starting with newspaper I have to be careful not to blow it out at first. I think it would provide plenty of air for the average forge.

To me, it's much simpler than a (traditional?) bellows to build, takes up less room, and allows an electricity-free shop. I do use a fan to blow smoke out of the smithy, mostly so passersby don't think it's on fire. But I'm getting off the subject here...

Good Luck!

Any update on this? I'd like to try a setup like that, do you have any pictures? Can you share a couple details like the sizes of hole in the baffle (paint can lid?), the tube going to the firebox, and the valves?

You mention preheating in a chimney, but it looks like this would be similar to a gas forge, which usually don't have chimneys. What kind of firebox/chimney would you set up for a forge?

Thanks and Good Luck!

Thanks for the additional information! I think you're entirely right.

Good Luck!

Thanks, guys! I wasn't planning on doing anything to the face, I just meant it looks like welding bead in certain places around the edge. Small as it is, it's a world of flatness compared to the used rail I was using...

Thomas P - I noticed it does not ring, yet has good rebound. If it is 100 years old, I guess I'd be better off leaving it as is.

Thanks again to both of you!

edit: I can make out the "FISHER" letters under the horn, cool!

Well, I got a freebie 38x28 lens (along with the front surface mirror ) from a local TV shop, and some 6x6 slate tiles for $0.96 at Lowes. Now to find the time and weather to experiment...

Good Luck!

I got my "freebie" anvil ($50 in gas and a few favors later), it's 100 lb on my bathroom scale. Not a big one but way better than the piece of rail I've been using. I'm posting some pics hoping someone might recognise the pitted logo, and I need some advise on the condition.

The horn is missing a chunk, I'm wondering if I should try to;
a) work around it
grind it to a better shape
c) weld before grinding

There looks to be welding around the main face, I'm wondering if it was built up. The chunk off the horn looks like a buildup came off. (edit: Or maybe a layer of wrought iron?)

The third pic is under the horn, I can't make out the letters well enough. The fourth pic is under the heel, is 1908 the date or a model #?

Thanks for any help and advise!!

yes

but a slab of graphite would be easier

I've been looking at solar powering a forge. It looks like a big fresnel lens could do the trick but may be limited on how big an item you can heat, or at least how quickly you can heat it. I've seen a claim that 2500:1 concentration can easily burn through 1/4" steel. The big screen TV lenses are about 4' x 3', approximately a square meter, and will focus to a square centimeter for 10,000:1. You could back out of the focus and heat 4 square centimeters at 2500:1, but that's still only about a 3/4" square and the surface will heat much quicker than the inside. Getting farther from the focus may help. I plan to check local TV shops for a (hopefully) cheap lens. The intensity of the light will require a welding helmet, maybe an auto darkening one would allow you to see what you're doing when you get to the anvil.

A more elaborate setup would be to use mirrors. Most solar furnaces rely on some kind of parabolic mirror(s) to concentrate light. I do have an old satellite dish, but coating it with mirrors would be a lot of work and probably expense. With flat mirrors the concentration will be limited to the number of mirrors, but you can collect a lot more sunlight (area) than the lens. My idea is to use the light from several 4x8' arrays reflected (from below) onto the bottom of an oven (possibly with some concentration), which I hope would heat the iron more evenly and avoid having to look "into the light". Unless they are set up for sun tracking, the arrays will have to be adjusted fairly often, probably every 5 minutes or so for optimum temperature.

Anybody have any ideas what would make a good oven floor? Firebrick was my first thought, but it would reflect a lot of light. I need something that stays dark on the heated (absorbing) side while incandescing on the other - not asking for much, eh? Could a ceramic material have a flat black coating that would stay there at 3000+*?

Thanks and Good Luck!

I recall seeing here somewhere on IFI the technique of placing a thick plate of steel beneath an anvil to increase mass.
Can't seem to find it though...
Could someone who has done this weigh in on the pros/cons of this?
Is it really beneficial?
Common sense tells me that putting say an additional 50 pounds under a 92 pound english pattern Peter Wright does not give me full writ to ignore the 2% rule or 3 % rule, or whatever it specifically is ( not using too heavy a hammer and result in damage to the anvil) but will I see better rebound, better overall performance?
I use mostly a 2 1/2 pound crosspein, if I go to a ballpein they are all progressively lighter than that.
Also I must admit if I go from the 269 pound anvil to the 92 I don't change hammers. I use "my hammer", the same one almost always. If I want heavier I go to a 3 pound double faced engineer's hammer.
Any thoughts? Dan.

SSTreckFus, can you cite the document so I can squirrel that away with my spike specs and clip specs?

I'd be very thankful!

"Cast steel" was the material it was made from not the method it was made from. It is to seperate it from lower grade blister/shear steel and indicates that it was a higher quality crucible steel.

It is an artifact of the methods of making steel back then. So the "cast steel" axe could have very well been forged or dropforged to shape before stamping.

Thomas