RandyScott

The ISFB is not thermally stable... I.e., it will expand/contract as it heats up or cools down. Therefore, it will crack. I used a two-bricker forge for four years. My solution was to coat the exterior with Satanite. Used a torch to heat cure the Satanite. Still cracked. I then cut 1" pieces from 1/2" angle aluminum. The pieces were used as edge protectors (to prevent the soft wire from cutting through the SAtanite and into the ISFB). The Satanite gave wear resistance to the ISFB surface, the edge protectors allowed the wire to be tightened to hold everything together.

I think the links are the same.

Not a problem Miley, I have been out of pocket a few days myself. Thanks for the reply.

Thanks for the info.. I figured life intervened. But he, like the rest of us, eventually returns to the well for a drink.

I have noticed that you "lean toward" the D or mailbox shape and the half muffler shaped forge. Is there any correlation between those shapes and the above statement? Would the math be akin to laying out a truncated cone pattern? (As in laying out a pattern for a flare.) Just curious!

Empty freon tanks can be found at any HEating and AC shop.... especially this time of the year! I walked into a large firm, asked for a freon tank and was walked to the loading dock where there were two roll off dumpsters full of empty freon tanks! Told the dock manager what I wanted to make, showed him a screen capture of a forge, presented my cordless drill and told I would drill out the pressure relief valve in front of him (so it could not be used as a pressure vessel) and left with ten! Large companies sell that as scrap,and may have contingent liability concerns over an illegal use or an illegal purpose. Perhaps a small mom and pop shop would be more receptive or find a guy in his truck in the neighborhood and ask for one. sorry about your experiences... the next will be easier!

After much searching I have determined the following: I built the two Mikey burners and my Freon tank forge in 2010, posted photos in the above mentioned thread in 2012, had a hard drive crash or two, bought a new computer, restored a backup, lost my photo editor when I upgraded the OS and realized finally that I was interested in the build but did not need photos of the burners in free air.... so, below is the photo of the burners in action in the forge. the original photo is 1.4MB's, a little large to post here, so I manage to shrink it a little.. Bottom line - no photos in free air... And now my 1/2" Mikey Burners The forge was built to forge in, not weld... however, it is plenty hot...I can easily move wrought iron. Any suggestions on ambient light for flame photos? completely dark, dusk?

Ok I am working on photos.. however, in the interim, here is a link to a thread (pertaining to a Freon tank build) to which I contributed.. my userid is jorasco312... see posts #10, 15 & 17 for photos of my forge and a couple of my Mikey burners... sorry, it was forge build, not a how to fix my burners, so no photos of it in operation. still working on finding photos: http://www.bladeforums.com/threads/freon-tank-forge.920575/ just cut and paste the link..

Ok, ok,ok! I am on my iPad and all the photos are on my PC. I will try to post photos this weekend. Hmmm, can I post photos or must I use a hosting service?

I sourced my schedule 80 BP 6" nipples from the local Fastenal in 2010 when I was fabricating my two 1/2" Mikey burners. Had to be shipped in from the warehouse in a 10 pack... still have a few. Forgot the cost... cost was not important.

I have used 1" Insboard for the end enclosures on my freon tank forge. I painted the entire surface with Rigidizer, cured same with my Mikey burner, then several thin wash coats of Satanite (with extra coatings around the openings for protection from tong/work piece abrasion) also heat cured between coats and the hot face coat of ITC-100. Pretty near bullet proof.

Thomas, you are right, of course! For the record, there was no welding performed in the fabrication of my forge. I used the two Mikey burners as the metal ‘heaters’ and a Mapp/Oxy torch for brazing. Taught myself how to braze, ugly but has held for six years now! I am aware the paint used on Freon tanks is alleged to be bad stuff to grind, sand, etc. I have a fan that blows across the work area to keep stuff away from me. I used an angle grinder, hand power drill and files to open the ends of the Freon tank, a hole saw to open the burner port. Brazed the BP used for the burner mounts to 3” fender washers. also used BP and the fender washer for the upright mound that supports the forge. Nate, rather than trying to recreate the wheel, I am citing a link to a thread that I posted to regarding the forge and Mikey burners I fabricated. There are photos of my forge and a couple of photos of the burners with a tape measure for scale. Cut and paste this link: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/920575-Freon-Tank-Forge?highlight=freon+tank+forge The thread is now four years old and I built the forge 2 years prior. My userid in BladeForums is jorasco312 Now, if ‘speed’ is your ‘need’ and you have minimum tools/money/time, etc., go with a Frosty T burner… up and running with minimum tools/money/time. If you want to get every degree of temp out of your propane, the Mikey burners are the way to go. FYI, I have a 0 – 60 psi regulator. I have only opened it up to 30 psi (just playing with it to see what it would do!) and I became very respectful of the dragon! I light it off at 5 psi, after getting to heat, I reduce the pressure and tweak it with my needle valves and forge away. To forge wrought iron, I only used 7 - 10 psi. Way more potential than I need. Hope this helps… Randy

Nate, To answer your question: Gas Burners for Forges, Furnaces & Kilns written by Michael Porter I bought the book, fabricated two 1/2" "Mikey" burners using a hand drill and drill press, files , sweat and determination. The Mikey burners are simply awesome! i fabricated a freon tank forge using the Ron Reill plans. Found on the ABANA website, look for the Ron Reill website on the home page. It has lots of info... Read till your eyes bleed! Freon tanks can be found at heating and air condition repair shops. This time of the year they have loads to be disposed. Take a portable power drill with a 3/8" metal drill bit. Tell them you are building a forge and will use the body as the shell and you WILL drill out the pressure relief valve! A lot of not so bright people try to them as a pressure vessel. And drill,out the valve in front of them. It resolves their contingent liability problem! two Mikey burners may be a bit too much in a freon tank forge but it works for me. My forge was not buit to weld in, however, at the last hammer-in I attended, I forged wrought iron very easily! I used two 1" liners of 2300 degree ceramic fiber, a coat of rigidizer, about 1/4" of Satanite refractory mortar for the hot face, followed by several very thin washes of ITC-100. both end enclosures are fabricated from 1" ceramic fiberboard (idea from the Ron Reill freon tank build ). Shaped to fit the openings at both ends, hot face side coated with rigidizer, heat cured and the several thin washes of Satanite to provide strength and also several washes if ITC-100. A 20 pound bottle of propane will last at least one full day of forging at a hammer-in and has never iced up and I live in Georgia where the humitity is high. It all starts with the book. Buy the hard copy, great for making marginal notes! And re-read Frosty and Mikey's posts (can't remember all the contributors names at the moment - no offense meant!) ... Their posts contain nuggets of pure gold on this topic! Randy

Gilberson (spelling?) of Joppa Glassworks? edited to add:. I believe he patented his design. Don't know if it was an original idea, ie, 'invented'.

Don't know about linseed oil... I use the cheapest ( least expensive) ATF (automatic transmission fluid) I can find. I read somewhere that it is formulated to molecularly bond to metal. I little puddle the size of a quarter on a paper towel and wipe down the face, throw a rag on the face followed by a board to keep the wind from blowing the rag off. Hasn't rusted yet.

Schedule 80 1/8" BP nipples can be sourced from Fastenal.

This is not the article you seek, however it may give you some ideas '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>>

Thanks.. I designed it to be adjustable because I haul the forge to hammer-ins. I take everything from the floor flange up and mount it to a similar surface, plywood covered with concrete backerboard held by my Workmate bench. The bench height is lower therefore the need to raise/lower the forge. Spring and fall is a good time to look for dead grills appearing on the side of the road.

Perhaps I am tired, it has been a long day, but could you review the below and advise if my ‘revisions’ are correct and, if not, perhaps some clarification? I interpret the above to be: The total intake area is determined by a multiple of one or two times the bore/burner diameter. For example: a 3/4” bore/burner diameter would require a total intake area of .75 to 1.5 square inches.

I found schedule 80 1/8" BP available at Fastenal. It was not a local store inventory item but was available through their distribution system and arrived in 3 or 4 days. Just be aware it came 10 to the bag.

www.hightemptools.com

I don't understand this question. Depends.... on the size of the gas orifice, on the pressure (PSI) of the gas, whether blown or naturally aspirated, on your ability to judge heat and/or forge atmosphere, how the forge is constructed/interior forge chamber in cubic inches/insulated/size of the openings/ceramic fiber coating/use of ITC-100, size of stock, welding or forging/etc.. I run two half inch Michael Porter style burners in a freon tank forge and get about 15 hours from a 20# bottle of gas. I light it at 5 psi and reduce to about 3psi once the forge is 'at temp'. Your mileage will vary. I forge knifeblades and don't weld.

Your question was: " For my first question (and definately not the last), can anyone give me a rough estimate on how much ITC-100 it will take to cover an area that is 16" long by 9 1/2" in diameter?" Hard to say due to the variables. I just finished a freon tank sized forge and used about a quarter to a third of a cup. I apply it very thin. Some folks apply it thicker. Buy a pint of the stuff as it never goes bad. I have just a tad left and bought a pint in 2006 and done about 6 forges with it. If you use the forge heavily you will need to recoat with ITC-100 every year or two.

Here is the link to Ron's 'Forge and Burner Design - Page 1' http://ronreil.abana.org/design1.shtml check about half to two-thirds down the page. The Mongo has a diamenter of 2.5".. that is a very healthy burner. I've seen a 1" Mongo style with a 2 foot dragon's breath.. don't know how you could survive a full size Mongo in a forge vs. a furnace.

http://www.blacksmithing.org/index.htm http://www.ironflower.com/ Steve Bloom may know someone in need of your services