rthibeau

Air moving/ventilation. I picked up a squirrel cage blower with motor for a furnace, plugged it in and it blows a LOT of air. Really makes a difference in cooling the shop to have that much air moving, far better than any regular fans.

If you're referring to the heating torches with a pumping mechanism on the side to pressurize the fuel so it sprays a mist which when lit is the torch flame, kerosene was commonly used because it was cheaper and burns cleaner. Gasoline would work and I suppose any flammable liquid would too. All I've known them to be used for is to thaw frozen pipes or heat other things to get them going. The flame can't be focused to cut or weld with.

My property and the next door neighbor's are the only original farm homesteads still left in the neighborhood. Right across the street and right behind us are developments with restrictions, as is the rest of the street down the way. I try not to be too noisy late at night - I keep the big overhead door closed - but basically, I just got lucky buying a place where I can do what I want. I couldn't have a forge probably 150 feet in any direction from the shop. My forges are inside so I don't technically have any open fires. As for the neighbors, no problems so far.