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I Forge Iron

MonkeyForge

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Everything posted by MonkeyForge

  1. A bit premature, apologies. I spend some time exploring the search function in this forum and found a couple of recipes.... I can get kaolin clay and I can get zirconium silicate. I will keep you guys up to date on my progress.
  2. While it is raining and I cannot go out and play I was looking into kiln wash (Thanks Mike) Materials (easily) available are zirconium oxide and also zirconium silicate. Chamotte (fire sand/grog according to wikipedia) is also available. Does anyone have experience with these combined? As far as I could find out the zirconium oxide has a higher thermal rating than the silicate.
  3. I got myself an adjustable regulator, this helps. A lot I just gave it a quick test run and I have to figure out how to get some nice pictures of the flame. Also I need to find the right pressure. I do get flame from the front and back, not as much as at 1.5 bar so that's an improvement. I get a pretty even heat across the chamber but I need to experiment with the burner angle. straight in from the side will give me more of a hot spot than the propane torch did so I'll see if I can reintroduce the upward/forward angle. Some pictures below. I will keep you posted.
  4. Buzzkill, I remember reading about burners not working outside of the forge without a flare, just never tried it out since this is the first one I built. Thanks for confirming. Sorry for the bad picture, but this is how it burns now. As you say, a lot of heat coming out of the front and back if I remove the brick.I need to find a better way to mount the burner in the forge, it kind of wobbly now.
  5. Progress, the little burner will burn, just not outside the forge. When I light it outside of the forge it blows out as soon as I take away the ignition flame. The regulator I have is set at 1.5 Barr which is around 21 psi which might be to much? Or will it simply not burn outside without a flare? It heats up the forge quickly, at the moment it is a bit bright outside to get a good picture. Burner now looks like this:
  6. Mike, Timgunn, thanks for pointing that out. I will probably be able to get a a 3/4 to 1/2 to 3/4 inch T when I pick up my propane hose and some other stuff tomorrow. I still have a length of 1/2 nipple left over because I got a long one and cut it off to get the right total length just in case. This means I can test both set-ups I'll show you the results. If I am unable to get the other T I will work with this one and figure something out with what you posted above. In my day job we have a pitfall we call "premature optimisation"(do or do not google it). I am avoiding it now as well more or less. I gather info while I anticipate a potential problem, or am unsure about what potential problems I run into. I build a prototype that works, (with what I know already) figure out what can/should/could be better. (with your help so far ) and fix it. The end goal is always to have something working as good as it can, as good as I can make it. Any comments on above are welcome. I am, for now still waiting for sleep to set in and for the hardware store tomorrow.
  7. Mikey, I am learning a lot about the different kinds and sizes of fittings and plumbing. In both gas and water both metric and imperial are used for size. Converters from one to the other are quite easy to find in brass and copper. I like iron though which can also be found, though it is kind of tricky and you need to be specific about them being non-galvanized. (also listed as black here) Tomorrow I will to test the burner I showed earlier, then we'll see if the next project is another burner of tweaking this one, or if all is well hammering iron. All in all an enjoyable effort so far, also because all the input I get here. So thanks again.
  8. @rjs Any advice is appreciated, pointing out someone else has a good idea counts. And I agree that the secondary air intake can be useful, The torch seems to perform better when used in this way, less to no blue flame from the front of the forge, quicker heating times. @Mikey98118 Could not agree more, especially in this online world.
  9. Thanks Mikey, I proceeded and started building a burner. I am going to get the right T next time So I don need the adapters. I'll update this thread when I light it. I am a little worried about the seal on the additional fittings, they seem tight though.The T is 3/4 all round the burner tube is 1/2. I am using a .6 mm MIG tip. For now I need to wait for my day off and get a new propane hose. (The one I got with the tank is old and I don't trust it)
  10. Mikey and Timgunn; most roofing and welding set ups will be propane, the torch I had was readily available and, to be honest, I did not research enough when I got it. By the time I fired it into the bricks for the first time I already knew it was likely not to be enough. I followed recommendations in this thread and left the orifice on both burners alone. What I did modify is this: It was a bit tricky because I have the opening angled up toward the ceiling of the forge but the circumference of the inside opening is still about the size of the torch end. How it looks in the dark: With flash: And with some blue flame at the front that cleared after moving the brick blocking the back to create some draft: And after 10 minutes: So with the propane it gets hotter and it gets hot faster. I also got my mig contact tips today so I can start shopping for plumbing. @the iron dwarf Thanks. I also found this link seems accurate. I Found the we do have the black (cast) iron pipes here, all measured in inches. Most of them are galvanised but the plain black ones are available as well. Shows that just walking into the store ore phoning them can be more fruitful than searching the web.... Again, thank you all.
  11. HI, a small update The torch in the picture is indeed butane (mixed with propane, but in a negligible ratio) I have since acquired a small propane burner, which I still need to test. The winds have died down So I should be able to burn it soon. @timgunn1962 I have modified the burner opening slightly, I'll let you know how it works out.
  12. Mikey Yes I could build it smaller but I would, like frosty says probably need a smaller mig tip. smallest size I could find was .6 mm which is 0.0.23" I read up on your burners as well. Unfortunately they are not not within my current capabilities , tool and skill-wise(until I try). Frosty 1/2 is about the smallest T or any fitting I can get here which is still rated in inches( that is at any walk in hardware store). Ill let all of you know if I can get to a metric analogue. For now I will just stick as close to the specs as I can to get something that works for me. And about the wind... This is a temporary issue until I get some walls up in my garden. Just don want to burn a forge in my kitchen.
  13. @Charlotte, @Frosty, Never seen anyone modifying a plumbers torch orifice, thanks for pointing out not to do it and why. @Michael Cochran You make a good point and I will construct a burner, as for throwing money at it: I did reserve a small budget for this project. I have most but not all of the tools I need. Ran into that while doing house work as well. Any tool I have bought has been reused, I imagine that will not stop now. In this specific case it means I need a Tank (at the least) and some hoses. I have some extra bricks (soft) .Also the hard ones I got for almost nothing and turned out to be the wrong kind (and I could use for the floor and maybe outer shell? ) @Buzzkill I noticed this as well, good point. have not been able to test with other burner positions due to crazy high winds. I'll let you know how it pans out, if the wind lets down before I can build a new burner. Thanks for pointing out the 1/2 " burner possibility. And everyone else, thank you! Sorry if this is long winded and the @ 's . I'll keep you posted on my progress, might even write a proper introduction. For now, I'll wait for my MIG contact tips and try not to go crazy by imperial/metric conversion
  14. Yes the T Burner seems the way to go. Has anybody built one a bit smaller, say 1/2'? I would like to keep things small for now. I figured if I can build one, I can build a bigger one later.
  15. Thanks, all, for the quick responses. I'll spend some time reading up on burners, other threads had some pretty good suggestions. I will experiment with burner position with my current setup later today. I should be able to move it back out a bit further. Also I found This burner online but are unable to find specifications so I'll put that on hold for now.
  16. I figured something like that. Thank you. I guess for now I could try enlarging the orifice on the torch burner. Not something I have ever done before, but, I got some drills. Maybe even better get another burner head for this torch or a tank/hose burner. I was trying to make due with what I had at hand and what I could find. Does anyone have tips on what kind of burner would work well for this small forge?
  17. Hi all, I spent some time browsing this forum while I was already building my 2 brick forge and I'm really happy with how much information I could scrounge. I am not new to hot metal but I am new to the forging and hammering part. I'll include some pictures of my project below. I am planning to use the the forge for small knifes/chisels or to make small part for small scissors/shears. Anything small and metal that needs heating Now for my question: I do get a nice even heat on whatever I put in but it will not go any hotter than the picture below (as long as I ran it during my 2 test burns, say 15 minutes. see pictures) After pounding the stock with a hammer and researching the steel colours, I think I need to get my stock hotter. Could this be the torch I am using or the gas? I do get the same glow all over the chamber, also a nice hot spot. I know the 1300 degrees rating on the torch is for the flame itself and I am doubting on how much heat I need to get the entire chamber to warm up. Any help would be appreciated Some info: Top halve is a half cylinder Bottom half is rectangular, flat bottom Back port is smaller than front Burner is a soldering torch rated to 1300 degrees C (2372 Fahrenheit, butane propane mixture though I think mostly butane) Burner is angled to the front (larger) opening and into the arch of the ceiling Glowing part of the stock in image is the entire length of what was in the chamber Size of the brick is 23 x 11.4 x 6 x64 Cm ( 9.1 x 4.5 x 2.6")
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