th41004

This morning I moved the nozzle up into the flare another inch. It is 2" form the flare opening, wind had died down also. I fired it up and it worked perfectly. I forged for 2 hours until I ran out of gas. It seems very efficient. I was able to get the 5/8 stock to forging temp with my gas pressure dropping to 2.5 psi. First time using a gas forge. I really like being able to see the steel color. Coal heated well, but it was a guessing game on metal color unless you pulled it out. Forge should be able to get metal to welding temp easily. I have learned so much form this forum and look forward to hopefully contributing once I get more experience with using gas. Thanks everyone!

Okay. The ss nozzle is 1" from the chamber.

I have the nozzle just up inside the refractory. Should be 3.5-4".

Pics of my completed forge. Still tuning but it is easily getting 1/2 stock to forging temps pretty quickly at 7 psi. The burner is chattering and I have tried different length .35 tips. There is a slight breeze which may be the problem, I am not sure. Volume is ~135 in³. Changing tip length does not help nor hurt the chattering which makes me think the wind is the culprit. I turned the T vertical because the wind, it seemed to help. I have the back opening blocked with a brick all except for the top 1/2". I used another brick to block half the front opening. 

Finished insulation and refractory. Happy with it so far. Still waiting on the correct T for the burner. I think I have everything else. Thanks for all suggestions and comments. Again awesome wealth of experience in this forum. 

22 minutes ago, latticino said:

The Resco refractory looks to be a good product, and they have an even higher alumina version (90%) that is likely to be even more resistant to flux damage.  The white color of the material will likely help as well with the thermal efficiency of the liner.

I'll let Frosty respond to the proposed modification to the burner, but I do recall him mentioning on another thread that he does not recommend using a bushing as the gas/air flow patterns at that portion of the assembly are fairly critical and the bushing makes a change in the geometry of the unit.  Any decent plumbing supply shop should be able to set you up with a reducing TEE, and they are cheap.  I would recommend following the design, as listed, and see how it works for you before you make modifications.

My experience with flares is that they are less necessary for burners that are used inside forges (as opposed to those in free air), but the stainless end will be a bit less likely to break down from the heat (and can be replaced if it does).  Without knowing the details of the nozzle configuration it will be difficult to predict how it affects the burner outlet.

I was unable to find the tees anywhere in town I ordered some from ebay. Hope they arrive soon.

Okay. I finished cutting my tank. I picked up some inswool and Resco AA-22A (Refractory) from a local source. I lined it with ~4" of insulation and 1/4 - 1/2 refrac. I am working on the burner at the moment. Like others, I had trouble finding the 1" - 3/4" T and purchased a 1" T . I bought a bushing to reduce to 3/4 from the 1". I purchased a ss nozzle from ebay that fits nicely on the 3/4 pipe. Do I need to cut the threads of the end and clean up before attaching the nozzle? 

11 hours ago, WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.c said:

Go to the Forge Supplies page at www.WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.com and study the two attachments there.  You will see how I like to build a gas forge from a 20# Propane bottle.

Let me know if I can help you.  What part of Kentucky are you in?  You might be close enough to me to come visit.

 

I will do that. I live in rural Northern Ky. north of Lex. Thanks

Sprinkle coal dust on your chisel.

Okay. After further research, I was beginning to think 2 3/4" may be the way to go.Glad you cleared that up. I have heard good things about the book and will definitely look it up. Thanks! 

Great tips! I have been scouring information from this forum all evening. Sounds like you are the burner SME. With my plans, do you suggest 1" pipe rather than 3/4"? Also do you think one burner will suffice? I seldom forge weld. 

Thanks Frosty! Yes I have been going over the T burner design. Looks pretty straight forward. Should the burner nozzle be at a tangent or 90 degrees from the work surface? I noticed in the design it was straight down. Being I will have a circular forge, what would work better?

Hi all. I have been reading this forum for a few weeks, what a wealth of information. I am a tinkerer blacksmith and have been using a coal fired forge that I made. It does well, but I have trouble finding coal and I do not like the fumes. I am attempting to build a forge from a 20# propane tank. I will be insulating with 2'' inswool and coating with 1/4 - 1/2'' refractory. I am stuck on deciding on a burner. I would not mind building one or buying a quality built burner. I am having trouble finding a decent burner. There is one for sale on ebay from Tacoma that looks decent. What do you all suggest for this set up?