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Militant83

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Posts posted by Militant83

  1. I just picked up a KMG 3 speed grinder with the 2 hp motor. I have an existing 220 outlet on a 50 amp breaker that I use for my welder, is this outlet suitable to use with this grinder? Or should I wire a 30 or 40 amp outlet for it? Also what size wire do I need to use to wire a power cord and switch for the motor?

  2.  

    Have you read the attachments on the Forge Supplies page of my web-site?  That should give you some good information, then you can e-mail me or call if you need more info.

    You can get my web-site, e-mail and phone number from my profiles page here.

    Wayne

    I have glanced at them I haven't gave them a full read yet.

  3. Just some added info my initial thoughts and direction for my build. Square or rectangle shaped forge with side mounted ribbon burner. 2-3" of rigidized isowool covered in Plistix, a base floor made of Kasto-Lite 3000 2-3" thick. Probably a 5"x5" opening with sliding doors. Shell made of 1/8th" or 3/16th" steel and probably about 14" long. 

     

    Any thoughts are appreciated.

  4. I'm trying to get the details ironed out on my forge build. I'm really leaning toward a square or rectangular style forge with a ribbon burner set up... Id like to see some pics of build you guys have built in a square or rectangular shape doesn't have to be ribbon burner. Thanks in advance

  5.  

    Check out the Build a Gas Forge attachment on the Forge Supplies page of my web-site.  It is a "clam shell design" and is quite easy to build.  This is how I like to build a tough, long lasting, efficient forge.

    Go to my Profiles above for my web-site and contact information.

    Let me know how I can help you.

    Wayne

     

    Your link seems to be broken to your site. I keep getting this site isn't available.

  6.  

    I don't know anything about his clamshell forge. But if I remember correctly he is an actual heating engineer and one of the earliest of the movers and shapers in gas blacksmithing forges. His oval forges have been around for decades. I consistently consulted him while righting the section on propane hoses in my book. I believe he would have become famous if he had leaned into keeping up a modern website. There would never have been a niche in the marketplace for Chile Forge to fill.

    Good to know...his prices are reasonable and still gives me a little DIY to it as it is a kit.. He was highly recommended by someone else however I have never seen any of his forges aside from the few pics of the kit pieces he has sent me. I would never have known about him if another fellow blacksmith didn't tell me to contact him.

  7.  

    It's similar-ish to the ones I use. The blower he uses is 75 CFM so I would think it would get a small forge to welding heat no problem.  A improvement on this design would be either a speed control or placing the air gate after the blower instead of the sliding gate on the side.  Your burner is only one part of forge efficiency, so without knowing the rest it's hard to judge. 

    I wish he showed the forge it actually went on. But I haven't found anything in his videos that had that burner actually in use. I don't think the one in the thumbnail is it as it is never shown in the video.

  8. Has anyone made and used the style of forced air burners that Roy from Christ Centered Ironworks made? If so how efficient are they? Are they capable of reaching forge welding temps? Any info provided on these would be great. Thanks

     

     

  9. Nice setup.. maybe one day when I get out of the city... But as of right now i'm in the city and a gasser is probably the best option for the winter months and then if I want to use coal I make a portable to pull out in the driveway for the warmer months. If I owned the house it may be a different story but we rent off of my parents and I would hate to risk them losing their homeowners insurance over my hobby.

  10.  

    Militant, I prescribe to the theory that it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission. I use a plain jane 10" 28g ducting, From my forge hood it goes up 4' to a 2' horizontal section (it goes directly through a wooden wall) which connects to a 6' vertical. While running the forge for hours I can safely place my hands on the hood without the slightest fear of burning myself, the ducting itself is barely warm. I personally believe that the danger of coal fires are VASTLY overstated at least from a fire hazard point of view.

    If you're safety conscious and a stickler for building codes you can easily make a portable coal forge and set it up outside.

    I didn't think a coal forge would put off that much heat through the stack with it being such a small fire and drafting through such a large pipe. It is completely different that a blazing wood burning stove.  Do you have any pictures of how your setup inside and out?

  11.  

    If you Google "stove pipe" you'll get many pages of suppliers wanting to sell you whatever you need. There are wall, ceiling and roof jacks to safely penetrate whatever's in the way. The roof flange (stove pipe flashing) is a MUST and has to be installed properly or the roof WILL leak. It's not a big deal but you MUST follow the instructions. Then there's the rain collar which deflects rain away from the penetration and roof flange.

    Brick isn't that big a deal to penetrate, it just LOOKS tough. A 3/8" carbide drill bit and a 1/2" or less masonry chisel will let you remove the bricks in tact so you can replace them if you wish without changing the appearance.  Heck, you can even color match the aged mortar. They make wall jacks for masonry walls too. 

    People have been doing this for centuries, it's old tech with all the products, tools, and how tos easily available. It just LOOKS daunting.

    Probably the worst thing is having to decide exactly where you want the forge permanently, there's only a little room for moving once the stack's in place.

    Check local code!

    Frosty The Lucky.

    Yeah, it was never that I couldn't do it rather than if it was worth the time and money for me to do it vs just getting a gas forge and throwing in an extra ventilation van or something. For me to put stove pipe through any wood structure I would either need class A triple wall pipe which at 10" diameter is insanely expensive over $100/ 4' section.. If I wanted to use single wall it would need 18" clearance all the way around from any combustible material. I had even considered something like a commercial exhaust hood but those are extremely expensive as well. I could see all of this if I did this full time but not as a hobby. I think for someone like me that wont be forging every day gas probably makes the most since just out of convenience and ease of use.

  12.  

    Speaking as a fellow weekend-warrior, working-in-the-garage hobbyist blacksmith, I have to note that a forge burning charcoal or anthracite is practically smokeless. Coal smoke is really only an issue (and it's a BIG issue) when you're burning bituminous/soft coal or the like. I burn rice coal from Tractors Supply in a JABOD with no chimney or smoke hood, and the only significant smoke I get is from the kindling at startup. (I've got a big stand fan to clear that out, and then to help keep me cool while forging in hot weather.) With the garage door open, there's plenty of ventilation; I've worked like that with the temperatures down in the teens. 

    How does the anthracite work out for you..just noticed it is only $6/ 40 lbs at tractor supply... able to reach forge welding temps and everything with it?

  13.  

    Yep ... LPG is expensive ... unless you buy autogas. Australias prices are as follows. 9Kg barbaque bottle $18 up to $25 depending where you buy. Autogas is 50c to 60c a litre. 

    You can not fill a BBQ bottle at the servo but you can fill a forklift tank at the servo. 

    Just saying :)

    Tractor supply here in my town fills large propane bottles for $2.49/gal.. I may be able to get it slightly cheaper at my welding gas supplier. If I went the gas route I would purchase a 100lb tank which is rough 23-24 gal of propane roughly $60 each fill.

    Do forge stack need to be insulated when going through structural areas like wood walls? I know a fire place or wood stove does. But I wasn't sure if the forge put off the type of heat as a wood stove or fire place.

  14.  

    You might look at this thread. We used 10 inch spiral HVAC duct work for the flue and it draws like crazy with no over heating problems.

    https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/23197-bp1048-side-draft-chimney/?tab=comments#comment-235913

    That looks like a nice set up however I would have to go through a brick wall to do something like that. my walls are all brick up to about 8' then wood in the gable ends and roof line. Not sure it would be worth blowing through the brick at this point.

     

  15.  

    Welcome aboard MIlitant, glad to have you. Both types of forge have good and bad points to consider.

    Well having to create its own stack might just be the breaking point on the coal then.  I deffinitely dont want to do anything un-safe but im also not wanting to spend the cash running a new stack especially not 10" like it should be. Might just start with gas througout the winter and build a small coal that can be rolled outside in the warmer weather. Id much rather toss in a couple ventilation fans in my gable ends to  increase ventilation than run a ton of pipe for a stack. 

    Can anyone tell me what kind of lifespan they are getting on a 100 lb tank and how frequently you are using your gas forge?  Propane her will run me about 2.49/gal

  16.  

    Well first of all, I am really flattered that you want to build a forge like mine! Here is an update after using this forge for 4 months or so...

    Still have the blower on the right. It is nice to give the left arm a break while I am cranking with the right. I use sub-bitumous coal so it stays well lit even without the air going. Have about 1200 lbs of it so i am not needing to buy coal for a long while. Klinkers are annoying but a fact of life and I have learned to deal with them. 

    The only thing I plan on doing with this forge is to upgrade the firepot. 1/4 inch is a little thin for my liking and at 3.5 inches deep I find it a little too deep. Will be replacing it this winter probably with either 3/8" or 1/2" and make it only 2.5 inches deep. I find the 8"x8" geometry about perfect for the work I do which is tool making. I only need to hear 4-6 inches at a time with being all manual on the hammer anyhow. 

    The 6" pipe for the chimney has not been a problem. Even at 85F in the summer it draws fairly well. I will remind you that I have an ideal situation though. 15ft straight up and no buildings in the area to cause turbulence. When I build my new smithy it will be upgraded to a 10" flue. Other than that I am happier than a pig in s#!t with this set-up. 

    Hope to see your build in the near future. I am really looking forward to it! Thanks for the interest!

     

    Thanks for the info. I didn't really want to do anything bigger than 6" since I already have 6" pipe ran for my stove. The only down side is to tie in I would need a bend from the forge into the stove pipe. I have to go through a wood wall in order to get the pipe outside to stainless insulated pipe is required for that and get quite expensive above 6" pipe. I dont want to be too deep cost wise in this project. But then I don't want to build something that I can use either.

  17. Not to resurrect an older post..but I didn't see the need to make a new one being it wasn't that old.  When I decide to make the decision between gas or coal this is the set up I want to go with. It looks like your shop is similar conditions to mine.

    How has that forge worked out for you since it was built? Anything you would change now that you have had it for a while?

  18. Thanks, and yes I have lurked a little bit and found out from others mistakes that listing where you are from can be very beneficial to those replying to your post.  As of right now i'm wanting a turnkey set up..If I had my new electrical ran in my garage so I could run my welder I wouldn't be opposed to building. But who knows when I will get around to that and I want to start forging.  My neighbors don't complain about my wood burner so who knows if they will even notice. I would not be forging everyday either. More like a weekend warrior.

     

    It's hard to give any definitive answers without knowing your shop set up.

    Yes you are more limited to the shape and size of stock you can work in a propane forge. Solid fuel forges are easy and cheap to build.

    I am in a detached 2 car garage with windows for ventilation and of course a garage door in the warmer months. If I was to go the solid fuel route I was thinking of piping it in to the flue of my wood burner that I already have in place.

  19. I tried doing a search first and did not really find the answer I was looking for and the one link in the sticky threads was broken So I will ask it here. I'm looking at getting my first forge. But I am stuck on what type to get. What I have seen so far in my research is gas forges are typically cheaper to buy. However, I have been told propane can be more expensive compared to coal. And coal forges to buy are more expensive to buy new but the fuel is cheaper. I'm trying to get to forging in the least costly and most efficient way possible.

    What is everyone experience with the cost of buying and operating a gas forge vs a coal forge?

    Some factors that i'm trying to take into consideration for myself are the following;

    • Can get propane filled locally
    • Coal is about 2.5 hours away at $12/ 50# bag
    • Gas forge takes up less space in the workshop
    • Gas has no smoke
    • Coal is more traditional
    • Can fit larger pieces in a coal forge setup

    As for what I would intend to make would mostly be small ornamental stuff, cooking utensils, hammers, blades, etc.

     

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