Valeas

Hey everyone, Today I picked up a bunch of steel. Plate of various thickness and width, mild steel stock for making things, some other odds and ends. All for $90. Mostly, I got a crate full of round stock. A lot of it. I did a spark test, and it looks like high carbon steel to me but I figured I'd would post here to get more eyes on it. What do you think? VID_20201207_192735216.mp4

That comment was from about a week ago. The forge is already built now. (See latest pics in my last comments) I'm adding plates across the top of the opening, front and back, to close the opening off a bit, and Frosty has recommended using two 1/2" burners, which I'm working on building right now. The only thing I'm waiting on now is to decide the burner placement. If I REALLY HAD TO, I could cut out lateral sections from each side to shorten it down.

Looking at it now, the other option would be to cut it down 1" so that the interior height is only 4.25" then weld plates on...

So this is where it is now. I've finished welding the body and frame. The rear is built identically to the front. Once I add the refractory, I calculate the interior dimensions to be about 4.25"w x 15"d x 5.25"h, or 335 cubic inches. If I add a 3" plate to the top of the entrance, it will leave me a 3.5" opening. Should I add a 4" plate to the back for a 2.5" opening?

So I'm almost done with the build and I'm approaching the point that I'm going to have to cut the holes for the burners. My question now is: should the burners be evenly distributed in the forge, or should they be a little closer to the edges? I.E. The forge is 15 in in length. Should I space them at 5 in and 10 in, or spread them out a little bit more? In the picture, I marked the center line in blue and evenly spaced with red circles.

So this is where I'm at right now. Got the body tack welded. Now I'm working on the frame. I hope to have it mostly completed tomorrow then I'll have to wait for my shipment of refractory and other items to arrive.

Man, I'm glad I checked this thread for your reply when I did. I was literally standing in the pipe section of Ace hardware. So I got the two 1/2-in by 4-in long nipples, and two 3/4 by 3/4 by 1/2 t.

Thank you for explaining all this to me. I really do appreciate it. This will be my first propane forge build ever. That's why I'm asking so many questions, because I don't want to waste a whole lot of time and money and not end up with the best I could do. I've literally never run a propane forge. All my experience has been with coal forges with hand crank blowers, so this is all new to me. Yes, the planned internal dimensions would be 4.5"w, 15"d, 5"h. I honestly have no idea whether I would want a hotspot or not. I plan to use the forge to heat treat steel and eventually be able to do some blacksmithing. I've read in several places on the internet that having an even temperature in the forge would be best for what I want to do, but that doesn't mean that it really is the best, right? If I were to run the two half inch burners like you suggested previously, the nipple length would be 4", that's pretty easy, but what size would the T be? On your plans you listed the air intake as 2D, So would I get a 1" to 1/2" T? I just want to make sure before I go buy the parts. Thank you, Val

Are you referring to the 8.5"w x 15"d x 9"h forge that I'm building? After insulation, that will be a 4.5"x5" workable space. A little less once I cover the insulation with refractory. Is that still too big?

Thank you. So are there plans and a parts list for the burner setup that you're talking about here? I'm planning to finish the forge build tomorrow then work on the burners this weekend. I'm getting excited.

So I decided to scrap the idea of using the pipe, a propane tank, it any other thing. Now I'm building my forge from scratch using sheet steel I salvaged and a cut out section of that pipe for the roof of the forge, to get the curve. I feel like if I use the curve in the roof and offset the burner 10°, I should get good swirl inside the forge. My question now is, with final exterior dimensions of 8.5 in wide, 15 in deep, and 9 in high with 2 inches of insulation all around... Do I only need one burner, or should I go ahead and put two? I plan to use your T burner design. I calculate the interior volume after insulation to be about 338 cubic inches. Thank you for helping this newbie out. I really appreciate it.

Awesome! Thank you so much!

Frosty, I'm trying to find your plans for the burner, but I'm not having any luck. Any suggestions or help?

So I also have a helium cylinder that's 12.5 inches in diameter and about ten inches in workable length. Still too big?

Thank you for the warm welcome! I was considering using a propane tank to build my forge but it seemed that this pipe had the same diameter, which is why I grabbed it.I could cut it and then rebend it to a smaller size if I need to. Mostly it's just steel to do with as I need, I'm not committed to that particular diameter.I just figured that 14 in minus 4 in of insulation would give me enough room to work with wider material, such as a double bit axe head. like I said I'm not married to this idea, I'm just trying to get a forge built, lol.

Greetings, This will be my first attempt at building a propane forge, so any constructive advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I'm currently collecting materials for the build and I came across this steel pipe. It's approximately 14" in diameter, and I'm planning to cut it 16" in length. My question is, if I plan to put 3" of insulation around the interior, would this still be too big for a 2-burner setup?

Greetings, This will be my first attempt at building a propane forge, so any constructive advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I'm currently collecting materials for the build and I came across this steel pipe. It's approximately 14" in diameter, and I'm planning to cut it 16" in length. My question is, if I plan to put 3" of insulation around the interior, would this still be too big for a 2-burner setup?