ofafeather Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Hi, All. Waiting for my first propane forge to arrive (a Chile Tabasco) and wondered if we could collect some propane safety words of wisdom. Thanks.~Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat pete Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 you are just sooo excited....lol... i couldnt wait for mine either i drove to quad state to pick it up 2 yrs ago....lol....propane is heavier than air...u want good ventilation so put a co2 monitor in the roomm you r using it....bubble check your connections at the tank... does your model have an ignitor? if not light your propane bottle first...and dont look into the forge when u r lighting it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ofafeather Posted October 20, 2009 Author Share Posted October 20, 2009 you are just sooo excited....lol... i couldnt wait for mine either i drove to quad state to pick it up 2 yrs ago....lol....propane is heavier than air...u want good ventilation so put a co2 monitor in the roomm you r using it....bubble check your connections at the tank... does your model have an ignitor? if not light your propane bottle first...and dont look into the forge when u r lighting it Yeah, excited. Just want to be prepared. I think I will either use it outside or in the garage near the over head doors. I'll store the propane outside. It doesn't have an igniter. What do you mean about lighting the propane bottle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat pete Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 i use a bottle to lite the fire....i have one of those trigger type lighters for the propane...so i make sure i lite the bottle before i slide it into the forge and open the gas valve, so it dont blow back at me in the face....my set up is in the gallery but i have mine with the back facing the outside of a garge door on top of a shelf type table and then i put a firebrick to cover the back of it....seems to cut dowm a little on the scaling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 I think he uses a "plumber's torch" to light his forge. I have done the same, but I usually take a wood match, grasp it in some tongs, light the match, put match into forge and turn gas on S L O W L Y so as to not blow out match. I use natural aspiration home made burners. If I don't have instant ignition, then turn gas off: the match has snuffed, and try again. Have hands slightly to side so if forge coughs as it lights your hands are clear. Some people use a crumple of paper, say a page from a phone book, in a similar manner. You can put the paper down in forge then turn on gas. As far as "unsafe" the full time lab aid at school was sick of smokers throwing buts into the lab trash can, often still lit. This lab room had outside access. He took a plumbers torch and some loosely crumpled papers and ran about 30 seconds of gas into the trash can and under the papers. When the smoker who was a problem came back in and threw out his butt, the gas ignited and blew charred confetti all over! The gas sat in the open trash can in the open overhead doorway for about 30 minutes before it was set off. There already were butt drop ash trays in the parking lot a few feet from the door, and stinking butts in the trash were never a problem again. This is a humorous illustration of propane gas in a still depression. It is also a humorous illustration of how much explosive power a small amount of propane gas has. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Check for leaks, always turn off the gas at the bottle at the end of the day, VENTILATION VENTILATION VENTILATION! Personally I have 2 10'x10' roll up doors on opposite sides for my shop along the general wind trend and unless the breeze is blowing over anvils I keep both of them open. On windless days I have a large squirrel cage fan going to assist. Of course since I am often doing blade smithing and so like to run slightly reducing CO is a concern to me!. I light my aspirated forge by taking a wooden match, lighting it and resting it over a crack in a floor fire brick so it will stay burning and then turn on the gas. Very seldomly do I have a problem with it blowing out---though the match stub may "blow out" of the forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mylore Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 One I learnt a while ago with my BBQ, always open the tank all the way. That way if you need to shut it off quick there is no guessing on the direction to close it off and maybe make things worse. Of course I guess this would only work if you have a regulator on the line and your not using the valve on the tank as one. Something I do intend to have should I ever go to propane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragons lair Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Use a ball valve in line. Instant on/off. CO monitors are good CO/GAS monitors are great. As for lighting I use a grill type butane lighter. LIght it stick it in the bell(s) Ken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ofafeather Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 Do you guys use your forges with the gas cylinders in the shop or are they outside and just the hose is in? If you use the cylinder inside, do you leave it attached when you're done and store it inside? From everything I have read using/storing the cylinders inside is a big no-no. How do you work around that? At the moment I plan of using it outside but I really don't have a permanent space for it yet. David at Chile Forge recommended using a BBQ type lighter, too. I think I will try that. If I start working indoors I will certainly pick up some CO/Gas detectors. CO poisoning is nasty and you hear a couple of stories each year of people blowing themselves up. Only some of them were doing stupid things. Others just had leaks and didn't know it. Do you know if the regulator can go in line or does it have to attach directly to the tank? The forge comes with a regulator and 8' hose. Connection Kit Included with every forge: 8' LP hose, Fisher 67CH-743 regulator, 1 - 30 PSI gauge and POL connector. Sorry for all of the questions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 My smithies have always been detached from the house and quite "airy". I leave the tank connected with the valve closed and the tanks are inside---worry more about theft than a leaky tank valve. My regulators have a fitting that engages the tank fitting and so I use them that way rather than take off that fitting and install one to put it in-line. Remember that this is about the same storage danger as a gas grill so if you are comfortable with one of those then the gas forge will be similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ofafeather Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 My smithies have always been detached from the house and quite "airy". I leave the tank connected with the valve closed and the tanks are inside---worry more about theft than a leaky tank valve. My regulators have a fitting that engages the tank fitting and so I use them that way rather than take off that fitting and install one to put it in-line. Remember that this is about the same storage danger as a gas grill so if you are comfortable with one of those then the gas forge will be similar. That sounds reasonable. I may end up building an open lean-to on the back of the garage. I have my wood shop in the garage and lots of other stuff is stored there. It wouldn't be practical at the moment to include a full smithy. The other option for now is to put the forge on a cart and forge just outside the garage door while leaving the anvil just inside. Once I add more equipment, like a post vise, that becomes impractical. If I do build a shelter in the back of the garage I can tap the electric in the garage and also replace a window that's there with a walk through door. We'll see. One step at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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