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I Forge Iron

wood gasifiers


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look around 3:40 this is what got me thinking would a similar setup be able to produce a workable forge? perhaps a homemade one instead of this expensive industrial grade monstrosity.

it looks as is this gas might be plausible for a gas type forge fuel. it seems the same process used to make charcoal would produce this gas and then you could use the same wood to make fuel for a solid fuel forge and a gasser at the same time.

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It "wood" work like a champ. :rolleyes: Take a look at this link: http://www.woodgas.com/history9.htm This is a small gassifier unit that is relatively easy to build and it does work. I built and used one to experiment with, and was able to melt brass and copper with it. If I didn't have about a thousand other projects lined up at the moment, I would be moving forward with my MKII version of a gassifier. I do have an eventual goal of having one that will be powerful enough to reliably melt cast iron.
If you already have a gasser forge, this would just replace propane as the fuel source. The forge design wouldn't change a bit.

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It "wood" work like a champ. :rolleyes: Take a look at this link: http://www.woodgas.com/history9.htm This is a small gassifier unit that is relatively easy to build and it does work. I built and used one to experiment with, and was able to melt brass and copper with it. If I didn't have about a thousand other projects lined up at the moment, I would be moving forward with my MKII version of a gassifier. I do have an eventual goal of having one that will be powerful enough to reliably melt cast iron.
If you already have a gasser forge, this would just replace propane as the fuel source. The forge design wouldn't change a bit.

I was hopeing someone "wood" say that. I have both charcoal and propane forges, and Woodgas has looked interesting for a while.
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A couple of pics of my gassifier from a few years ago:
dasifier1.jpg
dasifierworking.jpg
It does work, but this type has a steep learning curve and will produce copious amounts of smoke when it isn't quite there yet. Also, DON'T use one indoors or without good ventilation, the major gas produced is CO, and it will kill you if you aren't careful. Just had to point that out. I built that unit in a weekend out of junk, which is why it didn't last too long. It did prove the concept, though.

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  • 6 years later...

I made a woodgas forge that works pretty dang well.  In this video the initial fire smokes for 30-40 seconds and after that there isn't any smoke.  I was able to melt a large chunk of aluminium and a piece of copper very quickly.  This stove burns on wood chips and a squirrel cage fan.  There is no insulation or bricks used in the design.  I admit the efficiency for forging isn't optimized as far as the amount of heat that is allowed to escape out the top.  One nice thing about using this set up is that after the burn you are left with copious amounts of charcoal.  At certain times I am getting a very distinct ugly green residue on my pot and anything inside of it and I have no idea what that is.  If anyone knows please advise me.    BTW - Yeah, this stove is galvanized metal which has major concerns for welding but not for wood burning fires that do not heat up high enough to vaporize Zinc Oxide which causes the chills.  Either way - please understand the concept and don't get fussy about the materials used cause that can all be changed.  

 
This you tube video has been removed by the user.

 

Here's another look at the stove as it burns in the daytime on the same wood chips and same fan.

 

This you tube video has been removed by the user.

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SAY WHAT!   You said it got hot enough to melt copper which is several hundred degrees higher than the boiling point of zinc and then you say:  "Yeah, this stove is galvanized metal which has major concerns for welding but not for wood burning fires that do not heat up high enough to vaporize Zinc Oxide"  YOU ARE VERY WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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This must be an example of getting things marginally right is just being fussy. We're just too fussy for this generation Thomas. Actually expecting someone to know what they're talking about is just unfair you old meany.

Frosty The Lucky.

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Kk, Zinc boils down to zinc oxide which then burns around 2200 degree Celsius which when burnt releases noxious fumes...whatever. Thank you to the member who did inform me the greenish residue is a result of zinc boiling.  I am planning an iron Woodgas stove now because of your answer.  I didn't post here to discuss galvanized dangers.  I only wanted to see if there was interest in this design and if people who forge and melt metals regular would like to see me further my research.  It's expensive to build so many prototypes over 3 years to get this far and I haven't found enough support to continue my research or I need to focus in other uses besides forging, melting.   According to the threads I posted in, there seemed to be interest in the idea and I apologize to the community for spamming those topics.  I was overexcited that I had found a solution to skipping making charcoal and using straight wood to reach very high temp with charcoal as a byproduct instead of main fuel.  

 

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On 6/13/2017 at 5:17 PM, Emp said:

Zinc boils down to zinc oxide which then burns around 2200 degree Celsius which when burnt releases noxious fumes...whatever.

Ah, no. Zinc melts at about 420°C (788°F) and starts to give off ZnO fumes at its 900°C (1652°F) boiling point. 

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