Start of a new gasser

[CurlyGeorge]

OK guys. I've been wanting to get a small gasser for some time, now. Sometimes I just need to heat one piece of metal to do a small project and it's a hassle to fire up the coal burner for just a small project. So I got with a friend of mine, Bob Haverstock, and he is helping me build a small gasser. Bob has built quite a few gassers, over the years, and has two or three that he uses in his own shop regularly. Now, I don't know all the technical stuff about a gasser. So that's why I asked Bob to help me out. It's gonna be a one burner, 12" long and 8" diameter. It has a 3" opening on the back end so that I can run a piece completely thru, and a 3 1/2" opening on the front. Yesterday, we made the bell for the burner. Bob is making up the orfice piece. I already have a 15 PSI LP regulator. He said that I may not be able to reach weld temp with that, but should be able to do any heating that I need. I really wasn't planning on using it to weld with anyway. Here's a couple of pics of the barrel and ends. I'll post more pics as work progresses. Any comments are welcome.

[DennisG]

So the wool will sit inside the rig you put in? Thats how it looks to me?

a good start.

[CurlyGeorge]

Yeah, Dennis. That's the plan. Both ends are just set in place, not fastened in yet. I ordered the wool and UPS sent me an email that it should be delivered in a couple more days. After I put in the wool, I'm gonna secure the end caps on with sheet metal screws so that they can be removed to replace the wool or add another layer. Still have to make the legs, too. But, hopefully, I'll be using it in another week or so.

[Frosty]

George:

8" dia x 12" L. makes it about 600 cu/in if those dimensions are after it's been lined. If so, then one 1" naturally aspirated burner or two 3/4" ones will bring it to welding heat, no problem.

Are you going to coat the wool? It'll last a LOT longer and you won't have to worry about airborn fibers. ITC-100 works very well and will increase it's efficiency. However a coating of Kaolin clay slip will stiffen it, contain the fibers and go a long way to resisting flux damage.

Just so you know, borax at welding heat will go through Kaowool or the equivalent like hot water through cotton candy.

Kaolin clay is high alumina, 4,000f ceramic, porcelain when fired in fact. ITC-100 is Zirconia flour suspended in Kaolin and is pretty darned bullet proof if expensive.

Let me know if you have any questions about the burners.

Frosty the Lucky.

[CurlyGeorge]

Thanks for that info, Jer. As I said, I don't know much of the technical end of this. So any info I get will definately help. I'll ask Bob about coating the wool. The dimensions that I gave are the barrel size before lining. We're planning on using 3/4" burner pipe. :unsure:

[SGensh]

George, I'm adding a picture of a freon can forge which is very similar in size to what you are building. This particular one was one of five used at the Memphis Abana conference. It's OD is 9" and it is 12" long. Look under the flip door and you will see a hard refractory brick used as the floor (over the wool). Those are 4 1/2" by 9" by 1 1/4" and fit very nicely in the space left when you line with two inches of Kaowool. You might consider one for your floor if you are planning on welding or even if you just want a very durable floor. Frosty's point about coating the wool is a good one. It will last longer and be less subject to tears if coated plus it may help a little with reflectivity especially if you use a top coat of a high emmisivity coating like ITC 100 as your last layer after the rigidizer. I'm sure Bob will exlain this all as you go along. You shouldn't have any trouble welding in your new forge if its coated and has a reasonably efficient burner. These forges used a single one of my PNB burners (1" OD, app 3/4 bore) and they used them to teach forge welding at the conference. I was using one earlier today tapering pipe and forge welding the ends shut and never went over about eight pounds on my Goss regulator's gauge. (Bob actually saw the very ratty one I was using today when we met out at Tipton, I bought one of his very nice sandbags there.) Steve G

[maddog]

SGensh, cute forge! When you fire it up it should look like something out of a '50s sci fi movie.

I guess it's relative but in my world, 8"x12" is BIG. I am currently working on a 4"x6" forge.

[CurlyGeorge]

Thanks for all the info guys. I'll try to decifer it all and let you know how it comes out. :D

[CurlyGeorge]

Well, I finally got the inside coated with 2700 degree furnace cement and got it cured. So today I got to fire it up and try it on 1/2" X 1/2"HR square stock. It worked like a champ. At 8psi I got the bar up to weld temp in about 2 1/2 minutes. Here are a few pics of my set up.

Guages show tank preasure and line preasure.

She's fired up and heating.

Hot with the 1/2" rod inside.

Hot Rod!!

By the way Steve, Bob said Hi. I think that I'm gonna like this!!! Any coments are welcome.

[trying-it]

We may have created a monster, but then it is almost Halloween! :rolleyes :

[SGensh]

Congratulations George, That looks great. Now let's see that rod with a faggot weld on the end or made into a ring- grin. I'm sure your are going to like it a lot.

While you need to maintain a decent size opening for exhaust you may get a slightly faster and more economical heat if you add a half door at the top of the front opening. Just don't close off too much of the area or you'll do more harm than good.

Also don't forget about convenience bends when you are are trying to fit bigger stuff into that moderately sized forge (see maddog, I didn't call it small). As an example, you can turn a bigger ring into an oval and weld it in that chamber then take it back to shape later.

Have fun, Steve G

[CurlyGeorge]

Stan gave me a flat fire brick that I have already cut to make doors, both front and rear, in an angle iron track. As soon as I get a chance to make up the track I'll post pics.

[maddog]

That's awesome CurlyGeorge. Should be very useful. Thanks for posting the pix. I think this thread could be a real help to people starting on their first forge. It's a clear demonstration that a straightforward, no nonsense design will produce a very effective forge.

Big or small, size really doesnt matter. It's how you use your forge that counts :)

[knots]

Nice forge. Simple is good.

I have two pipe forges that I built using Kaowool liners. I solved the curved forge furnace floor problem by lining it with heavily groged fire clay refractory patch. This material is a mixture of fire clay and ground up fire brick.

Since the floor is an arc of a circle Flat materials such as tiles or brick just will not fit if the Kaowool is wrapped all around.

What I did was, using a piece of plywood as a base, I nailed 3/4" thick scrap strips down to make a form 3/4" deep. Then I pressed and rolled the wet fire clay / grog mix into the form and let it dry to leather hard. Then carefully transfered it into the Furnace. The leather hard fire clay will conform to the arc of the floor. Let dry. I mean, really dry then fire up the forge. The heat of the forge will fire the new floor in place.

Depending on the quality of the clay/grog mix it could be very flux resistant. I bought min material at an estate sale so don't really know what was in if, but when mixed it took on a deep grey color. That is a hint that it probably has some graphite mixed into the recipe. My floors have held up much better than the insulating fire brick I used in my little small project forge furnace which has a fabricated sheet metal shell.

You gage arrangement is interesting. Always wondered what happened to the tank pressure as the fuel level goes down or the ambient temperature changes.

[Braedon]

that is a great setup there curly how long ya get outta that 20# tank?

[CurlyGeorge]

Braedon, I'm not sure, yet. I only work a couple hours or so a day and I have had the same tank on it since I built the new forge. The guage shows that I am about half full, now. I should have tried to keep track of how many hours it would run on a tank. I'll try to remember to do that with the next tank. :D

[CurlyGeorge]

Well, today I finally got time to play. So I cut a peice of old wagon tire wrought iron to make a folded tomahawk. It's 3/8"X1 1/2". I found out that my forge will get the metal hot enough to do all the shaping. But I couldn't seem to get it quite up to weld heat for that heavy of metal. So I'll have to fire up the coal forge to weld it up. Then I'll come back to the gasser to finish shaping it out. Oh well. I'm still happy with it.
Oh yeah. Braedon, I'm keeping track of how much time I'm using this new tank. I'll let you know how long it lasts, after it runs dry. :D

[maddog]

...I found out that my forge will get the metal hot enough to do all the shaping. But I couldn't seem to get it quite up to weld heat for that heavy of metal....

I uses forges that are quite a bit smaller than yours and they can easily get a piece of steel say for a hammerhead up to welding heat. I would think yours is quite capable of getting there after some adjustment.

I don't know all the details of your forge construction but offhand there are a few suggestions that might help it get to welding heat. .

Blocking up the front and back to reflect back the heat.

An air choke to get the ideal fuel air balance. I run mine a bit lean which seems to give more heat and then kick the gas up while the work is in the chamber to reduce scaling.

Running at a lower pressure. Small forges often have a sweet spot in the pressure setting and run hottest at a point below max pressure.

Coating the interior with ITC100.

Putting some firebrick or refractory rubble on the floor of the forge.

[CurlyGeorge]

Well, my 20# tank finally went dry on me. I kept track of the burning times, this time around, and it lasted right at 10 hrs of burn time, total. I had it burning different lengths of time and tried not to burn whie I was doing something that didn't require the forge at that moment. Then I'd block both ends off to keep in as much heat as possible while doing something else. Most times, when I'd go back to it, the chamber still had some color left to it. I got the bottle refilled a couple of days ago. It was empty and cost me $16.01 to refill. A lot cheaper than swapping out for another bottle and I got to keep my own, too. :D