Don A Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 I didn't see a CFM rating in the description of this blower:SurplusCenter blower Do you think it would have enough pressure and volume for a Centaur fire-pot? Thanks, Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evfreek Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Looks good, Don. Careful about the intermittent rating (check case temperature). It will probably be more flimsy than the blowers from the blacksmith supply, but I have seen cheaper and worse. For example, I use a really cheap hair dryer that I picked up during Salvation Army half price day. I have seen people stuff computer fans into a computer case, and duct the exhaust into the forge. You have to cut holes in the case, but that shouldn't be too bad. By the way, an air gate will help take the load off the blower during low demand (most of the time) periods, and may make "intermittent duty" less of a worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Thomas Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Don, I'm rough guessing about 1/8 hp or less at that amperage and voltage. That's not super strong, and the motor speed is a bit high for a forge blower, but I bet it would be an adequate blower for light casual use. Note that it is rated intermittent use, which wouldn't work for how I use a forge blower. I turn the blower on and leave it on, and control air with a gate. At that price, it beats the crap out of hair-dryers, vacuum cleaners, leaf-blowers, truck heaters, and gerbil cages that seem to be the recommendation of many beginners. I hardly ever notice Surplus Center offering a 3" outlet blower, which is a real plus. For serious forge work, you will probably want a stronger, bigger, slightly slower blower rated for continuous use, but that blower is not an especially expensive experiment. When the blower is too weak, you have to work hard to keep the air path open and the fire especially well-maintained. Even then, it can be frustrating trying to get anything substantial to forging heat, much less welding heat. Sorry if I'm preaching to the choir there. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don A Posted January 30, 2007 Author Share Posted January 30, 2007 Thanks for the advice. I have been trying to scape up the funds and justify the purchase of the 164 CFM unit that Kayne's carries: Blacksmiths Depot 164 CFM Blower At 25% cost, the Surplus Center is a temptation, but maybe I can stand to hold out for the 164. It should do all I need, and then some. I appreciate it, Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Thomas Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Don, keep your eye out for an old hand-crank or electric blower. All you need is the paddle fan and its housing. Look for Champion or Buffalo, but there are others. The paddle wheel fan usually takes a long 1/2" shaft, and a washing machine motor shaft fits perfectly. In various tailgates I wound up with several electric blowers, all of which had bad motors. The broken ones are fairly plentiful and cheap. So are washing machine motors. I forget the exact speed but it's probably 1200-1500 rpm... and nice and quiet. Sometimes I wash my clothes in the forge when I forget where I am and the fire is especially clean. You will still have to make a stand and fabricate or forge the parts to hold the motor and the housing, and to mount it so the fan blades are exactly right in the housing, but it's pretty easy. I've been using mine trouble free for several years, and I actually prefer it to the Centaur Forge blower for a single forge operation. When it dies, all I will have to do is go find another washing machine and steal the motor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Do a search the site from the opening page for blueprint BP0128. It will show you how to convert a clothes dryer fan to a forge fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain ol Bill Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I have a couple of those 164 blowers from Centaur. Love them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blacksmithtech Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Don, That looks like a nice blower - If you want to go cheap, try your local furnace seller. They usually have a couple of old units that are waiting for the scrapper. Talk to the man and see if you can get the exhaust blower. I have a couple and they work great for a forge blower. I let it run and use an adjustable gate to regulate the flow. Hope this gives you an idea - take care Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primtechsmith Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Great idea blacksmithtech! I may have to make a few calls around town this week! Peyton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Thomas Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Plain Old Bill: Do you mean the the blower that is currently listed as BP-50vs? I've used that in two separate shops and it is a nice blower. But I feel that the motor speed is too high on it. A 1725 rpm motor would be better for most single forge applications. In one shop, that Centaur blower is used to run two forges, which is probably about right. The old Buffalo and Champion paddle blowers are basically the same blower, but usually don't run as fast. By using a slower motor, it is quieter and seems a bit stronger air flow without quite the volume. As you say, the Centaur blower is very nice, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Thomas Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Don A: You probably already know this, but too much blower is FAR better than not enough. The best way to set up the air supply is to have a good strong quiet blower that easily runs continuously. Then use an airgate of some sort to control the air between the blower and the forge. I have a butterfly gate in mine right now, but slide gates are probably more linear air flow and easier to make. Plus the slide gates usually don't leak as much. The aluminum slide gates sold for dust collection systems works okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don A Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 Thanks for all the input. Ed, you say that you leave your blower running... do you open the gate when you don't have iron in the fire, or do you just set it for a consistant blast and leave it going? Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Thomas Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Don: When I'm not trying to heat a piece of steel, I close the air supply off by shutting the gate, but leave the blower running. In my forge, the butterfly valve I made leaks JUST enough to trickle in some air around the edges and help keep the fire going at a slow perk. When I say I leave the blower running, I mean while I'm working with the forge. When I stop for a 4-hour lunch or to do layout or whatever, I bank the fire by pushing the fire together and piling coal around and over it, and turn the blower off. If you bank the fire, it will smolder and cook all day long and then some. No need to shove a piece of wood in it, as is sometimes advised. The gate allows you to control the air flow from zero to wide open and anything in between. When you put a piece in the fire, you open the gate just enough to provide the air supply you want for the type of heating you want. When it is ready to forge, you simply shut the gate and take the piece to the anvil. The nicest gates let you push the valve closed with a lever using your knee in case you are bringing two pieces out of the fire for welding, for instance. In my opinion, the gate is ESSENTIAL with an electric blower on a forge. Every time I work at a forge without a gate, it is an exercise in frustration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hammer Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 You mentioned the fan in question is 1/4 the price of the blower you really want. If you can buy from Grainger, you can get a very good blower (115V, 134 CFM) from Grainger for about $56 (Online catalog price). I believe the Grainger number is 2C647. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primtechsmith Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 When searching for the most economical choice for an electric blower what should I look for in rpm, cfm, etc. I use a hand crank but am looking into an electric blower for a portable application... Any help would be appreciated. I know nothing when it comes to electric blowers... Peyton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBARNHART Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 A dryer blower works well, and it has the potential of a shower of sparks at night...! Lots of CFM if you want to melt brass or ? Anyway, in a pinch an air hose will work well. hard on the compressor but nice to control the air..Till you get the blower you want. Oh Don't forget the 1974 Cadallic blowers...tough and runs on 12v. multispeed too. There is a lot to be said for hand cranks...there is a lot to control..and you don't use fuel when you are at the anvil. Just a few thoughts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Thomas Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Peyton: Aim to get up around 300 cfm if you can. I think below 200 cfm just doesn't have the oomph. Squirrel cage blowers are okay, but I prefer a paddle-wheel. My experience is that a motor speed of 1400 to 1700 with a 12" paddle blower is about optimal for a single forge. It is quiet and strong. I find compressor air to be noisy and extravagant and not anywhere near the control for forge operations. What you want is a steady pressure in a pipe the size of the hole in the bottom of the firepot. Not expanding, not constricting. Years ago, I had a hand-crank hooked up in a 'Y' gate with an electric blower to the forge, thinking I'd want to use the hand-crank every now and then at least. I never used it. So I disconnected it and never looked back. When you are doing serious forging for hours or all day, it seems pointless to add one more tiring task when electric blowers are available. As I've said before, you can get better air control with a simple slide gate and a decent air supply than you can with a manual blower. When I step away from the forge with the heated iron, I shut the gate and don't use any more fuel than with a hand crank. The only problem is that you said: "...for a portable application". I don't bother to use an electric blower for a demo forge for several reasons: 1) As often as not, there won't be an electric outlet handy. 2) I can usually count on at least one person available to turn the hand crank. 3) I typically won't be doing serious forging. 4) I have to do something with the hand crank blower since I don't use it in my shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulf Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Hi all, Well, I guess there are many factors that contributes to the actual air flow need, but it seems like many people use very big fans. Just wanted to mention that my home built brake drum forge uses a small fan - 31W (~1/24th hp), 2"x2" outlet and 1.8 cubic meters/minute max. That would correspond to some 50cfm or so, and hopefully a picture of it will be visible below. This fan has a built-in airgate, but another tip would be to use a simple fan control, like the dimmer type. That way you can easily adjust the flow from full speed to standby mode. For a bigger forge a bigger fan is needed of course, and one cheap source of such fans is discarded oilburners for house heating. Another thing that I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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