Brianswelding Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Hey guys first time poster here. We've got three NC Tool forges here at our shop and they just seem to be running a little on the cool side. Reading around the forum I've discovered that it looks like they're running a little on the lean as well. I remember a couple of years ago when I set them up the adjustment was something like twisting the intake chimeney this way or that way to adjust the flame. I couldn't ever get it to look quite right so we just rolled with what it produced. Some threads say to put a little foil or tape over the intake to richen the mixture up. I'm OK with doing that but I'm hoping there's a couple of different options that I can try. I know I can look up the directions from NC, or even call them directly but as I've found on the car/gun forums I hang out on, regular people are pretty crafty and there's normally eleventy billion different ways to acheive one common goal. Thanks!!!! -Karl @ Brians Welding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Yates Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 can you post a photo ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianswelding Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 can you post a photo ? You want a photo of the flame? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spears Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I’ve been an owner of a whisper daddy NC propane forge for 4 yrs now. They are made very easy working “non adjustable”. The nozzles are special threaded so as only to be installed/replaced into an NC forge and they used to cost less than $3 ea. The gas regulator gets set between 10-15 psi for propane and will heat stacks of horseshoes flawlessly to ~2350 deg F. Besides a bit of warping up at the door opening in the center, it has served me very well with zero problems. I have been running my regulator set at 11 psi. I was advised by another blacksmith to turn up the regulator if I was needing more heat to forge weld but I never do because I just use a different process and have never had a low heat problem. I would replace the nozzles and/or turn up the regulator as something to try first. Before choking off and “renegade like” trying to adjust something that wasn’t invented as adjustable, I would consult the manufacturer about it first. Good luck. Spears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Yates Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Spears has address what i was going to do but yes that what i was asking for a photo of the forge fired wit the door closed . spears has the setting posted and the forge should run very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I also have a whisper daddy forge for well over a decade now,,It is 1200 ft elevation here and I have used it up north at 7000 ft elevation. Only two things I have ever done to it, both a few times. i have relined it several times, I have also noted one burner not working a few times. Each time for that I took the top tube off and pulled the jet out and cleaned it, Fixed it every time. That problem has not occurred for along time,,since aboit the time I quit shoeing and hauling it around in the back of my truck..I have forge welded in it as long as I have had it and never needed more heat. I run the psi real low for most work and crank it up for a weld or when I just want more heat faster. I have never believed the guage readings on those regulators so will not share wot I set mine at. I say that as I have used several different regulators and when I change them and set to same pressure there is a difference in heat and the sound of the forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Salvati Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Make sure the propane jet is centered over the bell end of the burner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judson Yaggy Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 I've been using a Whisper Daddy for about 15 years. Every four years or so I notice mine getting cooler, I've found that if you pull the whole burner assembly out of the forge you can run a wire bottle brush up the venturi and clean out the rust that grows up in there. Seems to grow the thickest layers of crud right at the flame holder/bottom end of the burner. The burners operate much better after a cleaning. Don't let the debris plug the gas orifice. I run around 8 psi for regular work, 10 or 12 psi for welding. I have my insulation coated in ITC-100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindahr Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 I cranked up my NC Tools gas forge yesterday for the first time in five or six years and noticed several problems with it--Three of the six burners were not working well or not at all and while I was using it (fortunately, I was done with the small task at hand) flames starting coming out of the top where the burners enter the body. Also, there was a small broken piece in the box that looked to be made of some sort of ceramic material. It was cylindrical with a hole through it. My guess is is part of the burner, but on the NC Tools site none of the forge parts look like it. Also, how do you tell if the forge needs relining? The bottom is covered with a black coating, flux I think. It was used in a demo and the demonstrator was trying to forge weld. Tried many times, but it didn't work, so a lot of flux got in the box. Does this affect performance?So, is anyone there experience with working on these things? I don't feel very confident in taking the burners apart to see what is wrong without guidance. I have "tuned" it in the past and tuning may be the problem with some of them. "Tuning" consisted of loosening and tightening the bolts at the top and wiggling/tapping the burners until they worked better. But the flames from the top and the unidentified ceramic piece have me worried. Any advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judson Yaggy Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 The ceramic part is probably the tip of the piezo igniter that has broken off. The burners are dead simple, just tubes with tapers on either end. If you have flames escaping around the bottom of the burner then something has come loose or been damaged, probably the insulation. Have the burners been knocked crooked? I'd remove the burners, check for obstructions, clean out any crud. Check that the little brass gas orifice isn't plugged and make sure that the orifice is centered on the burner tube when you reassemble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindahr Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Thanks, I'll give it a shot. Good call on the igniter--it hasn't worked for a while and I just light it with rolls of newspaper. So you are probably right on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 The orifice holes on gas jet burners found on cooking grills, water heaters, and forges are typically about the size of a mechanical pencil lead, less than 1/16" (1MM). This means they are easily clogged by flakes of rust, dirt, spider webs, etc. And potter wasps just LOVE to fill holes of all sizes, including mufflers on weed whackers and chain saws. Unscrew the tips, if possible, and use some compressed air on the gas lines. Usually, that will do it. If still clogged, run a piece of wire completely thru the line to break up and flush out any obstructions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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