New to propane forges

[john_zxz]

Hi, I've been blacksmithing with solid fuel since 10 years and want to switch to propane forge to prevent any health issue in the future (I lost my grandfather and my young aunt cause of lung cancer recently).

The problem is, I know almost nothing about gas forges. I read a little on the internet but wanted to get advices from you guys. I would like to purchase a propane forge to do general blacksmithing, including forge welding. I was looking for this model: http://www.mightyfor.../TheMighty.html (it is canadian so I can save on shipping)
I don't know if 2 burners are too much but the specs says that they can be individually controlled so I guess it can be turned into single burner if I want. Any of you had the chance to try it or have some suggestions on any other brands under 800$ that fit my needs? Also by your experience, is it more effective to heat with a cylinder forge or with a square shaped one.

I don't want to build a gas forge myself because I'm afraid of things with gas, if I make a mistake in the building process... etc
I never touched torches and things like that.

Waiting for your advices

John_zXz

[musk-rat]

I have a one burner gas forge from Diamonddack Ironworks. http://www.diamondbackironworks.com/economy_forge.html Their two burner design is around $325 I think. I could not be happier with the one I have. It is great for smaller stuff that I mess with now and then. It is built very nice and comes with an operating manual. If I had the extra money I would have gotten the two burner design, but this was also my first gas forge.

[pkrankow]

If you have a fear of gas and torches you may be better served looking for charcoal or coke suppliers for a cleaner solid fuel to run than coal.

You did not mention what type and size of work you do. Two burners will consume more fuel than a single burner, so if you are always working small stock a smaller, single burner forge may be better for you. If you are typically doing work that ends up large and flat this type of gas forge may not even let the work fit for later steps (convenience bends and all). You will need to accommodate storing fuel and either transporting tanks or having fuel delivered as well.

It looks like a good forge, having different access is very helpful. It looks like the entire long side opens up, and you have small windows for small stock access. If it is well insulated it should be reasonably efficient. A properly tuned propane forge also has advantage of not burning up stock, so you can have several more irons heating at a time to help speed production, depending on what you are doing.

Phil

[john_zxz]

Thanks for your answers. I will still give a try with propane. Coke is hard to find in my location and and I don't like charcoal that much because of the sparks.
I usually work with stock from 1/4" to 3/4" square, some flats like 316"X 3". No big scrolls. I will keep my coal forge for larger pieces. I would like to do damascus in the future too so the forge will have to be able to heat at least 1"X 2" square.

[Daniel.85]

If you are worried about gas there are always extra precautions you could use. This guy has a little shed outside to store his tank and runs the gas lines in when needed, so if the tanks leak it wont make a big shop bomb.

Also just like when putting new regulators on, use some soapy water to dab on the connections, if it makes bubbles its leaking, check every day if you want, takes seconds and isnt bad if you have a morning safety check routine on your machinery.

[john_zxz]

Thanks for the link. Nice tip too, I will do this as a routine for sure.