rlonstein Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I'm just starting out but last week I assembled my first gas forge from a scavenged refrigerant canister. Lined it with 1" of Kaowool all around then about 2" of Kast-o-lite 30. After it dried for a couple of days and I ran a few test firings, I painted the interior with Plistix 900F: The burner ran great outside the forge (see my earlier topic http://www.iforgeiro...my-first-burner) but it ran rich in the forge itself so tonight I replaced the 0.30" MIG tip with a 0.25" one. Less gas, higher velocity. Nice. Almost no orange. It gets good and hot for forging. And it works! My first effort with it (also my first effort without anyone coaching me), a 1/2" steel bar drawn, scrolled, and twisted: Thanks to all of you for the info and to WayneCoe for the supplies and advice. Now I just need practice :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Looks like a good forge! Is there an open space between the large pipe the holds the and the burner pipe? If so I would stuff some kaowool in there to prevent cold air from being sucked in....no bueno...... :) Oh and thanks for not asking if you should or how to cut it open...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlonstein Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 Looks like a good forge! Is there an open space between the large pipe the holds the and the burner pipe? If so I would stuff some kaowool in there to prevent cold air from being sucked in....no bueno...... :) Yes. I stuffed the collar with scraps of kaowool when I was tuning it. Oh and thanks for not asking if you should or how to cut it open...... For the record, I used a large punch to put a hole in the empty canister then filled it with water before mangling it. The MSDS (and the side of the can) say the contents are non-flammable but I didn't feel much like proving it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Yes. I stuffed the collar with scraps of kaowool when I was tuning it. For the record, I used a large punch to put a hole in the empty canister then filled it with water before mangling it. The MSDS (and the side of the can) say the contents are non-flammable but I didn't feel much like proving it. All good!.......There must be 50mb in the arhives on the subject of cyilnder intrusion so I made a little funny...... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlonstein Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 All good!.......There must be 50mb in the arhives on the subject of cyilnder intrusion so I made a little funny...... :) I remember the most recent thread... it was a, uh, vigorous discussion and so were the older ones. There's always some topic that gets the fur flying, maybe someone can start a "removing the guard on my angle grinder" discussion :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Might as well toss in using worn down grinding wheels at a higher rpm while you're at it..... :o I'd NEVER do that so don't try it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nblackmon96 Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Nice forge. :) I was wondering how expensive it is to run. Thanks, Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlonstein Posted July 2, 2012 Author Share Posted July 2, 2012 Hard to know, I swapped the 20# tank to the BBQ grill this weekend when I ran out of gas during cooking. I'd say I ran the forge a little more than six hours over a few evenings and burned over half a tank. I don't run with an idler valve so if it's burning, it's at full blast. I refill tanks at a local hardware store for $20 (for 17# of gas, not the 15# at a tank exchange). Probably works out to $1.50-$2.00 an hour which doesn't seem too bad in terms of entertainment value :P I'll keep better track after my next refill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRobb Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Nice forge! Now you're really hooked. It would be worth your time to add an idler valve. Over time, I'm sure it pays for itself. Keep us posted on how you do & what you make. Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nblackmon96 Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 Thanks, that sounds cheaper than charcoal and it looks a lot cleaner than a coal forge B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlonstein Posted July 7, 2012 Author Share Posted July 7, 2012 Thanks, that sounds cheaper than charcoal and it looks a lot cleaner than a coal forge B) Something thing I learned (and I had been warned) is that large, bent, or odd-shaped pieces will not fit into the forge or will but only after fiddling the entry angle, etc. This isn't an issue with a open firepot. Wayne had suggested making a hinged cut-out on one side to accept larger pieces or to exclude most of a bend from the heat. Next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nblackmon96 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 where did you get your Kast-o-lite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlonstein Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 where did you get your Kast-o-lite Wayne Coe sells it. He's on this site. http://www.waynecoea...blacksmith.com/ High Temp tools is another, http://www.hightempt...refractory.html I'm sure there are others (http://www.google.co...?q=kastolite 30). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nblackmon96 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nblackmon96 Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 what size bag of Kast-o-lite did you buy. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlonstein Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 what size bag of Kast-o-lite did you buy. I bought three 6lb bags and used two bags to line the forge. If I recall, the refrigerant cylinder is 10" diameter and 17" long. Smaller than a 20# propane tank for the bbq. If I had used a bbq tank, I'd probably have run short on castable. It might be more economical to buy a 50# bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlonstein Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 Hard to know, I swapped the 20# tank to the BBQ grill this weekend when I ran out of gas during cooking. I'd say I ran the forge a little more than six hours over a few evenings and burned over half a tank. I don't run with an idler valve so if it's burning, it's at full blast. I refill tanks at a local hardware store for $20 (for 17# of gas, not the 15# at a tank exchange). Probably works out to $1.50-$2.00 an hour which doesn't seem too bad in terms of entertainment value :P I'll keep better track after my next refill. I swapped the 20# for a 30# tank and kept careful track of my usage. I burned 7.3 gallons of propane over 8.75 hours (full tilt, no idler, kept freezing up near the end of the tank). The 30# Tank refill rounded up cost $23, so works out to about $2.63 per hour in fuel. Less economical than I thought, but still reasonable for the fun. I'm going to take MRobb's advice and plumb in an idler and see how my consumption changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zengineer Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Try to find any other worthwhile entertainment that costs less than $2.63 an hour... and don't say sex, it costs you way more than that in all circumstances. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.