Trip Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Hey yall, I'm thinkin about building a gas forge for my winter shop (its heated and insulated :) ) instead of building a new coal forge/ flu. I know I will need some ventilation, but I am planning on setting the gas forge next to a window I can open. I am looking at building a 2 burner, using this type of burner http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=related&v=VxzdqcPzXj8 is that a good design? Also I have a 14X14 inch steel box made out of 3/16" thick mild steel (used to be my hoffi style forge hood) How long should I make my forge? What should I line it with, Kwool, or fire brick? I am planning on using a 100 gallon LPG tank, what kind of regulator should I use? thanks, Trip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 How long? Make it long enough for what YOU PLAN TO DO WITH IT! (But no longer as that would waste gas) Kaowool or brick mainly depends on what YOU PLAN TO DO WITH IT! (Kaowool is much more insulative than hard firebrick but a lot more fragile and not good with forge welding flux) Regulator is a "high pressure propane regulator" 0-30 psi should work for a forging set up. (like a red-hat regulator---ask at your local propane supplier) When I use my propane forge I have 2 10'x10' roll up doors open and the gables and a 1'x30' roof vent open, unless the wind is blowing over tools and stock in the shop---then I close *1* door. Can I have your blacksmithing equipment if you poison yourself with CO? Gas forges produce a lot of CO if they start re-running the exhaust back through the burner. Be sure to have a CO detector mounted *correctly* as you figure out if your window is enough ventilation. Coal you *know* that that nasty smoke is bad to breathe. Propane is an odorless but deadly issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 The link's broke Trip so I have no idea how to assess the burner design. What YOU need is up to YOU. Still, maybe you can help me out, what kind of vehicle should I get next? Ventilation is a MUST seeing as Thomas has already spoken for your equipment if you kill yourself. I'm always just too slow to get a low number. <sigh> In all seriousness there are a lot of serious variables, especially if you're building a home made gas burning appliance. #1, do NOT tell your insurance Co, they really get picky about making your own gas burning appliances. Do some searching and reading around IFI and see what looks good to you. Once you know a little more about what YOU have in mind we can lend more meaningfull help. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Well what I am thinking of making in it will be knives, maybe a sword or two, and round tuits. I would like to make it to where I can forge weld Damascus in it. Sorry yall my tools are already spoken for. Lol. I WILL be buying a co2 detector this week!!!! I was thinking about knocking out one of the 3 windows in the winter shop and installing a over head hood for the gas fumes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Try this link. http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=related&v=VxzdqcPzXj8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 You will either need a fan driven system or a chimney to pull the gasses out. How soon are you planning to forge weld in it? The insulation on a gas forge is a consumable and you should expect to need to replace it after a time (dependent on what you do and how you do it...) Which means you can start with one liner and change it to another later on. I'd start with kaowool with a half hard firebrick on the bottom. As far as sword forging your really DON'T want to heat up more than you can work in a single go as you get unnecessary decarburization, scale losses and grain growth in areas that are heated but not worked. So a sword forge may very well be *shorter* than one used for ornamental iron work--but with a back door on it so you can slide long pieces through to heat a bit in the middle of them. The only time you really need the whole blade to temp is heat treating and it's far cheaper to build a forge for that than to have an overly long forge for the other 95% of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hammer Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I'd recommend your first propane forge be a small one. A 14 x 14 inch forge of any length would be extremely excessive in size unless you have a specific need for it right now. You will waste a tremendous amount of fuel using it. I have several forges and the first one I made over 20 years ago is still the one I use most. It is a 8" length cutout from a large oxygen cylinder (8" in diameter). The forge has been updated several times and currently looks like the included photos. I use a cast refractory floor (impervious to flux), thermal blanket for the walls and soft firebrick for the doors. I also currently coat the interior and the soft firebrick with a reflective refractory. I recommend the "propane tank to burner" list of materials described in the video you have referenced. It includes a 0-60 PSI regulator which can be purchased for about $22 at a TSC store. The burner will work well for you also. I use them in my forges (the photos were taken before I started using the new burners). I will putting a new video on YouTube soon..... describing how I make and line the forge in the photos. Good luck with your adventure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 Hey yall, Thanks for the great info!!!!! Well I was thinking 14x14 would be kinda big, that's why I was planning on using fire brick to eat up the inside room, and then put kwool over the fire brick on all sides (except the bottom). So is there a "normal" size for a 2 burner gas forge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 The ''normal'' or optimal size should equal 355 cubic inches per burner.....I use the type of burner Dave uses and I love em. Those Y fittings are a little spendy so I used 1 1/4 T's instead which are slightly less efficient but can be bougt at a local HW store......Shown below is a Mcmaster Carr link. Low-Pressure Black Iron and Steel Threaded Pipe FittingsUse with air, water, oil, natural gas, steam Maximum Pressure: 150 psi @ 72° F; 150 psi @ 350° F for steam, except locknuts Pipe Nipples and Pipe: Use threaded Schedule 40 standard-wall black steel Flanges: Use threaded low-pressure black iron and steel Wyes UL listed and meet ANSI/ASME B1.20.1. They also meet ANSI/ASME B16.3 or B16.39. Pipe Size Each 1 1/4 44605K356 $22.78 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 The ''normal'' or optimal size should equal 355 cubic inches per burner.....I use the type of burner Dave uses and I love em. Those Y fittings are a little spendy so I used 1 1/4 T's instead which are slightly less efficient but can be bougt at a local HW store......Shown below is a Mcmaster Carr link. Just to clarify, thats one 3/4" tube size burner per 355 ci as per http://ronreil.abana.org/design1.shtml Larger burners would be able to heat larger spaces Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Just to clarify, thats one 3/4" tube size burner per 355 ci as per http://ronreil.abana.org/design1.shtml Larger burners would be able to heat larger spaces Thanks Dodge, ya learn something every day...... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I built my 1 burner forge around a 4x9 firebrick. It is about 150 cubc inches, and may be at or near the lower limit for a 3/4 inch burner to perform properly. 2 inches of wool on sides and top, one inch under the firebrick floor. The burner digs a hole in the common stove firebrick, and with flux this is quite quick. I can melt steel fairly easily too, fagot welds are no problem, but I haven't been able to do other weld types, (probably a practice issue.) Things I wish I did was make either a slot up one side that I could close off, or hinged the top to the bottom so I could get wider and odd shaped items into the forge. Small dimensions means that once the part has changed shape it might not fit very well, and convinience bends are only convinient when taken at the proper times. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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