Raybart Passmore Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I'm just starting out and I built a small forge, but I'm wondering if there's any reason to have a hood on it in an open air forge. Is there a purpose for it besides ventilation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 yes it removes soot and ash ... i have been doing demos for over 30 years and at first i used a open shelter without hood . after a friend setup a forge with a hood and i saw how nice it was i decided to do the same . the tables were nicer and i was breathing less smoke ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raybart Passmore Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 yes it removes soot and ash ... i have been doing demos for over 30 years and at first i used a open shelter without hood . after a friend setup a forge with a hood and i saw how nice it was i decided to do the same . the tables were nicer and i was breathing less smoke ... Thank you, sir. I was curious as to whether it would be worth the extra time and work. I have a lot more questions about building my forge. Like, if I have a side blast, could I use clay to protect the tuyere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raybart Passmore Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 the hood also provides shade when working in the sunshine, shade helps you see heating colors better, so the cowl is actually a good thing for observing heating colors Cool. I didn't even think about that. Thank you for the advice. I could use as much as I can get Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wd&mlteach Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I love the hood that I have on my forge. It is modular and I can take off what I need to fit in pretty much whatever I want/need. It is a life saver as it removes the nasty stuff that buring coal makes. It also, as mentioned allows for a more constant viewing of the color of the metal. Another advantage to the hood that I have found is that it helps to minimize the unburnt gases from backing down my blower pipe. My forge is portable and when it is outside the prevailing winds always blow from right to left. My hood was open on the right side, so it goes straight at it. Once, I had a backfire after I added some green coal. Sounded like a shotgun going off and blew my blower pipe completely off. I did some research on here and the experts explained that I had some rather nasty explosive gas back down my blower pipe and just sit there. When I replaced my work into the fire I knocked some hot coals down into the gas and well, boom happened. Since I have enclosed my hood I have had less of the gasses going down after adding green coal. Before that I could hear little chugs or puffs for lack of a better term and I knew I had to be careful and crank a bit before replacing my work. Now, it is not as much of a problem as there is a constant draw up the chimney and a wind break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramsies11 Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 hoods and drafts are VERY important, espically if you work outside, i dont know how many times ive had to completely drop what i was doing with hot steel because i have had smoke in my eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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