Jon Smith Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I've been teaching myself blacksmithing, as there are very few mentors to be had around here, and I built my own forge. I don't have a recent picture, post mods, so please bare with me. I built the forge out of firebrick (in the absence of durablanket) with an iron frame. It's a simple setup with with four bricks in a square with the frame acting as a clamp, with two more bricks acting as adjustable doors. The burner is a Reil style venturi burner. I was having trouble using the burner correctly, as it was a pain in the *** to keep enough air flowing through the fire box, even with both door-bricks removed, so I added a blower, with the pipe running straight into the bell reducer on the burner. I can now close the forge, but I'm still only able to get the work up to around a bright orange heat. I'd love to be able to forge weld, so is there any way to get it up to welding heat? I only use smallish stock (the most I've done is 3/4", and that was just a twist), so I don't think that's the problem.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Fire bricks are a heat sink so it takes a lot of BTU's to heat up a box. If you added a blower without increasing the orifice, it sounds like you have too little fuel going into the mix to get enough heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Forges are a heat balance: heat in vs heat out You tweak them by adjusting either (or both) parts. So using a more insulative box would reduce heat out. Using a blown burner with the fuel adjusted for a neutral burn puts more heat in. Just putting more air into it can *cool* the system as cold room air that is not needed to burn the fuel just cools it down and adds an oxidizing atmosphere. A Saturday spent with a smith that knows what they are doing can save you *MONTHS* of fiddling around on your own. I'd check with the closest ABANA Affiliate and see if there was anyone close to you that you could visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 When you say 'firebrick', do you mean the hard masonry bricks from a building supply? Those are OK for the floor, but what you need are soft insulating bricks from a pottery supply. If you are going to be your own teacher, learn to do your own research, not just ask questions. Read the forum, especially the pinned threads, and then get back to us. This has been rehashed a thousand times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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