bogmonster Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Hi, newbie. Had a trial day blacksmithing and have been meaning to sort out a forge for some time. I was going to get a coke forge with a neighbour but he has been very busy with other stuff. Anyway, rightly or wrongly I have started down the path of a gas forge. I will go with a variation of a pile of bricks forge where I clamp together bricks to make a roof and floor and then have moveable walls. I also happen to have some ceramic blanket so may also try an alternative design. For a burner I have a pre-make 90,000 BTU burner in the post that I think I will mount through the roof. We have an anvil, although it is a little small but will do to get us started. My main issue is safely. I plan to work in my garage which is adjoined to the house! There is a lot of stuff in my garage already. I am a keen wood turner but the lathe is partitioned off into a separate section of the garage as the dust and shavings get everywhere. The partition is a wooden stud partition with plywood. The rest of the garage is a concrete floor with block walls. The roof is pitched and tiled but has wooden joists that are quite low. There is also currently chainsaws, petrol cans and flammable paints in the garage. There is also a floor standing dust extractor that would need to be wheeled well out of the way. I think I can move all the flammable liquids out of the way and most of the other flammable stuff. My main concern is the amount of heat that will rise and the wooden partition wall. I see some people work in wooden sheds with cement board. I was thinking of putting up a couple of sheets of the cement board onto the ceiling below the forge. I suspect the stud wall will be OK as long as don’t put the forge up against it. In the medium term I think a galvanized metal shed might be the way to go but not really in a position to do that at the moment. I will have a CO2 detector, fire extinguishers etc. Is what I am planning too risky? Anybody else work in an attached garage. What about the timber joists in the roof? BW BM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 i would be more worried about all the sawdust ....i dont know where you live but i would move the forge outside to work ...a cluttered garage is not a good place to forge .and wood working shops and metalworking shops dont mix well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogmonster Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 Not too worried about the shavings as thery are in the other section of the garage partitioned off. If I ever make shavings in the main body of the garage then they get vacuumed up quickly. The only shavings in the main body of the garage are in the dust extractor and that will need to be wheeled right out of the way. Igniting the shavings is horrendous - they will go up instantly :o I was thinking of moving my workbench more towards the up and over door so the forge can be placed outside but that is actually closer to the shavings. Maybe I need to bite the bullet and build they shed. BM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironwolfforgeca Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 I would put the forge on good lockable wheels that way it can go anywhere easy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 I can hold my hand comfortably over my forge only a couple of feet above it. Think of it more like a salamander garage heater! However due to CO issues I mounted my forge on an old gas grill cart so I can wheel it and the bottle to where the best ventilation is---or the most convenient location---nice to wheel a cart rather than shift anvils and post vises when you need to do something different. Cutting and quenching in oil are the two danger zones I have experienced---though when you are starting out and have more trouble holding on to hot stuff you can get into issues too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 If you are concerned or have doubt about the safety of it all. It is your little voice telling you to come up with a plan B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george m. Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 For years I didn't use my modified Sandia propane forge in the shop because I was concerned about over heating the roof and rafters. A couple of years ago I put my hand over the forge's chimney, probably about 4 feet above the forge, and discovered that the heat was quite moderate. Someplace to put your hands when they're cold. Now I use it in the shop but not under some foam insulation sheets that I have up in the rafters. CO and ventilation is still a concern. I'm going to pick up a CO detector today at Lowes or Home Depot in Greeley. Warmly, George M. PS I suggest that you be scrupulous about sweeping up the sawdust and shavings in the wood working part of your shop. My experience is that sparks, etc. don't hold heat long enough to ignite solid wood, etc. but if they were to land in a tinder like substance it could get exciting. A chunk of hot steel does hold enough heat to ignite things. Watch out where your drops go if you are hot cutting. Also, if you wear pull on boots don't wear them with your pant legs tucked into them. Wear your pants legs over the top of the boots. I once knew a guy who had a chunk of hot steel go down into the top of his boot and he got burned pretty badly. GM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 I've been in my same wooden shop since 1972. With several coal forges going at once, we've had three fires. One, a guy threw a hot piece out the window and started a grass fire. We put it out with a bucket brigade. The other two were outside and caused by side grinders throwing sparks. We hosed them down. Three accidents were caused from ill fitting tongs when the hot piece flew from the tongs and hit the operator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 I demonstrate to my students that if your tongs don't fit properly you may have a fulcrum and the piece can rotate around it---not so bad when it drops down towards the floor but most annoying when it flips up and over and lays the hot part on the back of your tong hand! When working sq stock the tongs hold best when flat bits are parallel. I tell them this, show them this and even go though a bunch of tongs showing them how to judge what they may be good for. I still get folks trying to hold 1/4" stock in tongs designed for 1/2"---and remember this is at a top engineering school---these folks will be designing *our* future! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhblacksmith Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 The first thing you might do is to call your insurance agent, describe the situation, and ask him if they will still pay if you burn the house and garage down. I would also suggest a smoke detector that is tied in to your household smoke detectors so that if a piece of smoldering metal flares up in some sawdust up during the night, you will have time to get out safely. My shop is a separate dedicated building fifty feet from the house and I have the smoke detectors tied like that. I was a volunteer firefighter for more than 20 years and and have seen things far less risky that destroyed properties and killed the occupants. Most building codes require at the minimum a 5/8" sheetrock wall between a garage and an occupied dwelling. Hate to rain on your party but you are "playing with fire" (pun intended). Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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