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I Forge Iron

Solid fuel forge design- suggestions welcome


capnroo

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This is the blower. My plant manager said to take it home, it was taking up space. Apparently, the guy had brought it up here to "fix" it but hadnt gotten around to it. I hooked it up, and it didnt come on. I rested my hand on it, and could feel the motor trying to pull. A couple squirts of WD-40 to where I thought the bearings should be, and it was blowing like a champ. however, it got weaker after I unplugged it, moved it to where my forge was, and plugged it back in. I may have to take it apart and grease the bearings.

 

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Also, I kind of jumped the gun and bought some corn to burn. I set my weakened blower in front of my tuyere and turned it on. i was getting a pretty good draft through my air hole. I built a good bed of pallet wood coals in the bottom of the forge and added the corn to it. the corn did nothing but smolder and clump together. Am I doing something wrong? Need alot of airflow? Need to get the pallet wood coal bed hotter? what is the best way to get a corn fire started? Or is this just some kind of blacksmith joke? lol 

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is the blower just placed in front of the hole of the Tuyere? or did you reduce the outlet on the blower to fit the hole? If it's just open you're loosing A LOT of air and if the blower was weak you're not getting much air into the tubing at all. The bends and length all add to drag on the air, as does the reduction in size from blower to pipe. If you reduce it to force all the air into the pipe you may get more airflow. As for using corn, I can't help you. I've got decent access to blacksmithing coal so that's what I use.

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I just had it sitting in front of it. I figured it would be enough to just get the corn burning,just to see if it would, in fact, work. I'll have to go ahead and work on my tuyere some more, then. Like I said, I jumped the gun because I was excited lol. The coal bed was hot enough to get a piece of 3/16 round brass cherry red, though. (Small victory) :)

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As Molinar ( I know I misspelled it, but I believe that's the name of Thor's hammer) suggests, build a duct to adap your blower to the tyre. Might meet an air gate to controls the air.
As I understand it, corn will clump as it converts to charcoal, something like coal coking. The smoking, burning corn isn't your fuel, it's being made in to fuel, it's the clean burning coals you want as fuel. So like a coal fire you "coke" the corn, keeping the coals in the middle and bank fresh corn around the fire ball to insulate it and to provide converted fuel. Might need a watering can to keep it to a reasonable size.
Sight search burning corn on IFI, I know it's been discussed

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Lol, you are now officialy on lindas $@!& list.
So your looking at a 5' deap fire pot? Big pot, it will be fuel hungry but it will heat big iron. Can you rope the wife and kids into swinging a sledge?!
Sight search IFI. There was a descusion on corn heard some where. If you can't find it as again, Some of the old guard has some good Google foo.

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Thor-thanks for linking that thread. I've done searches and haven't come up with that thread yet.

It was a success! When I get time at work tomorrow I will post pics and specific fire actions. I had trouble controlling the fire and burned through A LOT of fuel. Probably just because of my fire management skills, but whatever. I'll improve.

Like I said, MORE INFO TOMORROW! goodnight, guys. And... would you fellas rather I started a new thread for corn? Or no? Later.

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It doesnt really explain how to get the fire started and keep it lit. this was a big problem of mine- people just say "it cokes up like coal". I have no experience with coal, so i didnt know that you have to burn that part of it, not the kernels. But, with some experimenting, i was able to get it going. will be posting a (sort of) in depth recount shortly.

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You'll get it figured out. I still get to messing around and have the coal fire go out. A square chunk of 2x4 stuck in your coal fire when you are letting it idle for a bit will povent that. Can't sleek to corn, as to charcoal, in the same situation it just burns up the fuel when your not looking.

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