Joel OF Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I've heard a couple times that bouncy castle blowers work as forge blowers and I think that I even saw a pro using one, but if I remember correctly that was just on a smaller demo forge. The ones I mean are the cheap £40-ish yellow plastic looking ones on eBay. Does anyone have any experience of using them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I use a 4 inch squirrel cage blower for my forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel OF Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 I've heard that term several times, what does it mean? Is it a generic term or is it a specific part salvaged from something else? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalsmith21 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Its the name of the type of blower here in the USA. As for what it resembles is a hamster wheel with smaller spaces and "blades" to catch the air and move it within a confined space out a tube. I've never used a big a blower as the "inflate machine" should be interesting how much air it moves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neg Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 You don't need a lot of air for a forge. I used a $13 bathroom fan for about 7 months and never had a problem with it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Came as a cooling fan on a piece of equipment. It was a junk yard find. Sample image attached. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wpearson Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 like this '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the iron dwarf Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 yes they work fine on the forges I sell, I also often have the blowers in stock. the better blowers we use are called side channel blowers and are quieter and made to run forever, chinese plastic bouncy castles blowers will not last long with everyday use Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Anybody in your neck of the woods used natural gas forced air furnaces? Over here many of the high efficiency ones use a blower for exhaust. When they get junked it's usually not the blower that was bad and you can get a used one from a HVAC company's bone pile if you are persuasive... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 The bounce castle blowers put out a lot of pressure and CFM - more than any common sized forge would need - so they simply need to be choked, either at the inlet or with a slide gate ahead of the fire. On the plus side, they are cheap and can often be found used for $20-$30 (at least around here). At that price, you can buy a few and replace them when they die. I have two spares in the shop for just such an occasion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewOC Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 At 'Get Hammered' our magnificent host built a ten pot / station forge successfully blown by one of those yellow bouncy castle units. A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel OF Posted November 22, 2013 Author Share Posted November 22, 2013 At 'Get Hammered' our magnificent host built a ten pot / station forge successfully blown by one of those yellow bouncy castle units. A. Epic. Got any pics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel OF Posted November 24, 2013 Author Share Posted November 24, 2013 I just bought one of these yellow bad boys on eBay, I'll let you know how I get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsoldat Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 http://www.homehardware.ca/en/rec/index.htm/Heating-Ventilation-Cooling-Home-Comfort/Heating/Stove-Fireplace-Supp/Blowers-Fans/Blower-for-Flame-and-Drolet-Wood-Stoves/_/N-ntima/R-I5531775 just saw this fan at Home Hardware for whatever it's worth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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