propane or firebrick forge?

[StompTheFire]

For a starter forge which would be easier/cost worthy to build, one out of fire bricks or a propane tank?

[VaughnT]

A propane tank is just a container to hold the insulation and secure the burner in place.  You can make a stacked-brick forge a whole lot easier than cutting through the metal of a tank.

 

The key to a brick forge is to paint the inner surfaces with a refractory.  Even soft/insulating fire bricks soak up a lot of heat, which is propane spent not heating your stock.  Painting the inside with ITC100 or the like will go a long way to making it more efficient.

 

Another option would be to simply buy a few feet of Kaowool or Inswool blanket and make a tube out of it.  It's just as cheap as all the fire bricks you'd need, but it's a better insulator.  Paint the inside with a bit of refractory and you're golden.

[DSW]

I originally built a fire brick forge and ran into exactly what  Vaughn was saying. The bricks soaked up so much heat it was tough to get the material hot without wasting a ton of gas, or having a lot of burners. On the other hand I've seen small Kaowool lined single burner forges get hot super fast with only one burner.

 

 

If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't have wasted my time with the bricks. They are heavy, making them a pain to move and store when I'm not using the forge, and for what I spent on them I could have easily gotten some Kaowool and painted it with ITC100 and been done with it. Rebuilding my gas forge using Kaowool is on the "around to list".

[John McPherson]

Michael Porter actually wrote a book on this that answers all your questions in detail "Gas Burners for Forges Furnaces & Kilns", costs about $20 new on Amazon or other bookseller.

 

While you are waiting for the delivery truck, look for a ceramic supply house in your area. Potters often make and repair their own kilns, so they sell small lots of soft and hard firebrick, inswool by the foot, ITC products, etc.

 

This would be the perfect time to link to that website "across the street", but since he does not want any links posted from here, I guess Jock is losing another sale. Some folks never get the distinction between colleagues and competition.

 

Gas forges lined with fiber batts can be held together with anything that contains the fibers: old popcorn tins will work. Discarded propane and freon tanks have the advantage of being more durable for transport, and sturdy enough to bolt or weld to, if you know what you are doing.

 

Stacks of the soft firebrick can be held together with an angle iron frame and allthread, no welding. Easy to re-arrange for different jobs.

[jcornell]

For a starter forge, build a small forge out of a three pound coffee can.  My first forge was made from insulating fire brick (IFB), painted inside with ITC.  It was a great forge, but not too durable, as the IFB cracks with use.  Look at the simple gas forge plans at Larry Zoeller's site - www dot zoellerforge dot com.  Then look at the bean can forge plans.  My current forge is a coffee can forge with a 3/4" burner.  I've posted pictures here on this site showing the forge and the various burners that I've used.  ITC is expensive.  I now use a homebrew refractory coating that's 4 parts zircopax to 1 part kaolin, using colloidal silica (rigidizer) to bind it together.

 

When it's time to move up to a bigger forge, get a helium tank.  The one that are sold for parties (baloons) come in two sizes - the small one is the size of a freon tank, the large one the size of a propane tank.

[swedefiddle]

Good Morning,

 

This topic gets beaten up quite often. Every Smith has their own experience and opinions. There is no wrong way to build a first forge.

 

A forge can be built with "ONE" hi-temp fire-brick and a small bottle (camp stove bottle from the Sporting goods store or Hardware store) of propane and the burner that screws onto the top of the small bottle. I know of a local lady that uses that to make her Damascus Jewelery, in her kitchen.

 

It is possible to make a slightly larger forge with "TWO" hard bricks (regular fire-bricks). You can make a Complete forge with 9 fire-bricks (top, bottom, 4 sides). The list goes on............

 

If you sit on the fence, wondering what to do, you still haven't got started. There is no Prima-Donna way to start, JUST START!!!!  You will learn what works for YOU and what doesn't. You don't have to ask permission from anyone at a keyboard!!

 

Rule 1; Get something hot

Rule 2; Have something to hit it with.

Rule 3; Have something to hit it on.

Rule 4; Have something to hold it with.

etc.

etc.

etc. :) :)

 

Neil

[Brian Thomas]

I think you would benefit greatly by following the link provided [HERE] and do a little research into the different methods other blacksmith's have used in past while constructing both charcoal and LP fueled forges. The answer to your question really depends on what you have access to and how much work you are willing to put into a project. Many people have managed to build both types for pennies on the dollar while others have paid $x,xxx amount in the purchase of commercial grade furnaces. Some have even capitalized on the third party market and have acquired expensive brand name forges for relatively cheap or trade.

 

Smithing doesn't need to be complicated. It can be simple and both functional and cost effective. (Photo courtesy of Twins Oak Forge)

 

[Dan P.]

I recently built myself a forge from kaowool, using thin gauge expanded metal mesh for the shell, held together with bits of angle iron and other bric-a-brac. A thin fire brick does for a floor.

 

The problem with cutting up propane tanks is that unless you are working to a proven blueprint, there are kinks that might need to be worked out, kinks that might involve wishing you had not cut the tank the way you did. With the wool and mesh, you have a lot more flexibility.

[DSW]

That's why the make welders... LOL