Xaiver Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 It's actually my garage... And I seriously need to get some fans for the Windows, but the wife keeps giving me projects faster than I can do them, so here's what I've got. Any opinions or ideas are welcome, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wpearson Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 raise your t burner up out of the forge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xaiver Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 It's difficult to see from there, but it's mostly out. Is this far enough? I have the top cross of the T resting on some refractory brick. I don't have a welder, so my solution was to use the brick to elevate it. Here is a view from the opening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 You want the burner OUT of the forge chamber or it WILL melt off. It doesn't need anything fancy I started running brick pile forges at demos because folk could imagine using one rather than fabbing up what an old fabricator thinks of as easy peasy.The hole you drilled through the fire brick will act as an expedient flare so use a short piece of angle iron and pipe/hose clamp to get up and out.Just needs a LITTLE tweaking, otherwise looking good.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xaiver Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 How far are we talking? Just inside the top of the brick, or in most of the way? I put a 2" spring clamp on the T to raise it a bit more. It is just a bit above flush with the bottom of the brick. Is that why the flare was getting red? :-P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Just inside the top of the brick works well to keep the burner tube out of the fire.Yes, that's why it was getting red, give it a little time and it'd be drippy yellow with sparklers. With the T so close to the forge body it was probably intaking some exhaust fumes and not developing as much heat as it could.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xaiver Posted August 13, 2015 Author Share Posted August 13, 2015 Update : so, before I propped the burner up with the other blocks, the drilled fire brick would split in half on me after about 5 hours. I was replacing it every other day. Then I propped it up and it was working fine, with the flare sticking into the box about a quarter inch to half inch. Just nowI had it clamped so that the flare was about half an inch into the hole. Saw a few tendrils of smoke while it was running, so I looked in the gaps from the top, and the brick was cracked again. I'm going to have to make a run for softfire brick again at this rate. Just replaced it again, lowered the flare so that is about 1/2 inch up into the brick from the bottom. Didn't run it long enough to tell if it was going to break again. I've been out here all day and my ideas are running thin....And I'm making mistakes, that's usually time to call it a day. On the plus sideI only burned myself twice today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wpearson Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Update : so, before I propped the burner up with the other blocks, the drilled fire brick would split in half on me after about 5 hours. I was replacing it every other day. scratch a groove down each side of the brick and wire it together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frozenforge Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Soft firebrick is fragile and susceptible to thermal cracking and if its a tight fit around the flare the expansion of the flare, small as it might be, will add to the stress. A hardbrick will be tougher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Light fire brick doesn't like thermal cycling and doesn't last very long in a forge unless you're pretty lucky. Try this instead, drill the burner hole and score the brick through the hole and down both sides. This will make the brick break through the score, just like cutting glass. This will leave you with two halves that can still support the burner but hopefully won't heat check more.I've stopped using light fire brick in forge lids but Kaowool can be hard to keep in place in a flat roof.I've had luck kiln washing soft brick using "Zircopax" from Seattle Pottery Supply and sifting the grog from my castable refractory. I mix it approximately 2pts. zircopax to 1pt. refractory fines as the matrix. So far it seems to be working but I still haven't gotten my new forge tuned well enough to get really HOT.I've been experimenting with the burner ports and may have to scrap it . . . again and try something else. I'm trying to mold the refractory to make a burner flare that makes a fan shaped flame. No joy just yet, I get the shape fut not a good burn ratio.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WL smith Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Wives are strange wonder full creatures. Mine has all kind of ideas also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuppiejr Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 I can't tell from your photo, is your anvil stand built around the base of your anvil (presumably floating on a sand base), or was the bottom of the anvil removed and the top half welded to a steel plate? I just saw an old Peter Wright anvil in a thrift shop that had been torched right through the "Wrought" logo and welded to two sections of angle steel that your photo reminded me of and it made me wonder if there's a local industry (iron mines up north perhaps?) that made these modifications to make the anvils more portable or easier to attach to a base of some sort?Nice setup, greetings from a fellow Minnesotan / newbie / garage blacksmith / honey-do list lackey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xaiver Posted August 25, 2015 Author Share Posted August 25, 2015 It's interesting, the base of the anvil was torched off and it's on a rocker. There are two bolts holding the anvil on the giant I beam. The bolts aren't tight though. It was still too low for me, so we made a base for the ibeam out of prelams. Now it's about perfect, could go down an inch, but it's close enough. I'm not going to worry about it. It's still a good size though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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