Ratman151 Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 So im a bit tired of all the coal, and size of my old outdoor forge, and so i got the oppertunity to get my own garage, but no electricity, so i thought, i could make my own clean shop with gas forge, i just want to know if i could take that geyser, and turn it into one, also if you could tell me how i would really appreciate it, ive been forging for 1 month but i love it, but the coal one is very primitive, any advice would be much appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 Forges can be built around thin air. Since that is galvanized I'd forget that except as a slack tub and build a brick pile or inswool /kast-0-lite forge. There are many posts in this section about forges built a number of different ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Welcome aboard Ratman, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the IFI gang live within visiting distance. I wouldn't bother. Sure you COULD put enough insulation and temp diverters and such in & on a forge to use that as a shell but it'd be a huge waste of time. Galvy isn't healthy to get very hot, zinc smoke is the B-A-D way to get your daily allotment of zinc, eat a potato or take a pill it won't mess up your lungs. There is a huge section here about building gas forges and shells are covered many times. Heck there's a couple threads where we're beating daylights out of gas forge construction now. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratman151 Posted December 5, 2015 Author Share Posted December 5, 2015 4 hours ago, Frosty said: Welcome aboard Ratman, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the IFI gang live within visiting distance. I wouldn't bother. Sure you COULD put enough insulation and temp diverters and such in & on a forge to use that as a shell but it'd be a huge waste of time. Galvy isn't healthy to get very hot, zinc smoke is the B-A-D way to get your daily allotment of zinc, eat a potato or take a pill it won't mess up your lungs. There is a huge section here about building gas forges and shells are covered many times. Heck there's a couple threads where we're beating daylights out of gas forge construction now. Frosty The Lucky. Thanks for the advice, really appreciate it. And im from South Africa, i cant find any blacksmiths here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 South African Highveld South African Highveld Blacksmith Association You may want to contact those folks. As Frosty and others said, stay away from zinc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Ianinsa may be near you, he is also in South Africa. He is a regular poster on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Ian will spot your location and pipe up shortly. He's mentioned his whereabouts numerous times but I don't recall more than which end of the continent he's on. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Good Morning, There just happens to be a few fellow S/A who happen to ply this fine site. Gas Forges are quick and easy to adjust for situations, if you build the walls with Fire-Brick. There are enough directions for ideas, I won't bore you. You don't need hi-temp Fire-Brick, regular Fire-Brick will get you going. Galvanized containers are a NO-NO for the Forge body, great for holding water though. Forget about MAGIC, there is none necessary. Keep It Stupid Simple K.I.S.S. There are no Rules Police, even though some feel there are. Be safe and try something, Stay Safe and live to tell your kids about it. Try not to learn too much about ........Wooff.......... No mater what, you will learn about.........Wooff......... Pay attention to what the Gas is saying to you!!! Get it Hot. Hit it Hard. Stop when it becomes dull red and reHeat. Repeat as necessary. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 You've probably already read up some about brick pile forges on these forums; they are an especially good option for people who don't have any firm ideas on what shape or size they want their gas forge to be. On the other hand they aren't exactly cheap to build. Also, if you want the forge to be portable, than a light steel shell is pretty much essential. One of the handiest things to use for the forge shell on a knife maker's forge is a two gallon non refillable refrigerant cylinder, because its wall thickness is ideal, giving the maximum strength to weight ratio you could desire for that size of tunnel forge. A five gallon (twenty pound) LPG (propane or butane) cylinder is the most commonly used item for tunnel (cylindrical shaped) forges, but a five gallon paint can will do just fine. Don't use a popcorn can; their wall thickness is too thin. And don't let anyone kid you that a certain minimum strength in the shell isn't needed; it is. You will probably be suspending a high alumina kiln shelf from that shell, and bolting legs to it, along with a pipe to hold the burner. It also needs to be strong enough to prevent damage to insulating fire brick and/or rigidized ceramic fiber blanket and brittle hot-face coatings. If you choose to use a five gallon paint can there will even be room to install an outer layer of perllite glued together with water glass, which is also both rigid and delicate, just like rigidized ceramic blanket (but a LOT cheaper). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratman151 Posted December 5, 2015 Author Share Posted December 5, 2015 Yeah, Im from Kimberley, but i dont want a portable forge, i want to have a very clean, workplace, im not rich, but id rather work and save some more money and get the right material for a more then decent forge, i dont have much tools, ( a heavy cross peen, a small ball peen, a light sledge, a clawhammer, some screw drivers, one big chisel, a few drill bits, a hack saw, and a few pliers, not even good ones, but i can fo what i need to do) i want to learn, im not afraid to get burned, but i am willing to learn! Thank you all for helping me. Lucan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted December 6, 2015 Share Posted December 6, 2015 Hi Raman, firstly welcome to the forum , then that's a kwikhot geyser ... galvanized thin outer casing 0.9mm thick= junk then you have a fiberglass insulation wrap = nasty to work with but if you wear gloves, glasses and a respirator any wet the stuff its easy to remove and is a good and useful insulator. Then you get the tank its made of mild steel usually about 2mm thick but it's coated with vitreous enamel. Therefore a lot of work to use with unpredictable results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted December 6, 2015 Share Posted December 6, 2015 As to making a forge! A common beginners mistake is to try too complicated and too big at first. Just get a couple of used solid clay paving bricks( lighter colors are better but not critical) and make the forge 'brick size'. Look at the pictures, pack the bricks and use a 'pizza' box to fold and cut a pattern for the metal. Then lay this pattern out on your 'geyser covering' and cut out. The more bends the better where you can't get the bends use self tapping screws or preferably self drilling if you have access to a cordless drill just leave 'tabs'. Before bending and assembly soak this overnight in checkers type cheap vinegar (about R12/2L) keep the vinegar as you need it to remove the galvanizing off the pipes to make a Frosty burner. This is also a cheap & easy set of tongs that you can make , no fancy tools needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted December 6, 2015 Share Posted December 6, 2015 Now when you are ready to 'wrap the bricks' cover them in wet fiberglass, as it dries it will 'fluff up' and help with insulation. When your forge is complete leave it in the sun for a few days to dry out. Then stand on end (like a pot) and make a small fire with small sticks in it to help with drying out. You will want a slow dry as steam from trapped moisture will crack and spall your bricks. If you slowly get it hotter and hotter this forge will last many years. Next you will want to build a Frosty 'T' burner. All the parts should be available in a local hardware store except for maybe the mig tips. They will be galvanized so soak overnight in vinegar and use. Good luck Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted December 6, 2015 Share Posted December 6, 2015 Isn't there also an SA knife makers guild? I believe they had a big conference/knife show in Los Vegas five or six years back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratman151 Posted December 6, 2015 Author Share Posted December 6, 2015 11 hours ago, ianinsa said: As to making a forge! A common beginners mistake is to try too complicated and too big at first. Just get a couple of used solid clay paving bricks( lighter colors are better but not critical) and make the forge 'brick size'. Look at the pictures, pack the bricks and use a 'pizza' box to fold and cut a pattern for the metal. Then lay this pattern out on your 'geyser covering' and cut out. The more bends the better where you can't get the bends use self tapping screws or preferably self drilling if you have access to a cordless drill just leave 'tabs'. Before bending and assembly soak this overnight in checkers type cheap vinegar (about R12/2L) keep the vinegar as you need it to remove the galvanizing off the pipes to make a Frosty burner. This is also a cheap & easy set of tongs that you can make , no fancy tools needed. Thank you, ill go to the scrap yard tomorrow and get some steel to forge such a pair, i will follow your advice, thank you so much for all the info Luc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted December 6, 2015 Share Posted December 6, 2015 I liked the vinegar tip; it opens up whole new possibilities for using electrical conduit and fittings without exposure to zinc fumes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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