Forging Carver Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 Hi, I am well on my way in my gas forge. I am not getting to the point where I should start thinking about a stand. I know stands don't need to be anything crazy, just something simple simple to hold your forge. I think I am going to make a stand like Wayne Coe has on his forge plans, but ran out of cash for the angle iron. I need a way that can hold my freon bottle forge temporarily so that I can make a few tools and sell a few things off it to afford the angle iron. I have cinder blocks that I was thinking I could put the forge cradled in them. I also have an old cooking pan. I was thinking that I could screw some scrap angle iron on each side, put it on some cinder blocks, and then let the forge cradle in that. Tell me any ideas. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcornell Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 I'm using a $19 stainless steel rack I bought at a big box store - I've also seen BBQ grills repurposed as forge stands. It's all a matter of imagination, safety consciousness and flexibility. Whatever you do, make sure that it's stable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 take a junked gas grill, remove the grill and bolt a piece of steel across the gap place propane forge on plate Voila a stand with wheels and a place to set your tank and tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted March 12, 2016 Author Share Posted March 12, 2016 29 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: take a junked gas grill, remove the grill and bolt a piece of steel across the gap place propane forge on plate Voila a stand with wheels and a place to set your tank and tools. I have heard you mention that before, so I have told my parents and others to keep an eye out and let me know if they see a person throwing away a grill. Do you disassemble the burner system and electric lighting system? Also, I fell a little skeptical about leaving my propane bottle that close to my forge like that. Yes, I know that the bottle would be that close to the flame of the grill, but the forge is going to get a lot hotter and have a bigger flame than the grill would. I know you have probably had your forge like this for years though. Other than that concern, it seems like such a great and logical idea! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Ivan Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 45 minutes ago, Forging Carver said: I have heard you mention that before, so I have told my parents and others to keep an eye out and let me know if they see a person throwing away a grill. Do you disassemble the burner system and electric lighting system? Also, I fell a little skeptical about leaving my propane bottle that close to my forge like that. Yes, I know that the bottle would be that close to the flame of the grill, but the forge is going to get a lot hotter and have a bigger flame than the grill would. I know you have probably had your forge like this for years though. Other than that concern, it seems like such a great and logical idea! Thanks Flames go up, not down. As long as you don't have leaks in your feul line it will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Old bed frames are often alley discard, dump or "Freecycle" items and they're excellent steel. Hacksaw, drill, nuts and bolts, easy, high quality budget building materials. Same story for old BBQs and other light weight stands, keep your eyes open they're out there. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted March 13, 2016 Author Share Posted March 13, 2016 Ok thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Well I have been using my latest grill stand for a decade or so, IIRC it's my third one. Over the years I rebuilt it with better wheels on a real axle, strap cross bracing, replaced the old screws with much enhanced SDST metal screws. I yanked out the entire grill body and replaced it with a piece of sheet metal and bolt my gas grill onto that. I note that my propane forge is much hotter than a bonfire---only got steel dull red in a bonfire and I have melted steel in my forge; yet I can stand within 2' of my propane forge yet have to be several times that away from the bonfire. Perhaps your thoughts on heat and the closeness of the propane bottle may need some tweaking to deal with how heat is emitted by differing set ups. In general I would say that if your system is throwing a lot of heat through the walls RELINE IT PROPERLY NOW!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Forging Carver, I show a propane cylinder stored inside my forge cart, but it shares space down there with a twenty foot long red fuel line stripped from an oxy-fuel ("T" rated) torch hose. Even for people who mounted their fuel cylinders under their forges, this is a simple update to make. And, once again this isn't so much a safety issue as a legal one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Storage under the forge is one thing, operation under the forge is much different. Get a long hose and move the bottle when in use. YMMV but safety first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 much more room for a red hot piece of steel to hit the line that way! Or someone to trip over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted March 14, 2016 Author Share Posted March 14, 2016 It seems both ways have their draws and flaws. One way protects the line and takes up less space which prevents tripping, the other takes the propane tank further away from the forge incase of a fire, and means you can have eyes on the line at all times to quickly notice a leak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Thomas, You are quite right, if the hose is left on the ground. I string mine out in the air on stands for off-site demos, and on the garage ceiling when in the garage. Another acceptable safety option is to build wooden protective ramps for use on job sites, within which the hose is protected even from vehicles running over them; these are not my techniques for protecting fuel hose, but are approved standard forms of protection on job sites. Is all this a pain in the six? Well, that depends on whether you're setting it up on a job site, or your arraignment is being inspected by the local fire department. Do I personally think a propane cylinder can be safely used under a forge cart, if all its connections are inspected and protected? So long as the law disagrees, and I write books on the subject, I decline to offer an opinion that some lawyer may quote in court, later on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orange Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I built my forge stand out of wood. Before everyone goes nuts, I bolted a steel plate to the top of that. The plate is held away by nuts that hold the plate of the surface of the wood. I've had it burning red hot and the wood isn't even warm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjhend28 Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Just to chirp in on the propane tank discussion. I find it best to store my tank under my forge, but when I'm using my forge the tank it at least 10 to 15 feet away, and to make it double safe I use braided steel hosing, I don't like the idea of bumping a rubber hose with hot steel, I don't imagine that would end well. That's just how I find it best to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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