Shogun71 Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 So this weekend is supposed to be really nice but I can't fire up the coal forge due to taking my daughter to events all over the city for winter sports. I would love to get a nice little gas forge I could put on a wheeled stand and whip in and out of the shop and not worrying about letting things cool off so I can put the cover back on... The issue is that a decent one would be close to 1K delivered and ready to use. I am not comfortable playing with gas plumbing, although the design idea would be cool but I have nowhere to weld right now... There is also a very small blacksmithing community locally so no communal shops to use (there is one one province over... but that is 6-8 hour drive one way!). Sorry, just venting. It's very frustrating where I live. Also RC plane and heli season is over so I can't even go out and do that right now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 So any gas forge building workshops? I've been to 2, (blown and NA), most expensive one was about US$150. We had people who knew what they were doing doing the fiddly bits. And so far they have lasted over 15 years... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shogun71 Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 Nothing that is even close to me. I'm in the very middle of Canada... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 You don`t have to make you own from scratch, purchase some fire bricks , make a hole in one to accommodate the burner and a support bracket then buy a set like this ( $251 aust dollars on line).It may not be the best forge ever but its a forge you don`t have at the moment. Using fire bricks allows you to alter the length and width of the forge as needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzkill Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 And following up on what Stan said; when/if you decide to build or buy a "better" forge, you can use the regulator, hose, and probably even the burner in your new forge so the money is not wasted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Check out the attachments on the Forge Supplies page at link removed. As it is written it does require some basic welding but most of that can be done with nuts and bolts. Gas fittings are not a big deal. Just put it all together, check the fittings, have a ball valve at the end of the plumbing, turn it off, turn the gas on and check for any leaks with soapy water, look for any bubbles. If you see any turn the gas off and check the fittings and tighten up where bubbles appeared. I felt the same way when I first considered building a gas forge. That was 16 years ago and I'm still here. Let me know if I can help you. Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackKnight0739 Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 As long as you check for leaks and use a reasonable amount of caution like Wayne said, gas lines are really not a big deal to work with. The pressures you'll be working with are really low, you'll be fine :-) One other thing to note is there is a thread tape specific for use with propane and other gas lines (the stuff I bought was yellow), make sure you use that if you are going to use thread tape! I don't have a 16 year track record (haven't been smithing that long lol), but I'm alive with no accidents to my name! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Don't put too much trust in your luck, just because you've gotten away with it till now doesn't mean tomorrow is there for you. NO, do NOT use tape use paste. Tape may be rated for propane but it still takes knowing how to apply it to keep it from screwing up the works. Even the littlest bit WILL plug your jet, even the least disruption in smooth flow will screw up your burner. Picture your burner always running rich and you can't figure out why, then one day suddenly it's running super lean. Why? A hair sized shred of tape is flapping around in your jet. Do NOT take chances with flammable gasses no matter what some person on the internet says you can do. Just take a look at the king uv RanDumb's stupidly dangerous builds for scary examples. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Did you look at the Burners 101 thread, which contains all you need to see of exhaustive sources of how-to information on building gas forges, including where to buy what kind of materials? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shogun71 Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 9 hours ago, Mikey98118 said: Did you look at the Burners 101 thread, which contains all you need to see of exhaustive sources of how-to information on building gas forges, including where to buy what kind of materials? Yes, 3-4 times! That is why I want to try a gas forge! The issue is due to my location shipping, duties, and taxes make anything twice as expensive as what you see in the U.S. I am also not comfortable making gas appliances with open burners and such. Just my level of comfort and knowledge. If you need a garage built or custom carbon fiber prototype made I'm there. My real job is in healthcare and I have seen too many bad injuries related to fuel burns and explosions. To start from scratch and work through it all for how much I will use it is a limited effort to benefit ratio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobbieG Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 You could have a look at a Devil forge - they are not the best out there but are fine to get started with. They are based in Lithuania but ship worldwide. (I am not associated with them I just bought one of their forges!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shogun71 Posted November 3, 2016 Author Share Posted November 3, 2016 I'm going to do some research but looking at the coffee can forge with a propane torch nozzle looks promising! i have one of those torches already. This would at least give me a feel for a gas forge! I could try some small stuff out and see how it goes. Ill look around for some kaowool, rigidizer, and refractory cement..... Theoretically I could get all this done up for less than $200? That I can live with if it is not my thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 It is easy to work safe with hot stuff, and gas appliances. All you have to do is learn safety procedures, AND FOLLOW THEM like they apply to you, rather than only until you feel confident that you don't need them anymore, or they are too much trouble, or never bother ever learning them at all. Just pick any one of those reasons above, and you will find it at the bottom of all the bull xxxx excuses in the burn wards, whether done by the victim or by some moron behind his back!!! If gas appliances make you nervous, that's one-half of a good thing; the other half is to pay attention to all the many factors that usually must line up just wrong, before accidents finally happen. One of the bit of advice in 101 is to download a free pirated copy of Gas Burners for Forges, Furnaces, & Kilns; which has a vast number of safety practices and tips in its pages. A vast number of IGNORED safety advice, by people who still go along for years at a time, without getting burned. But, sooner or later, Trickery Dee gets his share of them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzkill Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 11 hours ago, Shogun71 said: I'm going to do some research but looking at the coffee can forge with a propane torch nozzle looks promising! i have one of those torches already. This would at least give me a feel for a gas forge! I could try some small stuff out and see how it goes. Ill look around for some kaowool, rigidizer, and refractory cement..... Theoretically I could get all this done up for less than $200? That I can live with if it is not my thing. If you want to start small like a coffee can or 2 brick forge you can do it for significantly less than that, but up to freon tank size or maybe even propane grill tank size you should still be able to stay under 200 dollars and make a good forge, assuming you have access to at least some basic tools. With your location I don't know about shipping costs and that might make it run a little higher than I'm thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 If you already have the torch I would think you could probably build such a forge for under US$20 *if* you are willing to ask around and scrounge the needed stuff. (HVAC, pottery supplies, boiler repair , etc may have used or excess refractory, etc) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shogun71 Posted November 3, 2016 Author Share Posted November 3, 2016 I'm working on some ideas and sources!!! Now I have to figure out the proper size of container. I don't drink coffee and my welder does not have a power source yet and is in a storage trailer... If this is promising and works reasonably the maybe I will buy a larger burner and work from there... Talking this out has definitely helped!!! Thank you for not killing me!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 Who needs a welder to build a forge? I once did one using a drill and old school rivets (or you can cut the tops off 16 penny nails and use them for rivets) just to prove a point to a fellow who kept saying that the lack of welding was keeping him from forging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobbieG Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 40 minutes ago, Shogun71 said: I'm working on some ideas and sources!!! Now I have to figure out the proper size of container. I don't drink coffee and my welder does not have a power source yet and is in a storage trailer... If this is promising and works reasonably the maybe I will buy a larger burner and work from there... Talking this out has definitely helped!!! Thank you for not killing me!!! I actually found sourcing the parts for a burner (Frosty T) easier than sourcing the forge linings, but that could just be my location. It's nice to make your own things, especially when its a proven and simple design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy98 Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 I didn't weld or even screw down my forge body. I made it out of sheet metal (from metal supermarkets, which has a Winnipeg location) and bent metal tabs to join the two parts (I made a top and bottom separately). Details are here. It looks a little funny but seems to work just fine. I bought my refractory from The Pottery Supply House - which is in Ontario and they ship. You can probably buy all the refractory, rigidizer, and high-alumina tile at The Sounding Stone in Winnipeg (I just found them on the Internet searching for pottery supply). They repair kilns, so they should be able to supply you with anything you need. I wouldn't want a smaller forge than I built, but I don't feel the need for anything bigger. I'm quite sure a coffee can would have been too small for me. I'm using a 1/2" T burner that I built. I think if you buy a burner, it'll likely be 3/4" and be too large for a forge my size... Actual construction time, for the forge and burner, was probably less than 8 hours. NB: This is my first forge, and I probably have less than 35 hours of total lifetime forging experience - so you might want to consider that when listening to anything I say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shogun71 Posted November 6, 2016 Author Share Posted November 6, 2016 I have been in contact with the sounding stone and they only have the soft insulative blanket, kiln shelf, and fire bricks. They are working at getting ITC-100 but it is apparently difficult to nail down a supplier in Canada. They also do not have rigidizer. They did warn that the ITC-100 and rigidizer is not very tolerant of freezing regardless of what the manufacturer says. I will likely need to wait till spring now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 Good Morning Shogun, I have a couple Forges that Lorne Bakker makes in Duncan, BC. 'Mighty Forge' Lorne supplied the Forges when we hosted CanIRON in 2007. He will also be a supplier when we host CanIRON XI, July 3-6, 2017. It will be held at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Cloverdale, BC (40km from downtown Vancouver). web-site will be finished soon www.caniron.ca . Hypona Forges are also made in Canada, very close to Cloverdale at the Border. (PM me if you want more info). One of our members has refractory he gets from his Brick Supplier in Richmond BC. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy98 Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 On 11/6/2016 at 7:55 AM, Shogun71 said: I have been in contact with the sounding stone and they only have the soft insulative blanket, kiln shelf, and fire bricks. They are working at getting ITC-100 but it is apparently difficult to nail down a supplier in Canada. They also do not have rigidizer. They did warn that the ITC-100 and rigidizer is not very tolerant of freezing regardless of what the manufacturer says. I will likely need to wait till spring now! Well you can order both from Pottery Supply House. That said, I did not use ITC-100 in my forge and I was able to successfully weld in it (exactly one time, and I haven't tried again since but I don't see why anything would have changed....) Are you sure sounding stone doesn't have rigidizer? That seems odd to me - I'm under the impression that one always uses it when they use the blanket. In any case I think any clay wash would work (they for sure have clay wash - you use it to protect your kiln shelves if I understand correctly). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 Some of the guys on IFI have used the Frosty brand of kiln wash, and been very happy with the result... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 MY BRAND? huh? I just bought Zircopax from Seattle Pottery supply and mixed it with the castable refractory. Jury's still out on how well it works long term. Rigidizer doesn't take to freezing at all, I lost the half gallon I had left, all that's left is a sort of weird consistency wet sand stuff. If you're in a situation where freeing is likely I'd go with dry, mix it yourself materials when possible. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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