Xamm940 Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Hi all, a friend of mine and I have been working on a forge together (I call myself the moral support as he has done most of the work) we came up with a design with the materials we had available. The following pictures show the point of where we are at in that build. We chose to build the burner from a Youtube video called "How to build a propane forge burner" by David Hammer. It works pretty good (we think) We get a pretty good flame. We do notice that you can't have the psi to high or it just blows out so with a little fiddling we found a good spot. Here are some photos of the actual burner build. Next up is a picture of the collar for the burner to go into the forge We just wanted to get a feel for what the experienced community had to say before we continued with the testing. All of these tests were conducted in well ventilated areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 You need to encapsulate the ceramic blanket with a product like Kast-0-Lite a castable refractory or at the very least Plistix or Metrikote. Ceramic, think glass. When the burner is on minute fibers become airborne. Do you really want to be breathing glass fibers. Similar to asbestos. Check out the attachment Build a Gas Forge on the Forge Supplies page at www.WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.com Let me know if I can help you. Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xamm940 Posted February 23, 2017 Author Share Posted February 23, 2017 Would something like t 36 Refractory cement work for coating the inside? Anyone had any experience using this product? We are planning on doing some kind of coating we just happen to have the T 36 available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodnMetalGuy Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Xamm940 - I'm also in the process of building a gas forge, and one thing I'm being careful to do is use gas-rated components rated at the appropriate pressure. The first thing to know is that ball valves are water (plumbing) or gas rated. What I didn't know initially was that the common gas rated ones from Home Depot etc. are for appliance gas lines, typically rated at 1/2 PSI. It takes more looking to find one rated above that. Looks like the one shown in your photo is rated for high pressure but I can't be sure. Similarly, quick disconnect fittings come in air (like for an air compressor) and gas ratings. Finding the gas rated ones is harder. In your photo the quick disconnect looks like it might be an air fitting, and I don't think you want to be using that in a propane line. Is that block with the knurled handle a needle valve? That could be useful in a bypass circuit to provide an idle level flow of gas for when you've taken out your steel and are banging on the anvil, but if you're using that instead of a regulator to control gas flow I don't think that's best practice. Also, you may want to find this book: "Make: Fire" "The Art and Science of Working with Propane" by Tim Deagan. It starts out with the very basics and progresses from there, and I've learned a lot, and feel comfortable with my setup. Recommended. -- Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xamm940 Posted February 23, 2017 Author Share Posted February 23, 2017 Thanks for the advice! The quick disconnect fitting is a hydraulic fitting and same goes for the needle valve. The guy doing the building is the one who does most of the speaking with people about the parts that are used I can ask him some questions regarding some of these things. The fitting you mention is a high pressure fitting I think it was rated at 600 psi when I looked it up. I did not take a picture of the regulator we are using on the propane tank I can get that and post it here. Thanks again for all the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodnMetalGuy Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Not that I know it all, but I'm learning... Regarding sealing the threaded joints, I believe the tape for gas use is yellow, vs. the white that it looks like you've used. The white is for water plumbing. I don't know for sure the difference, may be a different material or a thickness thing? Anyway, that's a spot where it's just as easy to use the right stuff. -- Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy98 Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 Different thicknesses. Ive been told, but I'm not sure its true, that the white tape is not any guaranteed thickness and is used in unregulated applications. in any case, you don't want the tape to apply the tape to any joint that will get hot. So use it for the gas supply feed, but not the burner itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 It's good all you guys trying to figure out how to build forges, burners and such talk together but how about reading the section of Iforge devoted to the subjects? Right now this thread is asking questions that have been answered in black and white many times already. Wayne's site has good plans and sells materials in reasonable sizes for reasonable. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobbieG Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 8 hours ago, Andy98 said: Different thicknesses. Ive been told, but I'm not sure its true, that the white tape is not any guaranteed thickness and is used in unregulated applications. in any case, you don't want the tape to apply the tape to any joint that will get hot. So use it for the gas supply feed, but not the burner itself. It depends where in the world you are. Gas rated tape in the UK is also white but comes on a yellow spool. The gas tape is not only thicker that the water tape but has a higher density too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 I have always preferred pipe dope over tape. It is more forgiving than tape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 NO TEFLON TAPE ON GAS LINES! You can buy tape specially formulated to be resistant to propane but even the tinyist shred can be carried into the works and plug the jet or worse on gas appliances. Pipe thread dope is what every HVAC service guy I've talked to uses. And about teflon and propane evidently there is a chemical reaction that forms a really flammable substance and no longer seals joints for a double hazard. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 To use pipe dope, thread the pipe in one turn, then put it on. That way none of it gets inside the piping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xamm940 Posted March 6, 2017 Author Share Posted March 6, 2017 Ok so Frosty what I hear you saying is that we should remove the gas tape that we used here and replace it with Pipe Dope? Is there really a risk with the gas tape? I know the pictures make the tape look white but this is the correct yellow gas tape that we are using. We have done a fair bit of research and we chose this specific burner because it looked simple enough to use on our first go. I will talk with my buddy about the prospect of using pipe dope on our threads. Thanks for the heads up btw. I realize babysitting people that may not know what they are doing isn't always the funnest job especially if all of the subject matter is covered in the very same place in clear text. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 I don't think I said that. Teflon tape has issues with propane. If you use propane rated tape and other components it isn't the issue. You'll hear me say the same thing to guys using acetylene regulators with propane, only the new multi gas regs are safe. Where tape can bite you is if you apply it so it overlaps into the gas flow. It can shed bits that can plug jets and the like. There are ways to apply it that prevents it getting near the end of the male section of the joint but describing how online isn't likely to be understood by new guys building a gas forge the first time. It's just safer and easier for all concerned to suggest gas rated pipe dope. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 And having gone round and round that issue, I must agree with Frosty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.