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I Forge Iron

How I control air to forge


Dano83

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I may be easily impressed, but I use a power vent from a propane furnace for my airflow on my forge and quickly found out that it was pushing too much air and getting the forge hot enough it was hard to work with. So, here's the dimmer switch I put on the power vent to control my airflow, again, I may be simple but I'm real happy with it... now if I can just find somebody near me to show me how the heck to make stuff and I'll be all set.

 

Dan

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2 inch ball or gate valve would be easy but spendy, an RV waist gate Vaal e is not as spendy. A wooden or sheet steel gate valve or a wood stove style damper mounted in the tube. Squirrel cages acualy unload when restricted. That's why you have to block off 1/2 the opening on an HVAC or evapritive cooler blower or they trip the breaker used as shop fans 

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I use a 2" flex pipe from an old pellet stove that goes into black iron pipe, I could easily rig up something on the flex pipe to divert/control airflow with a gate of some kind, just figured the dimmer switch would look all professional and such :)

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    Cheap, or thrifty, thats my wheelhouse. I like air controls I can see. This is a "paddle style" repurposed cookie sheet. It pivots and locks into place.

          N.N.F.                Beautiful, Manchester, Michigan. USA 

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Dano

You can also use a ceiling fan dimmer.  They are built for small motors like what your using.  I have been running one on my furnace exhaust motor for a couple of years with no problem.  I still have a slide gate on mine too.  Bought it at Ace Hardware under $10 US.  Don't forget  to spin the fan before you use it if the muddobbers are as bad in NY as KC.

Papy

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For start ups I turn the dial to full power and then just push it in to turn it on, so its full juice when the motor turns on as if it was just on a regular switch. Not sure if that will prolong the life of it or not, like to think that it would. I guess I have lots of options for things to use, the light dimmer switch was $4, over the last 2 summers of changing things around with the forge I probably have about $10 worth of stuff, including the welding wire that I used to make the stand for the forge. If I can just make the threaded rod snakes look a little better I bet I could make my money back on the forge! :)

 

Dan

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30 minutes ago, Dano83 said:

I can just make the threaded rod snakes look a little better I bet I could make my money back on the forge!

Try this: instead of forging the threaded rod to round, forge it into an octagon and then give it a twist. This will create a faceted spiral effect, which looks a lot like scales. Then forge the curves into the snake with a heavy wooden mallet, to minimize damage to the pattern.

13 hours ago, Dano83 said:

I use a 2" flex pipe from an old pellet stove that goes into black iron pipe, I could easily rig up something on the flex pipe to divert/control airflow with a gate of some kind, just figured the dimmer switch would look all professional and such :)

The simplest way to control airflow would be to take the flex pipe out of the black iron and aim it so that some of the airflow goes past the black iron rather than in. By changing the amount that gets spilled outside your tuyere, you can regulate the volume of the blast.

Oh, and if your forgings look good (and you're not inviting prospective customers into the forge), it doesn't matter what your setup looks like, so long as it's functional and safe.

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