Askdamice Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 So, I made a Forge... Scarey! .... 8" dia pipe, ceramic cloth liner with a fire brick bottom. I originally used a MAPP gas torch in the side... but I recently modified it to use a propane burner. The burner is from a commercial roofing torch called Mr Heater that puts out 500,000 btu's... I cut down the handle and mounted it to the forge. I can only run it at a fraction of its capability or the flames shoot out about a foot and a half... the only thing that concerns me is the last inch or so of the burner shield gets red hot after a while.... does this alarm anyone? I could take more detailed photos if necessary. This is the heater I used....MR. HEATER Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Martin Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 awesome, can't wait to hear how it runs. Instead of piling bricks in the front, why not maybe weld a thick piece of steel to the front or maybe make a door. I like the design as well. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 in my opinion I wouldn't put the burner at the top facing down... I would put it on one side facing the other side... The reason I would do it that way is heat rises and you could eventually heat up your burner enough to cause you problems...other than that it looks like most propane forges ....Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Kelley Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 You might want to check out Larry Zoeller's sidearm burner Zoeller Forge. It's easy to make and will cut down on the flamethrower effect of your present burner. The ideal burner placement would be to come in from the side and aim the burner tube at a tangent to the interior of the forge. That will allow the flame to spirall around the inside and even out the heat. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Note that getting a burner that fits the forge right will soon save you it's cost in Gas savings. I think the burner you are using now would be better for a larger forge or crucible furnace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 The problem with using a weedburner in a forge is they're too oxidizing. They're designed to make things burn so they not only supply a pretty hot flame, they allow a lot of oxy through so the weeds can catch. One of Larry's or Ron's or Mike's designs will work a lot better. the rule of thumb for burner size being 1 ea. 3/4" dia. burner per 350/cu/in of forge chamber. Nice looking forge regardless. Welcome to the ward. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonjic Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 on my gasser ive got a flexy propane hose connected to the burner, like you. My venturi burner is pointing into the forge a '3 o'clock' position. the burner is ice cold when running, but on switch off the heat radiates up the burner. I allways disconnect the flexy rubber pipe when I swith off for the day. It will de-nature / melt in short order if not (with obvious consequences if it goes un noticed). check yours doesnt do the same!! The end of my burner gets to forge temperature eventually!, even with it at 3'oclock, and pulled back into the lining. Onr of the tricks to a good gas forge is to have as much of the gas combustion taking place inside the forge! , excess dragons breath (caused by the flame 'bouncing' out of the forge is very wasteful) - A little combustion outside the forge is desirable as it proves the forge is 'rich' (oxygen / air lean) which reduces scaleing and helps welding. If you can get the flame to swirl around the forge a bit you get the most from the combustion heat before it exhausts the forge. your original burner port is well positioned to create the swirl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Askdamice Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 The original burner port worked well... the "Zoeller Mini Forge" set up... my only complaint was that the MPS/MAPP gas was expensive and LP didn't heat up enough. I will mess around with this new set up a little more to see if I can get it to work... If not, I'll go back to the mini and make a larger LP forge to spec. Thanks for the posts guys. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Askdamice Posted April 28, 2008 Author Share Posted April 28, 2008 Alright.... so I finally took my time and some advice and made a proper forge. I still use the smaller one but with the MAPP gas torch instead of the weed burner flame thrower.... lol. Made from a propane tank, complete with a Larry Zoeller Side Arm Burner. This one is much more efficient.... and safe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candidquality Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 Nice looking little forge. I can't quite tell from the pictures, but if you're not using itc-100 or one of the other dozen Zircon products, then you might want to think about picking up a bit. Much more efficient and helps the durability of the liner as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Askdamice Posted April 29, 2008 Author Share Posted April 29, 2008 Yes, it has been coated in refractory.... 2" of 8lb Kaowool and finished with 2 coats of Plistex 900F. A friend suggested I put that bit of refractory above the front opening to keep the flames from licking the shell and disorting it over time. I have heard that you can fire it up before plistix dries completely but I'm gonna wait a bit so I don't mess it up. I had it running before I coated the Kaowool and (from a cold start) it heated a 1/4" thk piece of mild steel to yellow in under 2 minutes. I still need to make a door for the 2.5" through hole in the back. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candidquality Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 It's actually a good thing, odds are the koawool you bough was not washed and by burning for the first time you remove a lot of impurities. Should make it much easier to coat(I have washed sheet). Always thought it would be a good idea to get the fluffy stuff for 2 inches or so, and then use some of the .120" sheet(sold in rolls as well) to line the inside and then dab on the coating. Strange, can't seem to locate plistex on the internet. Just remember when you put that door on the back, all the heat will then be trying to run out straight at you. Nice job btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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