Well, I got impatient trying to gather materials to finish my Freon tank forge. I remembered that I bought some split firebrick from a guy on Facebook and decided I would try out the ghetto-tastic burner I made almost a year ago. I found some janky burner build on instructables and followed it to the letter. It doesn’t look good!

However, after stacking my bricks in such a way that it could be held in with a cheapo squeeze clamp and wrapped in some ceramic blanket, it shot a, what I thought was impressive, blue flame out of the front of the pile.

Ladies and gents, I give you what Ben calls a Pile of Bricks Forge!

Otherwise known as the " Cross Your Fingers and Hope You Don't Burn the Shop Down Over Your Head Cause It's Not Covered by Your Insurance Plan Forge". 

Is that set on a particle board table (with the propane tank nearby)?   Please take care to not leave it unattended when fired up.  Also consider adding a quarter turn quick shutoff valve in your gas train if you don't already have one.

Yeah, it was a poor proof of concept for the base. I have some 1/4” plate I’m going to move it to tomorrow. I do have a shutoff valve, but again, I was rushing. This was more an exercise in “wanna see if I can do it” rather than a permanent fixture. As stated, I’m building a much safer forge, I just have to get my stuff together to order from Wayne Coe. I’ll add the shutoff  to the mix before doing anything else. I’m going to build a new burner from a more reputable source to go with the new forge which will have much safer plumbing. Thanks for the reminder!

Good Morning Bald with Cane,

First step; Don't be in a hurry to make something unsafe.  The need/want to post something is a poor thought out idea.

Second step; Try it yourself first!!!!!! Before turning on the camera.

If you hurt yourself or burn your house and workshop down, it is not worth the 15 minutes of Glory. Slow down, relax and BE SAFE!!!!

Neil

9 hours ago, Baldncane said:

and wrapped in some ceramic blanket, it shot a, what I thought was impressive, blue flame out of the front of the pile.

Was that after you ridgidized it?

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/53239-ceramic-wool-insulation-safety-alert/

Thankfully, I only used about 2 square inches that was already precut when I got it. It was not in contact with direct flame as it was used to seal an air gap between top overlapping layers of brick. I also wore gloves and respirator while running for a VERY short time (enough to get the chamber warm, which was about 5-8 minutes). Thanks for the link!

 

23 hours ago, Baldncane said:

it shot a, what I thought was impressive, blue flame out of the front of the pile.

It is an impressively bad amount of blue exit flame, for that much blue exit flame indicates an impressive amount carbon monoxide being spewed into your shop air!!! However, the fix is simple and cheap. What is wrong with your burner is the undersized reducer fitting. A typical 3/4" burner should have a 2" x  3/4" reducer fitting. Why; does it need that much air being induced? No; it needs that much more SWIRL being generated in that incoming air. This one change will almost certainly turn your burner into an outright animal, and when you decide you want even more snarls out of your beast, You will already have the right reducer needed to change the gas hole out for a .023" MIG tip; it's a two-for-one move