Ranchmanben Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 I got this idea from a friend who had gone to a damascus making clinic at Jim Poor’s shop. Putting a fairly strong fan below your forge and blowing the dragons breath upwards. My set up still need a bit of work to optimize performance but this has been a game changer. This might be a well known trick and covered here many times but it’s new to me and thought others might benefit as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 I don't know if it's described here or not; I learned the air curtain trick before this site existed. Just be sure that it doesn't blow the exhaust near the intakes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 All of the propane forges at ESSA have the blower on a manifold to blow straight up across the exhaust ports on both ends. They really help with keeping the dragons breath out of your face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranchmanben Posted August 9, 2018 Author Share Posted August 9, 2018 I can run my hand within 5 or 6 inches of the port in the door with the fan going. With the door open it’s not quite as good but I no longer have to wear a glove on my tong hand to get material out. Thomas, my forge has very little risk of that but but I’m curious of why that would be so detrimental. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevomiller Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 Ranchmanben, good tip. I’m guessing TP’s thought is the exhaust could reduce available oxygen feeding your burners, changing the fuel/air ratio and thus flame characteristics. Your forge good run rich and create more carbon monoxide, etc. BUT I am guessing and don’t intend to speak for him.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 When you run air through a burner, N2 + O2, most if not all of the Oxygen is used making either CO or CO2. If you run a mixture of air and exhaust through a burner you have less O2 in the mix and so get more CO produced (plus the CO already in the mix). CO is a sneaky cumulative toxin. I've know a number of folks who have had close shaves with it and you read about deaths every winter from it. As I've done some bladesmithing and pattern welding I often de-tune my burners to run rich and so knowingly produce more CO and KNOWINGLY deal with it: 10' walls, open gables and two 10'x10' roll up doors on opposite walls along the prevailing wind direction that I don't close until the wind is strong enough to start blowing over anvils.... Experienced smiths know the danger; but we get a LOT of new folks here who do not and so we tend to over emphasize safety aspects. (I bought a house once from the widow of a fellow who did something stupid he knew better than to do; I don't need any smithing equipment from an estate sale where the smith was not "rich in years and ready!") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranchmanben Posted August 9, 2018 Author Share Posted August 9, 2018 I figured it had to be something along the lines of doubling CO/CO2 but wasn’t sure. Better safe than sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilwaukeeJon Posted August 11, 2018 Share Posted August 11, 2018 Have had great luck controlling dragon’s breath/heat and dangerous fumes with a 37” Vent-A-Fume hood. Surprisingly powerful yet also quiet. Also works very well on my 3 burner Whisper Daddy forge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted August 11, 2018 Share Posted August 11, 2018 Good one! That is the most PRACTICAL hood I have ever seen! Dang, but I do love seeing a good tool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 11, 2018 Share Posted August 11, 2018 I like it too Jon not only looks effective but looks good too. Does the blower motor get hot or does it move enough air to stay cool? Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilwaukeeJon Posted August 12, 2018 Share Posted August 12, 2018 Motor does run hot but that apparently is normal. Air coming out of the pipe is merely warm. Brilliant design and surprisingly inexpensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamboat Posted August 12, 2018 Share Posted August 12, 2018 Is the Vent-A-Fume hood related to Vent-A-Kiln hoods? I've seen those used over pottery kilns. They use a counterweight and pulley to help raise and lower the hood. I also ran across a slightly different approach to raising and lowering a hood in an old Buffalo Forge catalog. It also uses a pulley-and-counterweight system, but with a ring-shaped counterweight around the flue. https://archive.org/stream/BuffaloForgeCoCatalogNo801/Buffalo Forge Co Catalog No 801#page/n17 Al (Steamboat) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilwaukeeJon Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 https://www.ventafume.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranchmanben Posted August 13, 2018 Author Share Posted August 13, 2018 There’s been a tiny bit of discussion here about the owners of the ranch not wanting me to cut holes in their barn to vent my coke forge. That ventafume might be a solution. Not that particular model but one of the other 10” models. How loud are they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilwaukeeJon Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 Relatively quiet...don’t know if the company can offer you a dB rating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranchmanben Posted August 13, 2018 Author Share Posted August 13, 2018 Relatively quiet is good enough for me. As long as it doesn’t sound like a shop vac I’d be happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 21 hours ago, Ranchmanben said: Relatively quiet is huh, what's that you say? Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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