elbowroom Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 Has anybody put an inline propane shut off valve on a forge to shut the forge down while hammering? Seems like it would save a lot of fuel and keep the shop cooler. Would it be safe to restart a hot forge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 People have been doing this for decades; usually they use a bypass to keep a "pilot light" running for turning it back on. Johnson forges ran a spark plug to make sure no unburnt gas could get out. As to safety: Yes NO Maybe depending on details. Usually slows down forging if you are allowing the forge to cool between heats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwistedCustoms Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 I've never seen a propane forge that didn't have an inline shut off valve but I haven't kept track of all the flee bay home built "forges" being offered for sale to the unsuspecting public. The shut off is for safety but shutting on and off will keep cooling the forge and may end up being less efficient than letting it idle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 search on propane forge idle circuit for examples some even here at IFI! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbowroom Posted August 17, 2018 Author Share Posted August 17, 2018 Thanx guys. Just getting my feet wet here. Working a first set of tongs. Doesn't take long to work up a sweat with burner running full time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzkill Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 If I'm repeatedly moving between the forge and the anvil with little or no other activity between I just leave the forge running. I'm typically not at the anvil more than a minute or two before the steel needs to go back for a reheat, and to me it's just not worth the trouble of constantly shutting the forge down and starting it back up. Since your steel is (or should be) primarily heated by radiation from the walls rather than directly by the flame, every time you shut the forge down, you'll be heating the walls and floor back up in order to heat your stock. On the other hand, any time I will not have a direct line of sight to the forge for anything more than a few seconds, the forge gets shut off completely. This includes running into the house for liquid refreshments, bathroom breaks, etc. If the forge interior is still glowing when I return then I just open the valve back up, the propane ignites easily with a moderate whoomp, and I'm back in business. A non-glowing forge gets an ignition source before opening the valve again no matter what, which is usually burning paper or a hand torch. At one point I had planned and designed an idle circuit for the forge, but for me it's never really seemed to be worth the effort. YMMV. Mikey posted a good idea elsewhere though, and that is to create a stop for your ball valve (an additional ball valve would probably be a better idea) so that you can quickly and easily close it to a set point for idling and then easily open it up all the way when you want to return to forging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 17 minutes ago, Buzzkill said: Since your steel is (or should be) primarily heated by radiation from the walls rather than directly by the flame, every time you shut the forge down, you'll be heating the walls and floor back up in order to heat your stock. I think that depends on how the forge is made and who is at the anvil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzkill Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 Fair point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 who is at the anvil ? HUH? how can that effect the construction of the forge heating the steel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzkill Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 I think he was referring to the time between shutting the forge off and returning to it after being at the anvil. A longer time would produce a cooler forge when the person returned of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 Who is working at the anvil, and what is being made, will effect the amount of time a forge flame might be turned down. How the forge is built effects how quickly it cools down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 3 hours ago, elbowroom said: Just getting my feet wet here. Welcome... you might want to read through this thread to get the best out of the forum. https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/53873-read-this-first/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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