marooner Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 (edited) I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but anyways, a bit of context: I've been building a small charcoal forge out of an old water heater that has been cleaned out. I'm planning on filling the inside with some fire bricks and coating them with a layer of 3000 degree black furnace cement, but then the real problem comes. The air supply is a converted blower that has been turned from an electrically-powered one to a blower with a crank, but the pipe that will funnel the air supply was painted. (The pipe will be placed on the bottom of the forge and have holes drilled in it to allow air flow from the pipe into the coals.) It's a pipe from Lowes, called the Mueller Proline Black Iron Pipe or something like that. The outside has some paint, which can be taken care of with rough sandpaper and a utility knife, but so does the inside. I'm just concerned about the paint on the inside. Will the pipe be ok, or will the paint release fumes that aren't good for me? In the case that it will produce bad fumes, is there any way for me to remove the paint on the inside? How my air supply pipe will work (based off of this design): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDnbScHmxZQ&t=55s The pipe: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Mueller-Proline-3-4-in-x-4-ft-150-PSI-Threaded-Both-Ends-Black-Iron-Pipe/3371444 Edited January 6, 2019 by CaptainFish1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 First, let me say I have been experimenting with charcoal forges. And unless you are heat treating swords or forging large scrolls I suggest keeping the fire to six to 8” because one can’t realyfirge more than 6” at a time and unesisary heating of the steel can damage it. If I could also suggest fire brick and furnace cement are unnesisary expenses for making ancharcoal forge. Might I refer you to Glenn’s 55 forge and the verius JABOD forges. So to answer your original question. A double acting bed inflator is sufficient, wile an electric one is more than enugh. A hair drier is serious over kill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marooner Posted January 6, 2019 Author Share Posted January 6, 2019 Charles, I appreciate the input, but the question I'm asking here isn't concerning the air supply, and now that I say that, I realize that the title wasn't such a good choice. The real question for me if whether or not the paint that is inside of the pipe that I bought for funneling air into the coals will pose a problem. It will rest underneath the bed of coals with holes drilled into it from the side, so the pipe will most likely get very hot on the exterior, while I have no idea if the interior will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 The coating on/in the pipe is from the manufacturer as a rust preventative and should strip easily enough. I don't know what kind of fumes it might give off not knowing who or where it was made. I usually just toss it on a scrap wood or brush burn pile if I need the coating gone. Perhaps warming it to a couple few hundred degrees F. and wire brushing will strip it without fumes. But yes the coating will burn off in the forge. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marooner Posted January 6, 2019 Author Share Posted January 6, 2019 50 minutes ago, Frosty said: The coating on/in the pipe is from the manufacturer as a rust preventative and should strip easily enough. I don't know what kind of fumes it might give off not knowing who or where it was made. I usually just toss it on a scrap wood or brush burn pile if I need the coating gone. Perhaps warming it to a couple few hundred degrees F. and wire brushing will strip it without fumes. But yes the coating will burn off in the forge. Frosty The Lucky. Frosty, the paint is on the inside, sadly. Any ways for that, or would I heat it up and wait for the paint to fall off or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 Yes you use a circular wire brush that fits inside your pipe. I've got them from pistol barrel size to woodstove flue size... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 Yes, it's inside and out, I wasn't clear enough I guess. As Thomas says you can buy tube / hole cleaning brushes at a good hardware store, maybe even Lowes or Home Depot, from .22 cal to stove pipe size. Pipe used to come coated with a really sticky oil stuff you could clean off with solvent or gasoline but it hasn't come that way in years. If you can do it away from other folks burning it off and out works fine. Charcoal briquettes get more than hot enough just don't grill burgers afterwards. For your friends that is. (that's a joke, don't send me letters complaining) Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marooner Posted January 6, 2019 Author Share Posted January 6, 2019 Thanks so much! I think that I can finish up my forge by next week. Just have to wait for everything to arrive... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Note: once you have "ashed it" you could just add some coarse sand and cap the ends and shake vigorously Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sly Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Satanite is your friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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