Doc_BlackBeard Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 Hey guys, I am entirely new to this and wanting to build a for out of an air compressor. My original plan was to create a rectangular first, but I have this and thought it would be a good start. I have tried to research if this is a good idea or not, but I would like some input from people who have been doing this for a while. I will not build until the new year, so I have time. Dimensions are 24" long and 6" od. I was thinking 2- 3/4" burners with 1 or 2" fiber blanket. If it's a bad idea, I think it would be a decent quench tank. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasent Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 It’s pretty long and narrow. I’d look for a helium tank myself. They work great for first forges and only need one 3/4 T burner. I wouldn’t recommend a double burner for a first forge. They eat up fuel like crazy and unless your doing a lot of long twists like railing or gates you won’t need it. You could shorten it up and have a nice little forge if you wanted to use what you have If you where here in my neck of the woods I’d give you one. But you could probably find one free pretty easy at a party supply store. Biggest mistake I see with first forges are too big. Start small, this will not be your last forge build. Have you read through the gas forge section? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 Usually when folks say they want a long forge they are talking swords; but don't realize that when working a sword you generally don't want more than around 6" hot at the time---the amount you can work before it cools off. Heating more degrades the steel, (grain growth, scale losses and decarburization). As mentioned, doing ornamental work where you need to twist or bend long pieces can profit from a longer more fuel intensive forge. Also you don't start out with swords and by the time you are ready to do one; you will probably need to redo your forge anyway. So what are you wanting to make. (The original query is like asking us what vehicle to buy without telling us if it needs to haul 16 tons of gravel, or hold 15 people, or travel long distances on minimal fuel, or cross open water, or reach the international space station.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Rotblatt Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 17 hours ago, Doc_BlackBeard said: Dimensions are 24" long and 6" od. I was thinking 2- 3/4" burners with 1 or 2" fiber blanket. 6" OD and 1" of ceramic fiber will leave you with a 4" ID, 2" of fiber would leave you with 2" ID (not enough), so 1" then. Then line with 1/4" of refractory and you end up with 3.5" interior. You could easily cut off 8-10" or so, and make a little forge with that. A 8-10" forge with 3.5" diameter interior would make about a 75-100 cu inch forge. One 1/2" burner would do that fine. Would be good for small knives up to 6" -8" or so (max you could heat treat with it), or small projects. Answers above are spot on. DanR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzkill Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 17 hours ago, Doc_BlackBeard said: I think it would be a decent quench tank. I think it's more suited to a quench tank than a forge unless you plan on forging only small generally straight items. It's easy to come up with a shell more suitable in size, so there's no point in trying to force that tank to be a forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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