Jaegers Forge and Foundry Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 I recently built my propane forge and found I'm going through propane really fast. I used a old propane tank as the body, I have 2 inches of k wool and 2 burners (I will provide pictures if needed). I was wondering if to save propane I should either add more insulation, invest in making a ribbon burner, or look into forced air. I will post a picture of it once I get out there (my parent don't want me forging without them home). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 Without photos we have no information to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaegers Forge and Foundry Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 Ok I'm going up there soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 So: Lack of insulation; too large a chamber, burners engineered to not provide enough hang time for the hot gasses in the forge, Forge not designed for adequate hang time. Fix those. Also how fast is your gas getting used up? (Pounds per hour is a good measure.) Are you working multiple pieces at the same time? Gas used per item forged almost doubles if nothing is heating while you are working on a piece at the anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaegers Forge and Foundry Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 I go through a 20 lb tank in about three days on a average of 4-6 hours a day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlienWired Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 Using a forge master double, I go through a 100 lb tank every 4 months, if I don’t forge weld. Propane is cheap. Averaging 4 to 6 hours about 5 days a week. woah..... all your heat is going out the back and front holes...... put some doors on there..... on my forgemaster my little port holes are about 3 and a half inches wide and it has a chimney... I keep it at about 10 lbs of pressure, and usually at the lowest setting at the forge so I don’t roast myself to death... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 Is that a hard firebrick for the floor? If so, that and the lack of doors is really affecting the efficiency. With good door you could probably turn the gas pressure way down and still get screaming hot stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaegers Forge and Foundry Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 Okay thanks I will work on some fire brick doors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlienWired Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 Just make sure that the firewool can take all the concentrated heat, and turn it WAY down. Just a nice bright orange in day light is all you need to forge. It might help to add some oxygen to the fire to help conserve propane once you get the baby warmed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaegers Forge and Foundry Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 Okay, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 We like to show how hot a forge can get with photos of yellow-white openings, but trust that folks are only running them as hot as the work requires. Maybe that needs to be brought up regularly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 Still ignoring advice aren't you Jaegers? That's why I haven't offered you a suggestion in a long time. You have your forge set up nicely AlienWired. Well done. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaegers Forge and Foundry Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 Okay I will take picture of it next time I'm out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshj Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 So whats covering the wool? It doesn't look coated in those pics. If not, thats a real health issue you might wanna address soon bud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaegers Forge and Foundry Posted September 4, 2020 Author Share Posted September 4, 2020 Its refractory cement Sorry I took so long to respond i was on vacation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 usually, refractory cement wont stand up to the environment of the forge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaegers Forge and Foundry Posted September 4, 2020 Author Share Posted September 4, 2020 what should i use as a cheap alternative Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzkill Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 If you've already lined your forge with the refractory cement then you'll probably want to use it as is for now. I used some that was supposed to withstand 3000 degrees F in my first propane forge. Once it got into the high yellow range it turned into a sticky semi-solid. After it cooled it was a glass-like glaze. Others have reported some of the cements or mortars holding up for a while without any major problems. Most of us use Kastolite 30 or something similar to coat the ceramic blanket. It's probably not what you consider low cost, but it is usually less expensive to do something right once than to do it "cheaper" multiple times. There is at least one person on here who uses a thin "paint on" type of lining that he says works well for him. It is more susceptible to getting holes poked in it from the stock, but according to him it heats up quickly and does provide a light armor coating for the blanket. Unfortunately I do not remember who that is at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Shed Forge Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 I coat my ceramic blanket with a layer of 3000 degree refractory and ITC-100HT Ceramic refractory coating on top of that. A pint is not cheap, but it goes a long way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 Not only is ITC-100HT very expensive, it is not the best IR coating to use in a forge. Plistix 900 F or Matrikote are much better choices and a lot less money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 On 9/4/2020 at 7:57 AM, Buzzkill said: f you've already lined your forge with the refractory cement then you'll probably want to use it as is for now. I used some that was supposed to withstand 3000 degrees F in my first propane forge. Once it got into the high yellow range it turned into a sticky semi-solid. After it cooled it was a glass-like glaze. Others have reported some of the cements or mortars holding up for a while without any major problems. That was fascinating; I totally wouldn't have expect it to turn glassy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaegers Forge and Foundry Posted September 6, 2020 Author Share Posted September 6, 2020 Thanks for all the suggestions I'm currently looking online for some Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkertim Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 On 9/4/2020 at 3:57 PM, Buzzkill said: There is at least one person on here who uses a thin "paint on" type of lining that he says works well for him. It is more susceptible to getting holes poked in it from the stock, but according to him it heats up quickly and does provide a light armor coating for the blanket. Unfortunately I do not remember who that is at the moment. The originator of the lightweight Zircopax/Silica slurry coating is Dan Rotblatt, who has been using this coating successfully for decades. I followed his advice and have built an efficient hobbyist forge that heats up fast and uses minimal gas. The coating won't survive heavy bashing, but it is easy to patch/recoat if you do dink it. I'll certainly be using this coating technique on future forges. Hope this helps. Tink! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
localsmith Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 Refractory is not a good choice but getting 12-16 hours out of a 20# tank of propane is pretty efficient. 20# of charcoal costs more and only lasts a few hours. Coal is probably more efficient than propane but only slightly and you have to deal with a blower, fire management, and sulfur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 Ok, so I have to ask, how location is local, Localsmith? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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