Problem with Side Blast Forge

[Hannah330]

I’m new to using a side blast forge. I recently bought this a month ago just now trying to get it started. I have sand at the bottom about 4 inches. On top I filled with coke. When trying to start a fire I make a hole 3 inches away from air flow. I use my gas forge to heat up the coke and put it inside the hole and slowly add air. I have no luck. I’ve tried kindling wood and cardboard. I’m used to using a forge with a pot and air from the bottom. Any help would be appreciated. 

[ThomasPowers]

Stop by and I can give you some pointers.

[Charles R. Stevens]

You need the blast to be right up to the fuel on one side and the bottom of the fuel needs to be about an inch below the bottom of the tuyere. Once you start your wood/charcoal fire you need to rake the coke back over the hot coals. Many use a wad of paper. Dig your hole, light the paper and give it a little air, rake the fuel over it and increase the blast until the coal/coke start and then go full blast. Coke and hard coal need constant air or they will go out in just a few minuets. Soft coal will go out in about 1/2 an hour. 
 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Welcome from the Ozark mountains.

The coke you are using is it from your bottom blast forge using bituminous coal or is it commercial coke. A picture or two may help and if you put your general location in your profile, you may be surprised how many members are near enough to visit and lend a hand. If you are in NW Arkansas you could stop by our BOA meeting in Gentry Saturday the 10th.

[Hannah330]

I’m located in West Virginia

the coke that I bought was off of link removed

That’s how I placed the sand the rest I filled with coke. It took me nearly two hours to get that fire started. Is the sand not high enough? 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

That is a good looking forge. I would say it does need more sand or clay.

[Goods]

I wouldn’t be too worried about adding more sand. Over time fly ash will build up and you’ll ever have to start removing it. With coke, you only have to worry about the coke that’s in the air blast burning. Just pile the coke up. If you were burning charcoal, it would be another story all together. 

As others have said, get a hot fire of kindling, cardboard, newspaper, etc. right where the fire ball needs to be with coke around it. Once it’s good a hot throw you coke on top. 

(Irondragon, I like the new avatar.)

David

[Charles R. Stevens]

Can you lower the tuyere? Unless it’s an illusion it looks high. From the top of the tuyere opening 4” to the top of the hearth is generally a good hight. 
fill the box to an inch or so of the top. Dig a hole down to an inch below the tuyere opening. The hood doesn't need to be huge, I have seen a been can used. So an inch of coal or coke on the table brings it level with a mound about 4-5” tall over the hole

[Hannah330]

Thanks everyone! Appreciate all the help.

[George N. M.]

Here is how I start my fire using commercial coke as fuel.  It is probably over elaborate but I hardly ever have a fire fail to light.  1.  I crumple up 1 double page sheet of newspaper on top of my bottom blast tuyere. 2.  I build a "log cabin" of about 1/4-38"x6" kindling on top of the newspaper.  I fill the center of the kindling with about 1 handful of coal. 3 I give the kindling coal and newspaper a spritz of charcaol lighter fluid.n 4. I loosely crumple up another sheet of newspaper and put it on top of the kindling, etc. 4.  I then lay a layer of coke on top of the 2d sheet of newspaper.  5.  I leave a tunnel or trench into the kindling to light the fire near the bottom. 6. As the fire gets going and the kindling starts to collapse hot spots will develop in the roof of coke.  I will toss individual hunks of coke onto these hot spots.

My theory is the paper starts the wood, the wood starts the coal, and the coal starts the coke.

Like I said, this may be overly complicated but commercial coke can be hard to light and I hardly ever have to start over a 2d time.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

You might take a look at this thread for an idea of how much to fill the sand/clay. Even though it is a water cooled Bosh tuyere the depth of filler will be the same.

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/55407-new-side-blast-with-water-tuyere-bosh-pic-heavy/

 

[Hannah330]

The forge I have is also water cooled. Might be a stupid question but the water in mine gets extremely hot. Is that normal? I hate to burn up the Tuyere.

[Latticino]

The water is supposed to get hot.  How large is your bosh tank?  How is it configured?

[Hannah330]

[JHCC]

Remember, as long as there's water circulating in the bosh, the tuyere can't get any hotter than 212°F. 

I agree that the fill isn't deep enough; you want a bowl shape (sized appropriately to the work you're doing) to keep the fire in.

All that said, Welcome to IFI!

[Latticino]

Well, at least the interior of the tuyere...  The external surface can get hotter, but since metal is such a great conductor of heat, not all that much hotter unless a steam jacket gets formed at the interior interface of the tuyere and cooling fluid.  Looks like a good size tank.  Keep it filled with water, and raise up the bed of your forge fill (as others have suggested) and you should be OK.  Hopefully the tuyere was fabricated from at least 1/2" thick stock and the exterior pitches down slightly towards the outlet to allow the proper circulation of cooling fluid (my theoretical optimal design for a sideblast tuyere would have the exterior designed as an offset reducer with the flat side down and set horizontal.  The inner tube would be parallel to that horizontal bottom "skin", and the whole thing made from wrought iron to stand up better to both the potential rust and heat from the forge).

[Frosty]

The water in the bosh can be boiling and it's doing it's job, just don't let the level fall below the tuyere. Latticino just posted, good point about a steam jacket so add a 1/2 tsp of Jet dry to the water to break the surface tension and break the steam jacket.

I can't see a reason for the tuyere to be so high, I'd probably fill the body with brick and only have the fire trench in front of the tuyere filled with clay and maybe 4" wide and 9" +/- long. I'd start with that and adjust till I found what worked. I surely wouldn't fill that whole forge with fuel. I'd certainly cover as much of the flame contact surface of the tuyere with clay as a heat shield. 

Frosty The Lucky.