Considering the Mr. Volcano Hero 2

[Jewelersmith]

I’ve checked the gas furnace section and my head is still spinning. That being said, looks like I’ll be starting with small items (been dealing with small jewelry items for years so it will be nice to work with larger pieces again). That little j-hook already has a local following and a carpenter friend is sniffing around about metalwork. So after exhaustive reading here (and thanks to those that shared what they knew), I’m looking at the Mr. Volcano Hero 2 for starters. I have enough room to move it and a small propane tank around to where I can use it outside. Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

[Mikey98118]

When you have it all set up, add a layer or two of Plistex 900, which you can buy in small quantities here and elsewhere; it is very worth while. You would be better off to replace the half bricks they use for a floor with a kiln shelf, Kast-O-lite 30, or Morgan K26 insulating bricks (their tops sealed with Plistex). The half bricks they send, can be used as exterior baffle walls front and rear.

You can find all of this advise, and the reasons why, in the Volcano forge thread. Good luck and happy forging.

The thread is called "Mr Volcano video". It seemed like a good idea at the time

[Frosty]

You'll want at least a 40lb. propane tank if you're running both burners, a 20lb tank will probably begin freezing up in an hour or so.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Mikey98118]

Or two twenty pound tanks running together through a special hose and valve arrangement; this allows a more manageable load for us retirees, and folks without trucks.

[Jewelersmith]

Thanks guys. I’m putting the wish list together.  Got a bit of trouble one one side and the 137# anvil was a bit much to tote around but I was looking at the 40# tank. That should still be ok. My advice: don’t get old or older.

[Jewelersmith]

Watched several videos.

Looks like I might go with the kast-o-lite 30 on the floor. At 1/2” thickness plus a kiln shelf it still gives me more area inside than going with the 2” thick bricks. The refractory that comes with it should be fine for the walls. Than coat all with Plistex.  So that’s the initial plan...

[Mikey98118]

That should work just fine. One of the advantages of kiln shelf floors is that their smooth flat surface  is easy to place inside baffles on. If you go for a two burner forge, the ability to shut down one burner, and shorten the internal forge area can save you a bunch of money. Best of all; this is add on work; you can add this ability any time you want.

[Frosty]

I use a hand truck to move propane cylinders. What do you haul them with if you don't have a pickup? You can't haul them in an enclosed vehicle say the trunk or an SUV. The internet is full of pictures of vehicles that exploded from a leaking valve. Serious explosions, pieces of vehicle embedded in house walls across the street, crater in the driveway, EXPLOSIONS. 

Heck, where I buy propane they won't fill a tank that's going in a pickup with a shell unless there's no door on the back. Might find a service station that fills propane that will fill one in the trunk but only till OSHA or the FD finds out. 

Manifolding multiple tanks together is okay but every connection in the fuel line multiplies the probability of a leak so be very careful and remember the soapy water!

Frosty The Lucky.

[Jewelersmith]

Good idea Mikey about only using one burner and blocking the other half for small items.

No worries Frosty. We’ve been hauling them in the suv for years. No one ever said anything. I leave the windows open on the 4Runner for good ventilation just in case but never had a problem. And I guess I’m still old school but I haven’t bought into the new generation’s “safety stupid” that seems to have replaced good ole common sense, which today seems to be a superpower. And if it blows in back of a pickup shrapnel could go through the cab into your spine. Just saying.

[Frosty]

A propane leak in the back of a pickup can't accumulate nor explode. The pic below is one of many pages worth. It's a federal law and been on the books as long as I remember paying attention say early 70s. You might want to reconsider where you get yours filled if their safety standards are so low. Suit yourself.

 

 

[Jewelersmith]

Good point. Maybe I’ll have them delivered or borrow a pickup.

[Mikey98118]

This federal law is not unreasonable, for cylinders can be transported in a car's trunk, if they are secured in the upright position. Of course, if you want your trunk's lid to survive the trip home, you will need to carefully secure it with rope. The point of the law is not just to keep fumes from collecting, but to separate passengers from the flames of a burning fuel cylinder long enough to leave the vehicle. I freely admit that this law is inconvenient and far from perfect. What then? Should we give up and do nothing to protect ourselves, because the law is awkward?

I should have mentioned that the trunk cannot be completely closed, even if there is room enough to do so.

[Frosty]

You can buy trailer hitch receivers for virtually any car. The two place we buy propane have propane tank carriers that slip into hitch receivers. I've only seen 20 and 40lb size single tank carriers. 

Another safety measure I take is to stand next to the person filling my bottles and close the tank valve myself. Most everybody filling tanks cranks them closed too hard which damages the valve seats. You'll have to crank it hard to get it closed from then on and in short order it'll start leaking no matter how hard you close it. 

If I have to use a cylinder exchange other than Amerigas where I get my, welding, shielding gas and propane, I check the tank valve with soapy water and refuse the leakers. The upside to Blue Rhino exchange is they test the tanks regularly, it's part of the expense. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Jewelersmith]

Thanks for all the info. I appreciate it and now I’m glad I brought up the subject. I learned something.  We always did secure tanks upright and when we didn’t own a pickup also keep the back window and door windows open in the 4Runner.  I thought everyone did.  I like the idea of a tank carrier for the hitch. I’ll look into that.

[Mikey98118]

I will have to look into a tank carrier too. For the first time since the seventies, I no longer own a truck. Thanks for the tip, Frosty.

[Jewelersmith]

Well Frosty, this got me thinking the whole fuel thing. No pickup since the farm. Backpack makes the “fuel lock’r”. That would be good for gas cans also. And since a full 40# tank weighs 72 pounds, I might go with a 30# tank (55# full) first since I’ll probably only use one burner to start and I recently had retinal tears in both eyes and the surgeon warned me about very heavy lifting which puts a lot of strain on the eyes and could cause it again.  Just have to figure out how to secure it. What happened to the days when carrying 100# feed sacks was routine?any info one your suppliers tank mount would be appreciated.

[Frosty]

 I saw them in the showroom when I was picking up a conversion so we could run an outdoor griddle on a tank rather than little back pack size bottles. They don't they have anything on the website I'll give them a call when they open.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

18 hours ago, Mikey98118 said:

look into a tank carrier

WE bought a Haul Master luggage carrier from H F for $70 U.S. fits the Reese hitch and will hold 500 pounds. It's low enough that loading heavy tanks are easier than lifting them into the bed of the truck. It is built with plenty of ways to strap stuff in.

[Frosty]

I called both propane distributors that also share appliances, equipment, etc. Neither carry a tank carrier that fits a hitch receiver but thought it sounded like a good idea. One of the fellows says they do sell consignment items and what I saw may have been a custom product, there is nothing like I describe in the catalogues. 

The counter guy said they sell a fold up cargo carrier that fits the hitch receiver and it holds 3 milk crates securely and people transport propane cylinders with. 20 and 40lb cylinders fit milk crates snugly and 1" ratchet straps keep everything secure. 

I'm thinking what I saw was something someone was selling on consignment and maybe it didn't sell well enough to continue or things just changed. 

Both guys at the propane warehouse and main store front liked the idea. Hmmm?

Frosty The Lucky. 

[Jewelersmith]

Great start but they all seem to be too big. I just don’t need something 4 or 5 feet long. We Americans sure do have a lot of stuff. I’m checking out the fuel lock’r.  My days of needing something that big to haul a lot of crap outside the vehicle are over. I hope...

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Here in Adair county everyone throws their bottles in the back of their farm trucks, an if you’re lucky they might even use some baling wire to keep ‘em from rolling around!

it’s even better when the tanks are riding on the back of a flatbed truck and they come flyin off the rig goin down Swepston hill…

never seen one explode but I’ve picked up a few!

Among the other hundred things a month that come flyin off trucks an trailers! Trash bags, cell phones, Fuel jugs, chainsaws, couches, bed frames, tools, hitches, spare tires, 1400 pound round bales ect… 

I probably pick up a few thousand beer bottles an can a year on top of all that junk!

One of the coolest things I ever picked up outta the bar ditch was a CaseXX huntin knife!

I’ve found most everything under the sun but surprisingly enough I’ve never found a fishin poles! Hundreds upon hundreds of vehicles every year loaded down with fishin gear pass buy an I ain’t never found no fishin gear!

Talk about priorities! You’ll secure the 1/2 pound fishin pole like it’s made of gold!!! but you’ll let a full gas cylinder launch off the truck at 65 mph!

[Frosty]

I spent a lot of time standing on or working next to roads. There was a spot in the shop where we put any roadkill we didn't want so others on the crews could pick. 20 & 40 lb. propane bottles can skip down the highway at 65mph no problem, they're a LOT tougher than they look. I don't think I even heard of one that was damaged and we picked up lots. 

What amazes me is nobody on the crews got hit by flying debris. We saw lots though, a spool of barbed wire will roll a long way, only one of four unrolled when the wire snagged but that stopped it in about 100'. Rolls of chain link was a constant pick up call. It was one of the better jobs to take a pickup out and pick up debris. Unfortunately too much was trash and some of that was incredibly STINKY. Wreck scenes were good pickings though the folks involved were responsible for removing their vehicle and cleaning up the debris. I was never sure how that was handled. Nobody was very thorough about it, I know that for a fact. 

One exception was a Mac Tool truck that rolled. The owner of that franchise had people combing the ditches for two days. It was one of the old style tool trucks that sides opened downwards for display cases. It must've spewed a Quarter million $ in Mac tools when it rolled. It wasn't the driver's fault, he was avoiding a wreck but swerving into the ditch was more than that top heavy truck could take. Heck, it looked like a crushed milk carton. 

I don't think any highway guy found much but a few small things. 

Frosty The Lucky.

 

[ThomasPowers]

I picked up a snap-on ratchet wrench once where the frontage road makes a hard 90 turn.   I've learned to check out the wrecks at the scrapyard; picking up tools for the grandkids at 20 UScents a pound sure helps when you know they will damage or lose their first ones...

[Frosty]

It'd be nice if I could buy anything from wrecking or scrap yards. <sigh>

Frosty The Lucky.

[Mikey98118]

Separate the idea from its particular use and both becomes crystal clear. How often I have seen photos of over tall box forges, and thought "what a waist of heated space." But turn such a forge on its side, and the failing disappears. Of course, thinking ahead will cause the builder to make some changes in one wall to create maximum advantage from this.

Turn a typical casting furnace (built from a gas cylinder) on its side, and you have a working tunnel forge; but only if you think ahead, and make some minor changes, while building it. Visa versa for tunnel forges