Nice design, thx! And I like the sliding 'door', the straightforward explanation of the 2 kinds of burners, and that you can even swap the kinda burners you want.
I kind of lucked out. My forge was my Uncle's that is quite old. The bottom is over 1 inch thick cast iron, and the blower is a hand-cranked one that still works pretty good. The only thing I could find out about them was they were made in Iceland, where my Uncle was from. The date is somewhere between 1860 nd 1910. Really neat old girl!
Coal, coke, or charcoal depending what I'm doing. The fire pit is almost 3X4 feet, so you have plenty of area to keep the coals going and starting. I have made a coke oven and it works fair. All you really have to do is burn coal in an Oxygen depleted atmosphere. That takes a lot of the Sulfur and impurities out. I am in the process of moving now, and I hate moving The plus side is I may be able to build a nice cover for the forge. It seems to me like each forge has it's own personality. You have to learn how to use each one. I actually learned how to use a forge on this one at my Uncle's sad from the time I was about 7. My cousin had left instructions that all the family would gather at the house, and take turns by the order in her will and choose what they wanted. I was sacred that someone was going to pick it, but my luck held out. I also got an old Scythe my Uncle made out of old files. He would cut over 40 acres of wheat alone. The old forge had sunk over 1 foot in the dirt floor of the lean to it had been in since my Uncle bought the place in 1911. It had never been moved. When I out it in the van I rented to haul it, it did set down a ways. So sad to pull it out of there, but happy I got it. It might have been sold for scrap by the new owners.
Looks great to me! I'm hoping to start forging with my son in law and grandson in August. They are moving back to NC then! I enjoyed this. Best one I've seen yet!
Simple and practical design. Great job, tx for sharing. I was bit surprised that you didn't spend time on the burner outlet and/or internal mixing of air/fuel. Nicely done, nonetheless.
Make you a L shaped piece with a lock but tonslide on and tighten down to the brick doors so you can use it as a handle to slide the bricks to the side
Did you end up doing a diffuser or did you leave pipe open? This video was great! Your forge is pretty much exactly what I’m looking to do except longer in 2 burner config.
Nice! Your design for this forge has given me some ideas of how to re-model my current wood fired forge. Im having to end the wood fire forge due to complaints of smoke etc as my iron company is literally surrounded by a public park and fishing lake. Just out of curiosity why is it that all these propane forges are with the intro through the top and not the bottom?
You can use natural gas but have to increase the distance between the burner and where the gas is introduced. I believe approx 16" between the two allows for good gas mixing
Man, I love that design. Makes me wish I knew how to weld! That looks like it would be pretty safe! Would there be some place to get the innards for this project. The fire stone, and what kind of insulation is that, that you used for insulating the roof of the forge? I’ll save the video for reference, just in case I run in to someone that can weld! Would a metal machine shop have the kind of binder to bind the roof? That was a very good video! Thanks!
IWI... Very nice work! do you find that by having the burner come straight down from the top that you have hot spots, or does it heat the whole forge evenly? Thanks for the video..
My apologies for the delay - had replied but message didn't go through. I have found that it does not create hot spots, I believe mainly due to the force of the blower just mixing it around so much inside the forge. Almost gets too hot - I would recommend lining the forge with some sort of refractory cement to help contain the heat better. Thanks for the comment.
Sorry I'm 2 years behind you but if you happen to stumble across this...I believe it's a furnace blower or a squirrel cage blower. I hadn't thought of using one of those yet, my first try is gonna be a leaf blower for a ribbon burner in a propane tank forge.
where did you happen to purchase that larger blower? I'd like to go from a venturi style setup to forced air and I only have a small yard blower that comes with Christmas lawn decorations.
That blower came from a yard sale. They can be kinda tricky to find, but check anywhere industrial such as scrap yards or second hand industrial stores. The more air the better with these forges, as you can always trim it down.
videokai Yes, with store bought pipe fittings for the burner assembly, some sort of steel vessel for the body, which you could hold down with metal banding such as plumbers tape, and the rest should be easy enough. You may want to consider buying a cheap welder or checking Craigslist, as it may end up being cheaper than buying all premade/store bought items. Thanks
Great question - because the air and fuel are mixed before entering the forge, there is no need to point the burner towards the wall to ensure proper mixing. In addition, sometimes these can produce a hot spot under the burner, so it is much better to have that hotspot on your piece instead of on the wall of the forge. Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for the response, but I dont think you understood the question? Let me explain. I meant; Why is the burner on the top of the forge?(Alternatively it could be placed on the side of the forge, horizontally).
Thanks for the response, But I dont think you got understood my question? (forgive me for being unclear) I meant; Why does everyone put the burner on the top of the forge? (Alternatively it could be placed on the side of the forge, horizontally).
It could be placed horizontally, but that can produce a hot spot on the wall, instead of directly on your piece if it were mounted vertically. Let me know if that answers your question or not, I will do my best.
I can weld tool steels and mokume, but would recommend another layer of the insulation and a coating of refractory cement on the inside for maximum insulation. I would recommend something along this design, just with more insulation. Make sure you have a powerful blower as well - with these forges often times you can't get enough air. Thanks for the comment!
I do not know the exact CFM. The key with these squirrel-cage blowers is to get one that matches the size of your pipe as best as possible. Typically, these blowers do not operate well with backpressure and will get quite hot. With a blown burner forge, the more the better. You tune it by adjusting your amount of air after setting a tap pressure of around 3 psi. Typically these types of forges take a lot of air, but it's pretty straightforward to figure out the right mix. Orange flames and it's running lean (too little gas, too much air) and billowing blue flames if it's running rich (too little air, too much gas). Let me know if you need any further help!
I am currently working on my own forced air forge but I am having a hard time with it my burner works out side of my forge but when placed in my forge it is either to rich or to lean I have a regulator coming for the gas have just been using a ball valve. My air is pushed by a hair dryer. I just can’t seem to get it to work properly in my forge. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!
@@MagWire8 More air! Most times this style can't get enough airflow. Try and make sure you've got a similar setup to mine. Your forge area could be too small and the burner too big; change one or the other. This type of forge should only take a few PSI to run. Make sure your air/gas mixture is properly mixed up, in an elbow or a tee. Hope this helps!
Iron Wolf Industrial I swapped the hair dryer for a shop vac and I got it to work but it’s way to much burner for my forge. It heats the out side of the forge before the center. And I’m building scale in the forge so I’m going to make a smaller burner. Thanks for the reply!
Mike Zeke I have found them to be able to produce more heat with less gas - because of that blower, you can more efficiently mix the propane and air, and get as rich or lean of a mixture as you want. With an atmospheric, it's a bit more difficult to tune that. These are definitely a great shop forge, where you have power for the blower. Thanks
I would recommend a second layer of the ceramic wool, and coating it with some sort of refractory cement. As it is, I can weld tool steels, but for higher temperature welding I would recommend those modifications.
Nice design, thx! And I like the sliding 'door', the straightforward explanation of the 2 kinds of burners, and that you can even swap the kinda burners you want.
Отличная работа.
Хорошо бы сделать конусный переход от воздуходувки к горелке а обороты регулировать электронным блоком.
I'm building one and being almost done, I believe your build is the best
Thanks a great lesson for any builder
I kind of lucked out. My forge was my Uncle's that is quite old. The bottom is over 1 inch thick cast iron, and the blower is a hand-cranked one that still works pretty good. The only thing I could find out about them was they were made in Iceland, where my Uncle was from. The date is somewhere between 1860 nd 1910. Really neat old girl!
Neat - the history of a piece of equipment is always the most interesting aspect. What do you run for fuel?
Coal, coke, or charcoal depending what I'm doing. The fire pit is almost 3X4 feet, so you have plenty of area to keep the coals going and starting. I have made a coke oven and it works fair. All you really have to do is burn coal in an Oxygen depleted atmosphere. That takes a lot of the Sulfur and impurities out. I am in the process of moving now, and I hate moving The plus side is I may be able to build a nice cover for the forge.
It seems to me like each forge has it's own personality. You have to learn how to use each one. I actually learned how to use a forge on this one at my Uncle's sad from the time I was about 7. My cousin had left instructions that all the family would gather at the house, and take turns by the order in her will and choose what they wanted. I was sacred that someone was going to pick it, but my luck held out. I also got an old Scythe my Uncle made out of old files. He would cut over 40 acres of wheat alone.
The old forge had sunk over 1 foot in the dirt floor of the lean to it had been in since my Uncle bought the place in 1911. It had never been moved. When I out it in the van I rented to haul it, it did set down a ways. So sad to pull it out of there, but happy I got it. It might have been sold for scrap by the new owners.
Really good build
Great video, I would love to see you show the max temperatures you can get with it so I can compare it to my regular burners.
I like that, I can see how the air would make it a more economical forge.
I like your design. Great idea
What about a support bracket for the blower?
Looks great to me! I'm hoping to start forging with my son in law and grandson in August. They are moving back to NC then! I enjoyed this. Best one I've seen yet!
now I have gotten some cool ideas for my kiln from you. thanks.
How long do those bricks last. Sorry i am new to blacksmithing and trying to get my own going
Simple and practical design. Great job, tx for sharing. I was bit surprised that you didn't spend time on the burner outlet and/or internal mixing of air/fuel. Nicely done, nonetheless.
Really nice. I'll be trying this example in the future. Thanks for sharing
Make you a L shaped piece with a lock but tonslide on and tighten down to the brick doors so you can use it as a handle to slide the bricks to the side
What the life span of firebrick versus kaowool ? Nice job. Thank you sir.
Did you end up doing a diffuser or did you leave pipe open? This video was great! Your forge is pretty much exactly what I’m looking to do except longer in 2 burner config.
me gusta la fragua mui bien trabajada
Nice! Your design for this forge has given me some ideas of how to re-model my current wood fired forge. Im having to end the wood fire forge due to complaints of smoke etc as my iron company is literally surrounded by a public park and fishing lake. Just out of curiosity why is it that all these propane forges are with the intro through the top and not the bottom?
Awsome! Can I use the gas from my water heater o dryer machine Gas connections?. Or I have tu use a propane gas tank?
You can use natural gas but have to increase the distance between the burner and where the gas is introduced. I believe approx 16" between the two allows for good gas mixing
Man, I love that design. Makes me wish I knew how to weld! That looks like it would be pretty safe! Would there be some place to get the innards for this project. The fire stone, and what kind of insulation is that, that you used for insulating the roof of the forge? I’ll save the video for reference, just in case I run in to someone that can weld! Would a metal machine shop have the kind of binder to bind the roof? That was a very good video! Thanks!
can you make a more in depth video on how to make the burner that would be very appreciated
IWI... Very nice work! do you find that by having the burner come straight down from the top that you have hot spots, or does it heat the whole forge evenly?
Thanks for the video..
My apologies for the delay - had replied but message didn't go through. I have found that it does not create hot spots, I believe mainly due to the force of the blower just mixing it around so much inside the forge. Almost gets too hot - I would recommend lining the forge with some sort of refractory cement to help contain the heat better. Thanks for the comment.
What did that blower come off of? I’ve been looking for something equivalent. Do you have any specs that I can match up with something?
Sorry I'm 2 years behind you but if you happen to stumble across this...I believe it's a furnace blower or a squirrel cage blower. I hadn't thought of using one of those yet, my first try is gonna be a leaf blower for a ribbon burner in a propane tank forge.
How much for the top body forge housing?looked on Instagram and site didn't see anything
Did you think about using a ribbon burner instead of your current setup?
Eres un maestro que vale una fragua como esta
So you left the burner pipe open without ribbon holes?
where did you happen to purchase that larger blower? I'd like to go from a venturi style setup to forced air and I only have a small yard blower that comes with Christmas lawn decorations.
That blower came from a yard sale. They can be kinda tricky to find, but check anywhere industrial such as scrap yards or second hand industrial stores. The more air the better with these forges, as you can always trim it down.
What did u use in the burner
So that padded insolation does not need to be coated?
How much did that all cost
Probably $200 in total.. Not too bad
IRONWOLFINDUSTRIAL: I do not have a welder so do you think that I could make one like that that will be as stable as yours is?
videokai Yes, with store bought pipe fittings for the burner assembly, some sort of steel vessel for the body, which you could hold down with metal banding such as plumbers tape, and the rest should be easy enough. You may want to consider buying a cheap welder or checking Craigslist, as it may end up being cheaper than buying all premade/store bought items. Thanks
Nice but you didn't show us how to lined the forge and what you used?
Great video, man!
One question: Why did you mount the burner downwards? (from the top and down) Why doesnt anyone mount them sideways?
Great question - because the air and fuel are mixed before entering the forge, there is no need to point the burner towards the wall to ensure proper mixing. In addition, sometimes these can produce a hot spot under the burner, so it is much better to have that hotspot on your piece instead of on the wall of the forge. Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for the response, but I dont think you understood the question?
Let me explain. I meant; Why is the burner on the top of the forge?(Alternatively it could be placed on the side of the forge, horizontally).
Thanks for the response, But I dont think you got understood my question? (forgive me for being unclear)
I meant; Why does everyone put the burner on the top of the forge? (Alternatively it could be placed on the side of the forge, horizontally).
It could be placed horizontally, but that can produce a hot spot on the wall, instead of directly on your piece if it were mounted vertically. Let me know if that answers your question or not, I will do my best.
Yes! Thank you. Sorry about the late response here, but youtube sort of bugged out on me (also causing double messages).
Keep up the good work!
Do blown burners scale more aggressively than Venturi burners?
I like the design of this forge I'm just not sure it would work with our gas regulation laws in australia
can the forge get up to welding heat? would you suggest this design (maybe on a smaller scale) for a beginner? thank you
I can weld tool steels and mokume, but would recommend another layer of the insulation and a coating of refractory cement on the inside for maximum insulation. I would recommend something along this design, just with more insulation. Make sure you have a powerful blower as well - with these forges often times you can't get enough air. Thanks for the comment!
Iron Wolf Industrial thank you for the advice.
Do you know how many cfm the blower is ? Thanks for the great video , this is exactly the type I want to build . How do you tune it ?
I do not know the exact CFM. The key with these squirrel-cage blowers is to get one that matches the size of your pipe as best as possible. Typically, these blowers do not operate well with backpressure and will get quite hot. With a blown burner forge, the more the better. You tune it by adjusting your amount of air after setting a tap pressure of around 3 psi. Typically these types of forges take a lot of air, but it's pretty straightforward to figure out the right mix. Orange flames and it's running lean (too little gas, too much air) and billowing blue flames if it's running rich (too little air, too much gas). Let me know if you need any further help!
Thanks for your help Iron Wolf !
I am currently working on my own forced air forge but I am having a hard time with it my burner works out side of my forge but when placed in my forge it is either to rich or to lean I have a regulator coming for the gas have just been using a ball valve. My air is pushed by a hair dryer. I just can’t seem to get it to work properly in my forge. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!
I also have a video of what it is doing if that is of any interest to you.
@@MagWire8 More air! Most times this style can't get enough airflow. Try and make sure you've got a similar setup to mine. Your forge area could be too small and the burner too big; change one or the other. This type of forge should only take a few PSI to run. Make sure your air/gas mixture is properly mixed up, in an elbow or a tee. Hope this helps!
Iron Wolf Industrial I swapped the hair dryer for a shop vac and I got it to work but it’s way to much burner for my forge. It heats the out side of the forge before the center. And I’m building scale in the forge so I’m going to make a smaller burner. Thanks for the reply!
so do you use less propane with the forced air setup?
Mike Zeke I have found them to be able to produce more heat with less gas - because of that blower, you can more efficiently mix the propane and air, and get as rich or lean of a mixture as you want. With an atmospheric, it's a bit more difficult to tune that. These are definitely a great shop forge, where you have power for the blower. Thanks
Iron Wolf Industrial thanks, I'll borrow your design on my next burner then.
Seems to be a lot of weight hanging on the burner with that blower, hope it doesn't fall off with all the gas going into it too.
👍👍
Iron Wolf---Will it reach gas welding temp??? If not it's not worth the time to build. Comment please.
I would recommend a second layer of the ceramic wool, and coating it with some sort of refractory cement. As it is, I can weld tool steels, but for higher temperature welding I would recommend those modifications.
You should be wearing leather gloves when welding. After 41 years as a welder, my hands are still in good shape
wham!
At least wear a glove on one hand cmon man haha