I am working towards setting up my little shop to start forging again and I need to get a gas forge up and running. When I was first smithing a few years ago I used a charcoal forge, it worked quite well but really it was unsuitable for my shop situation and is a major reason I put the craft on hold until now. I am wondering if I should buy or build, and go atmospheric or blown. I am not setup with welding equipment, so any build would either require me to farm out the welding, thereby adding cost, or go with a build that doesn't require welding. I have been eyeballing various cast forge bodies...they look quite doable without welding equipment, but I am wondering about the durability of these types of units. Also, though I have no IMMEDIATE plans to do damascus, I'll certainly want to try my hand at learning in the near future and from all I have read it seems that a blown forge is the most reliable way to acheive a trouble free welding heat. My question WRT to blown vs. atmospheric is the efficiency when throttled back to a lower general forging heat. Can blown forges be constructed/set up to be fuel efficient when not being used for welding heats?
I also need to keep the footprint small and portable. My shop area is small and space is at a premium. Any input you can offer will be much appreciated.
Lin Rhea posted this image a while back. It looks like it would fit the bill to a "T". Are these forges still available, and how would I contact the maker?
Rick,
I've built a number of cast forges with Mizzou Plus castable refractory. Several of them, I only wrapped the forge body with ceramic wool, held on with baling wire. The castable refractory WILL crack. However, if you don't move the forge around a lot, they will stay together. If you plan to move the forge, you would be best to encase it in a steel support.
Thanks Steve. Do you line the interior of your cast forges as well?
Rick,
The interior of my forges are not lined. The interior is just the Mizzou Plus refractory body.
There is a good thread on propane forges here. This was the topic of the month for August 2013. I posted a good bit of information on how I build my forges in this thread.
not to hi-jack your thread Rick but I thought I'd add a question or 2 on mine as well.....I just recently picked up this gas forge from a german fella who had made it himself, very solid, well built , a little big so my question is before I refrac it should I build up another layer of wool to decrease the inside diam or just refrac and try as is (APPROX 8-9''INSIDE WOOL DIAM) ......just a single burner but really heats up fast with the door on....there is also a small opening out the back for longer than 18'' pieces......I've picked up a digital thermometer and pyrometer but havent tested for heat yet.......the one picture was just at fireup as a test run so you can see where the flame is hitting, doesnt take long to get the swirling action.......the next picture is just a few minutes later , any input is welcome , thanks
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