Fired Up the Homebuilt Gas Forge!

20cows · Post by **20cows** » Sat May 03, 2008 9:36 pm

The burner is working better after adding the ceramic fiber insulation.

It gets pretty hot in there!

Let the learning begin!

Tycer · Post by **Tycer** » Sat May 03, 2008 9:44 pm

Too kyewl!

Andrew · Post by **Andrew** » Sat May 03, 2008 9:52 pm

Tycer wrote:Too kewl!

+1 Good luck!

I have been looking at building a small forge of some kind. Probably out of a small oil barrel or something of that size. It would be for small stuff like knives and small bits and peices.

rjohns94 · Post by **rjohns94** » Sat May 03, 2008 9:54 pm

i will be interested to hear what you learn. well done. very kewl

BenT · Post by **BenT** » Sat May 03, 2008 9:56 pm

Whats your first project? Besides making forging tools.

20cows · Post by **20cows** » Sat May 03, 2008 10:08 pm

The first thing I put in it was an old bolt I cut off a stock trailer axle with a cutting torch, just so I didn't accidentally ruin a good piece of steel. JUst for fun I beat on it with a pretty good sized ball peen hammer and flattened out the nut and end of the bolt.

I had heard that a gas forge wouldn't get hot enough to weld, but it looks like it did to me. I do have a lot to learn, though.

BTW, the insulation worked well enough that I could touch the outside of the forge. I did spit on it first to check for "sizzle".

I have a few horse shoing files my farrier gave me to play with. I might come up with some sort of knife before I ruin all of them. Maybe.

Jaguarundi · Post by **Jaguarundi** » Sun May 04, 2008 12:17 am

Neat setup and keep us posted on your projects.

JReed · Post by **JReed** » Sun May 04, 2008 12:26 am

Very cool. I look forward to seeing what you make with it.

Ram Hammer · Post by **Ram Hammer** » Sun May 04, 2008 7:34 am

Wow! Great project. Keep us posted on the learning process. You are about a year ahead of me in this endeavor.

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Sun May 04, 2008 7:50 am

JReed wrote:Very cool. I look forward to seeing what you make with it.

+1!

Be safe - I can see many new and very interesting posts in your future!!!

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Sun May 04, 2008 8:12 am

Tycer wrote:Too kewl!

Actually, it looks really, really HOT in there!

kimwcook · Post by **kimwcook** » Sun May 04, 2008 9:26 am

I guarantee you can get steel hot enough to forge in a good working gas forge.

So what ya gonna do with that forge? Gonna forge some knives? Tomahawks? Keep us informed.

I haven't had a chance to fire up my forge for a couple of years now. Moved and don't have a shop. Gotta do something about that.

mescalero1 · Post by **mescalero1** » Sun May 04, 2008 9:33 am

20 cows,
Google up www.lindsaybks.com
Pretty interesting books, lots of blacksmithing stuff

20cows · Post by **20cows** » Sun May 04, 2008 10:24 pm

Thanks for the link!

handirifle · Post by **handirifle** » Sun May 04, 2008 10:34 pm

Could you melt copper in that?

20cows · Post by **20cows** » Sun May 04, 2008 10:45 pm

I don't know the melting point of copper off the top of my head, but I'm thinking I can probably melt brass and bronze, which have lower melting points than copper alone.

Jaguarundi · Post by **Jaguarundi** » Sun May 04, 2008 10:53 pm

Copper melting point is 1981 degrees F.

Post by **Hobie** » Mon May 05, 2008 7:00 am

Keep posting on this project, it is very interesting.

I'm cleaning out Mom's garage with an eye towards making a shop out there just as Dad envisioned. Got a way to go...

20cows · Post by **20cows** » Mon May 05, 2008 7:09 am

I need to find an illustrated color/temperature chart. I'm not very good at knowing what color I'm seeing by most if the descriptions used, ie. "straw" and such.

Tycer · Post by **Tycer** » Mon May 05, 2008 8:12 am

When Nancy and I visited the Blacksmith's shop at The Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, VA, we talked with the blacksmith about color. He said it takes low light and practice. He said all blacksmith shops are almost windowless to keep the light dim so they can see the colors. I thought that was cool. He said nothing is "cool" about smithing.

t.r. · Post by **t.r.** » Mon May 05, 2008 8:20 am

Good looking little forge!

Just a word of caution: melting lead produces hazardous fumes.

TR

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon May 05, 2008 8:33 am

Very nice forge. Keep us posted on what you make, with lots of pictures.

Johnny

Ben_Rumson · Post by **Ben_Rumson** » Mon May 05, 2008 7:39 pm

Dim light is fine for determining dull cherry from cherry red or orange and such..but you need stronger light to watch the color run up on a piece of steel..especially straw..that's the first color that you see when heating metal.. have fun..

Ron Macy · Post by **Ron Macy** » Mon May 05, 2008 7:39 pm

When I lived in Waggoner, OK I found an old hand crank forge at a sale. Bought fireclay to reline the fire bed and someone stole the darned thing during the week. Never found another one.

brucew44guns · Post by **brucew44guns** » Mon May 05, 2008 7:55 pm

I might have missed an earlier post on this project 20 cows, can you share what sort of bucks you have in this unit? And was there a "do-it-yourself" plan you followed or did you build it from your previous knowledge? I've got a 40X60 building with cement floor, just waiting for me to make it my second home out there. I'd like to have something like you put together here.

piller · Post by **piller** » Mon May 05, 2008 8:53 pm

I don't know if you know this, but by using a little Borax on the steel, you can weld two pieces of steel together at a lower temperature than melting occurs at. My Grandfather was a Blacksmith, and my Uncles all worked in his shop as did my Dad. They all learned some and I have asked them about some of the stuff. What I have been told is that you have to develop a feel for the heat, listen to the sound, and watch the color. By the way, don't ever use metal which has been galvanized. The shiny cadmium galvanized steel used in refrigerator and freezer racks is poisonous when heated until the cadmium is all flamed into gas and vented away.

20cows · Post by **20cows** » Mon May 05, 2008 9:05 pm

I got the parts mostly from a scrap metal yard (around 15 to 20 cents a pound, so less than $25). I made the burner out of parts from the local hardware store for maybe $10. The regulator was around $30. The money went for the insulation- ceramic fiber wool with a protective coating. With shipping that was around $60.

I acquired the materials over time, so it was no big deal.

I got the plans from this webite- http://www.iforgeiron.com/blueprints-10 ... forge.html

I am surprised how well the burner works as I didn't have the tools to reduce the diameter of a protion of the pipe like the author did. I just heated it with my torch and beat a ring on it with a ball peen hammer.