New forge build!!

So, almost ready!! I just have to pour the castable refractory liner, and will be ready for a test firing!!

Each burner is capable of 500K BTU!! Only went to 7 pounds pressure, so just 3.5 pounds per burner!! It got really hot in the shop, really fast! LOL!
Sorry for the crappy cell phone video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLgMI...ature=youtu.be

http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/u...ps75237c52.jpg
http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/u...ps93ef0ab7.jpg
http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/u...ps759826ce.jpg

Very nice build !

I have a distinct feeling I'm gonna have to make a trip to Lloyd this summer...lol. Looks pretty cool Pierre.

Awesome industrial strength looking setup there
Can't wait to see what you make with it

Great work :)

Out of curiosity, what does it cost to put something like this together?

All components of the build are salvaged scrap except the burners. The main body is a piece of 12" dia heavy wall pipe (1/2" wall) The end caps are 5/8" thick and come from a pipe line job I surveyed, it is the component that is welded to the end of a pipe that gets pulled through a bore hole on a river crossing (they pre drill/bore a hole under a river, attach a cable to the bit on the other side, pull the bit out, attach the cable to the pipe, and pull it through, the cap keeps dirt out of the pipe.) A friend helped with the welding. My hunting buddy is a gas fitter, so I had solid assistance there. Each burner comes from a fire tube that keeps a 750 barrel tank (15'6" dia x 30' tall) of heavy crude oil (Picture a cross between tar and molasses) in a liquid state in our -40C winters. Door slide and hardware are scrap, 3/8" thickness angle iron and 1/2" plate.

So cost... A hunting knife and a kitchen knife! lol!! If you had to pay for components, and welding, valves, regulator etc., I don't think you could do it under $650-$700. Depends on what you can source. bul look here... Zoeller Forge Home Page Gas Forge parts, Atmospheric Burners, and Blacksmithing You can do very well for a fraction of this build!

Thank you for the pictures, it looks like a delux build, very nice.

Charlie

Thanks Pierre,

I'd love something like that, but personally would be hard to justify the cost. If I could do it for 500 Id give it a go, just for fun and a hobby, but because I wouldn't get any financial return it would be a bit too much. Also, its not just the cost of the furnace, but the anvil etc. Unless I could rent out use to other interested parties, but I don't know where Id find people. I have heaps of space under my house, but isn't legal height so my lawyer wouldn't let me do that (my old man is a lawyer and Id never hear the end of it if I rented the use to 3rd parties in a space that wasn't legal height)

Awesome product, Im quite jealous :) Well, someday... maybe I have to move to Nigeria and start selling razors and supplies to all these honest and trustworthy fine folk here :) Plus Im pretty sure I work for a bank and have a $12 million estate which I can't find the beneficiaries for... but they said their grandchild was a member here, and for the low price of $5k I could arrange for the funds to be transferred to them :) That would raise some cash lol.

Andrew

Nice and heavy build, should last a lifetime. I have a question on your burners. Are the copper components flashback protectors or where the O2 mixes with the gasses. I ask this because I thought you would need to mix the air & gas before you get it to the forge container as your forge looks mostly airtight.

You might heat and bend the handle for the door back over the forge body as I have a feeling it will get HOT if you are running the forge with the door open.

Again, really, really nice build. Wish I could have done that!

I will try to get a couple better pictures of the brass Venturi. There are three holes, 120* apart! at 60*. They aim directly at the end of the orface which is in the end of the mixer. The black pipe is the mixing chamber, and there is a flare on the end, which has the main flame out the centre, plus a starburst diffuser to hopefully reduce hot spots. The burners are tangential to the proposed castable liner.

What are you planning to use for a liner, or did I miss that?

First sentence, post #1

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Originally Posted by shooter74743

First sentence, post #1

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I will be using a castable refractory, high silica content, rated at 3200*F.

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Originally Posted by PierreR

I will be using a castable refractory, high silica content, rated at 3200*F.

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Gotcha. How does that compare to the ceramic wool people have used in other forge builds here?

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Originally Posted by shooter74743

Nice and heavy build, should last a lifetime. ...

You might heat and bend the handle for the door back over the forge body as I have a feeling it will get HOT if you are running the forge with the door open.

Again, really, really nice build. ...

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I agree. It's good to see a member of Over Engineers R Us at work. I might suggest turning the the forge 90 degrees clockwise. Venturi burners are more efficient at or below a ninety degree angle of entry to the forge. Turn the burners to 3-4-5 o'clock or where the door is pointing to 3 o'clock or so. It gets the burners running at optimum and takes care of all that iron door and handle getting so hot that you won't want to use them.

I also suspect that for the BTU's involved you will eventually only be running one of those burners for the size of forge you have.

It's a stout build for sure. Congratulations.

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Originally Posted by DarthLord

Gotcha. How does that compare to the ceramic wool people have used in other forge builds here?

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Castible is less fragile but it heats slower and then retains heat longer. It's a much better alternative when any future welding of patterned materials is contemplated.

The ceramic blanket liners with refractory coating are probably higher rated as far as thermal insulating values are concerned, but a castable is more durable, and withstands higher heat better. If forging simple steels, I may have chosen durablanket, or kaowool. I went with a castable, mainly for its ability to resist flux. When using borax for a fluxing agent when making damasus, the liquid/molten flux eats through the blankets like nobody's business! So you end up replacing the blanket liners more frequently. Also cost. A 50 lb sack of refractory cement can be had for less than a dollar a pound.

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Originally Posted by Mike Blue

Castible is less fragile but it heats slower and then retains heat longer. It's a much better alternative when any future welding of patterned materials is contemplated.

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Haha! You type faster than me!

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Originally Posted by PierreR

...A 50 lb sack of refractory cement can be had for less than a dollar a pound.

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My castible forge is still running with minimal repairs vs. superficial relining over twenty years.

Here is a closeup of the venturi. You can see the "industrial strength" orifice inside. Haha!
http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/u...ps917bb464.jpg

PierreR,

That's one sweet looking forge build!

Just curious, how will you line the interior with the cement? Are you going to build some type of form and then pour it in, or mix the cement thicker and paste it inside with a brush? If you are building a form, I'd love to see a pic of it.

Also, are there usually local suppliers or hardware stores that carry refractable cement, or do you normally have to order it?

Steel, welding, fire, I am trembling!!!!!
You the man! Hope you don,t mind if I copy you?
Looks Awesome!
Thanks for pictures.
You a fitter?
8" or 10" pipe?

Ray

For the casting, I will use a mold, and pour in place. Likely a greased up length of ABS pipe for the body. For the caps, either a rubber ball, or stainless bowls to get the arc to match the curve of the caps.

Copy away!! The pipe is 12", so it is much more substantial in person than the pics convey. Nope, not a fitter, I'm a surveyor, between myself and my friend who is a journeyman welder, we designed on the run. Funny though how we had very similar ideas!!

Awesome. Thanks for letting me copy it.
You guys did an awesome job.

Ray

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Originally Posted by jc50

PierreR,

That's one sweet looking forge build!

Just curious, how will you line the interior with the cement? Are you going to build some type of form and then pour it in, or mix the cement thicker and paste it inside with a brush? If you are building a form, I'd love to see a pic of it.

Also, are there usually local suppliers or hardware stores that carry refractable cement, or do you normally have to order it?

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I missed the second part of the post. If you check at local fireplace/furnace suppliers, they can bring it in for you. These guys will ship mail order... High Temperature Tools & Refractory

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Originally Posted by walleyeman

Awesome. Thanks for letting me copy it.
You guys did an awesome job.

Ray

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No problem Ray, If you do build it, be sure to post pictures. Or PM me, if I can be of any assistance I will do my best to help you out.

Will do!!
Thanks!!

Ray