Forge design, what do you like?

[Imakethings]

Alright, I've made a couple of custom forges for some artist/blacksmith friends of mine. I've made them to spec for them, but I want to make more of them. So I'm soliciting feedback from everyone I know regarding the design.

So what would you want in a 1 and 2 burner forge?

[Hurley]

Ummm.............the cheap kind that will last 20+ years......hey you asked......lol

[Eli Jensen]

^^^^^^^

[Imakethings]

I'm thinking of doing one similar to this:


http://www.forgemaster.com/shop.php?category=9

I recently had a chance to see one in action and I'm impressed enough that I want to copy some of the design aspects of it. I'm still thinking that it needs to have a curved top.

[Dave Armour]

My issue with forges like that are they always seem to have hot spots because of the square inside and burners blowing straight on the steel. I would rather have a round interior chamber and the burners coming in from the side so that flame "swirls" around the chamber. I made a vertical "Fogg style" forge and love it. Building a horizontal forge off of Ed Caffery's plans as I'm starting to get into forge welding.

That being said a lot of guys have that style forge and love it. It's not a hard and fast rule as is personal preference. Either way good luck with it.

Dave

[Fulmaduro]

I agree with Dave above, something round that allows for swirl of the flame, like I have on my homemade "portable air tank" forge. No hot spots and it gets to welding heat with just a single burner.

As an aside, I am in love with "Bubble Alumina" and highly recommend it. I used Satanite over Kaowool in my forge, with the bottom lined with a 1/2" thick layer of the Bubble Alumina. All that white washed with thin coats of ITC-100. That stuff is like armor. Looks like cottage cheese. After 2 uses of my forge the Satanite coating the Kaowool around my openings cracked and crumbled off. I just layered some Bubble Alumina around my door openings and the stuff is bomb-proof and has made my forge like Fort Knox. It can be had from http://www.hightemptools.com/supplies-mainpage.html

Tony Z
Kansas City, MO

[Imakethings]

I like the side opening, I'm working on a cad drawing of what I'm trying to do. It's problematic and a fun challenge trying to minimize the materials and still retain the functionality and ease of construction.

I do like the interior swirl as well, I'm still debating the best way to do it for a single burner forge with just 6 soft bricks or less. I'm still monkeying around with it in CAD. If I do a hexagon I'm looking at a about a 3 inch ID, not enough considering the material that would be used.

[Imakethings]

This is where I'm currently going with my forge design. This one is all of 9 inches long, I think it will work, now I just need to build one.

[Imakethings]

What, no feedback or ideas?

[racjarrett88]

why bricks over wool?

[racjarrett88]

I'll take the prototype and test it for you, No charge

[Imakethings]

No wool, just bricks. I like working with brick more than wool. Harder (for me) to screw up. It's more a personal preference than anything else.

If you're going to test it for me I'll need standardized btu curves, thermal efficiency, reflectivity, and a comparison against a forge of similar design running on the same burner and regulator.

[racjarrett88]

Oops i forgot to add the LOL after my post

LOL

[Crex]

Interesting idea, but would think you'd loose heat/efficiency very quickly when you open the side up for retreival/access while the forge is operating. Plus with a "swirl" action torch placement, you're going to get a face of flame when opened. That's probably why most side doors have "straight in" torches. At least that's how I see it happening. Let us know how it works out.

(and yes, probably have a back-pressure problem with that small of a chamber even with one torch)

Hot spots are the biggest issue with any of the NC Whisperjet designs. Plus they are very much the fuel hog and almost impossible to regulate temps.....wide open at any pressure. I can vary and set the heat level in my home builts to a pretty high degree so that I don't burn up my steel. This greatly reduces scaling as well.
I have a Daddy NCWJ (3 burner) that I never use for those reasons. Be great for someone doing ornamental work, but not well suited for bladesmiths.

[racjarrett88]

How bout some pics of your forge Carl. The homemade ones that is.