Forge inside a small shop

[Bob Warner]

For those who have their forge inside a small shop (mine is 20X20) how are you controlling the heat and Carbon monoxide? Are you using vent hoods?

I fired up my forge inside my shop one time. It ran for about three or four minutes and melted the plastic mini blinds on my window. My shop is pretty crowded but I want to be able to forge inside due to the wind I get blowing through my outside porch area.

I will be building a new press soon and want to keep everything inside. So please let me know what you do in your SMALL shops. I have a garage door and can put the forge close to the door with a fan above blowing out but am not sure if that will be enough to keep me from cooking.

The forge will be a two burner propane.

[Geno]

My forge is by the big door with strong fans behind me.
The heat, CO2, and mosquitoes are all blown away while I work.
Sometimes I roll it outside if the weather is nice at night, the press does not move as easily.
The heat needs to go outside somehow.
Geno

[Gary Mulkey]

Bob,

I have a similiar sized shop. Rather than building a hood w/fan above the forge, I installed a 18" exhaust fan in the wall next (opposite wall from doorway) to the forge.
This has worked well for me and eliminated potential roof leaks above the forge.

Gary

[Crex]

I have my forge set up entirely away from my home and shop, 100'+. I use a propane fueled forges and I don't want a bottle of propane in or near my house or shop. My forge area is covered and heavily shaded with the entire area graveled, (much easier on the feet and legs).
I can control anything but the heaviest winds with portable wind blocks. I find it very pleasant to forge during a light to medium rain event. The slight misting is really nice. Little harder to get the anvil up to heat in the winter but it's doable, just reduce a lot more heavy stock when starting up. I get curious four legged and winged visitors all the time. One semi-bobbed tailed squirrel has become a running critic. I can do quick profile grinding on site with a side grinder (do have power), use my portaband and welder. Gets the noise away from the house and away from the phone..........I like it better all round. With multiple anvil set ups, I am able to accomodate up to 4 students at a time. They seem to enjoy being outside as well.

[B.Finnigan]

My shop is only 10 x16 with 8' walls and 12' to the peak. I run a 2 cu ft vertical blown forge. On one end is a 2x3 window. I have a 2'x2' box fan hanging in the door that runs on 'high' any time the forge is going or I am grinding.

My forge also has a 120 cfm muffin fan under the forge door blowing the heat upwards. My anvil is only 4' away and I want as much secondary heat directed away from me as possible.

I doubt too many people with small shops think about the grinding dust. Any time my forge is running during a soak I am often grinding.

A long time ago I noticed small sparks coming out of the forge. Even though the forge is 8' away the blower was sucking up the very fine particulates which turned to sparks when they hit the inside heat of the forge. Each time I put the steel to the grinder instantly sparks would come out the forge.

That is when I realized I had better use a high quality mask and have the fan running while grinding anything.

The knife making forums have pages and pages of people freaking out about zinc fumes. All the while hardly anyone talks about the real threat of silicosis in your lungs from particulates or CO poisoning.

One will kill you in minutes and they other will kill you over several years. I have used galvanized pipe on every one of my forges with no problems at all.

However my wife and I were both in critical condition from CO poisoning thanks to a kerosene heater.

Hopefully much more forum energy will be focused on CO poisoning, particulate inhalation and all the crazy things we do with pipes, canisters and compressed propane. And for many of us all in a very small shops.

[Bob Hartman]

My shop is litle smaller than yours. It's 16" X 20'. I put everything I can on rollers. For the forge I use a metal parts cart with outriggers to give it a wider stance, and it makes it easy to get out doors on calm days. Inside I just roll it out into the middle of the shop and fire it up. I always keep a fan in the doorway pointed in, and up ay the ceiling. Haven't burned the places down. . . yet.

[Bob Warner]

I am not worrying about burning the place down. I am worried about it being so hot I can't work. I had the forge running inside with the garage door open and the walk in door open. The Thermostat read 120 and the needle was pegged so it may have been hotter than that.

I am to old to get that hot, I might loose some of my beauty fat.

[Bob Hartman]

Yeah, It does get a bit toasty. I thought I could smell the neighbors barbequing today until I went out and cooled down.

[B.Finnigan]

My shop over heats when it's only 50 deg outside. So i can only imagine in TX in mid summer.

I have an induction forge in my very near future.

[Mike Turner]

I have a roll up door on my shop with a entry door on opposite wall. In the winter I will open the roll up door appropriately for the weather and heat conditions in the shop plus open the entry door to get cross ventilation. During the Summer I put the forge outside as I have my 50# LG and Press and anvil all close to the roll up, this keeps from adding extra heat in the shop.

[reefera4m]

Bob,

You got me to thinking why I'm not having a similar problem. While my shop's a little bigger (40x40) and has a 9ft ceiling, sometimes when I have the neighbor kids over for lessons I'll fire up both of my propane forges. It warms the shop up nicely in the winter but can get warm in the summer.

I have a loft above the shop with a drop-down staircase to access it (like an attic ladder). I leave this open and the heat rises throught the opening into the loft. The loft has double doors at both ends that I open as needed to keep the loft cool. Plus, my shop doors don't seal so I get a continuous flow of fresh air circulating.

I think if I had your challenge I'd install a skylight that opens. The ones I've seen can be opened a little or a lot. Opening a window or door and you the fresh air circulation you need and heat dissapation as well.

All this is based on the assumption that you're using a propane forge (I can't even imagine using my coal forge in my shop without a complete shroud and chimney.)

[David A]

You need two things: fresh air coming into the shop, and bad air going out of the shop. It's best if the air flow is going past you, then past the forge, and then out of the shop. Fans and blowers always work best if they are pulling the bad air out of the shop directly from the source of the bad air- the forge. I got one of my blower from a furnace technician- I saw him removing it from a house and asked, and he gave it to me. I got the other one for $10 at a garage sale. Those motors run almost forever.

[ironjohn]

my shop is 25'x30', with 12 foot ceilings. my gas forge is large (made from a beer keg) because i also do artistic forging. i can normally expect the shop to be 40 to 60 hotter then out side... this summer i got it up to 140 degree a few times. but in the winter up here in Michigan it sure is nice when i can work in my short sleeves!

for CO;
i put my forge near a window, that i changed into a 12inch flue that runs up 4ft above the roof line. against popular believe, CO is lighter then air and rises. once i light the forge there is enough draft going up the 12in flue to suck a piece of paper up it! i also got a CO detector that tells my the exact level in the room and sounds an alarm at 40ppm

hope that helps
john

[Geno]

Ceiling fans in the attic, one positive fan on one end and one negative on the other. Produces a flow thru that sucks the CO out. This creates a cross breeze that sucks the heat out as well. Three regular windows could produce one fans output. If you have proper ventilation size does not matter. Hope it helps.

Work safe,
Geno

[B.Finnigan]

This keeps my shop the exact same temp no matter how long it runs. No CO2 or refractory dust to worry about. No singed eyebrows and no propane tanks to lug around and fill at $3 a gallon.