Thread: DIY Gas powered Forge

nice work there. this is something i would love to have ago at. there is an old blacksmiths workshop near my grandparents i have not been in there for ages but i know there is massive bellows in there

All the farriers I know have portable forges on the back of their utes/trailers for hot working horse shoes.

Whether they are hot enough for what you want ?

I think they should be as the farrier that lived around the corner was messing around with knives, etc too as a bit of a hobby. John only moved a few months ago, but we discussed a few times about using old saw chain to make Damascus type blades too.

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

If you are making sword or knife blades in the traditional way from wrought iron by repeated firing, hammering, laminating and or plaiting, then a coke or charcoal forge is essential. The carbon from the burning fuel is hammered in as the laminations/plaits are hammer welded together repeatedly and the wrought iron is turned into steel.

That is true, to get more carbon in is to use cow or horse hoove trimmings while firing (old blacksmithing trick). This trick can be used with mild steels as well
An up wind burner is the most simplist burner to make, or if you want more control a Reil type burner. Both are easy to make.
As mentioned before a BBQ fregulator does not work, need a regulator like the ones used for Oxy sets (remeber a LPG bottle is left hand threads)
If going gas and using bottles get the biggest bottle you can, the small 5kg bottles will freeze up (keping them in a bucket of H2O helps)
Using Waste oil will give alot more heat than gas but messier and could be a free fuel source.

Originally Posted by rick130

All the farriers I know have portable forges on the back of their utes/trailers for hot working horse shoes.

Whether they are hot enough for what you want ?

I think they should be as the farrier that lived around the corner was messing around with knives, etc too as a bit of a hobby. John only moved a few months ago, but we discussed a few times about using old saw chain to make Damascus type blades too.

Lindsay has tried to make a knife out of saw chain but couldnt get it quite hot enough.He has managed to fuse normal link chain.
Andrew

He now says the truck drums are too big and need too much heat.He has started making another LPG jet out of 38mm tube,something he got off the net.
He does have a smaller LPG forge he made a whislt ago,couldnt get the heat into it due the the bbq reg.

I would still like to see pics of any of your forges,as I said in my original post,its something that has always interested me,just never had the time to chase it up.

He has most of the bits saved up for some sort of jet motor he was designing.It includes 2 turbo chargers feeding one another as the turbine He hasnt talked about that project for some time,must remind him

Andrew

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

He now says the truck drums are too big and need too much heat.He has started making another LPG jet out of 38mm tube,something he got off the net.
He does have a smaller LPG forge he made a whislt ago,couldnt get the heat into it due the the bbq reg.

I would still like to see pics of any of your forges,as I said in my original post,its something that has always interested me,just never had the time to chase it up.

He has most of the bits saved up for some sort of jet motor he was designing.It includes 2 turbo chargers feeding one another as the turbine He hasnt talked about that project for some time,must remind him

Andrew

Sounds like an upwind burner, go to burner engineering on this site AlloyAvenue network this will get him heat and also how to make some refratory (insulation) to keep the heat in. If the brake drums are not insulated you will lose to much heat into the drums themselves.

Just make sure he fits flashback arrestors...

Unlikely, but it can result in explosion...

Please be safe.

Andy, i'll get my mate to send me some pics of his forge, reckons it gets real hot. He likes making his knives out of things like files, coil springs etc...
I'll get a pic of some of his work as well.
He made a nice little knife the other day, someone offered him $400 for it. Makes me appreciate the one he made for me so much more now knowing what it could be worth.