Charcoal and Gas Forging

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I'm a soon to be blacksmith who literally JUST came on /diy/ to see if there was anybody else here.

It depends entirely on what you're forging and how often you do it. I just got my burner yesterday and I'm waiting on a shipment of refractory cement to come in before I can start.

Have you tried checking with your nearest blacksmith association for advice?

Pic related, a mediocre gas forge set up for a community workshop.

>>1052304
Kwiky burner on youtube. Probably a little higher than just a propane nozel, but the benefit is u can use used motor/vegitable oil, propane, gas, deosle, anything.

I use it in my foundry and it works great

>>1052350
I forge mainly small bladed tools and the like, usually once or twice a week time permitting. I have tried to contact my local blacksmith association a few times, but they seem a bit reclusive and unhelpful unless you join - which I don't really want to do.

That's a pretty interesting little setup you have going there! What kind of temperatures can you achieve with it?

>>1052354
I've never even heard of one of these before, but it looks pretty sweet. I'll do a bit of research on it for sure.

>>1052350
that's such a teensy anvil! It's adorable!

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I bought the cheapest of the Devilforge Propane forges, and it works well enough for basic forging. It does eat propane like nobody's business so I only get maybe 4-5 hours of forging out of a 20lb propane tank, which is a bummer. I'd really like to get something higher quality that I can forge weld with, but I'm not really at that skill level yet so I'm in no rush.

>>1052546
Whew... well this is the answer I was looking for - but that's a pretty pricey 5 hour session at 18 bucks for a propane refill in my area.

On a side note; I'm surprised that you can't forge weld with that setup. Does the forge not get hot enough?

>>1052550

I think I could get it hot enough if I closed it off partially with a couple of fire bricks, but I haven't tried yet since I have mostly been working on making tongs so I can make smaller stuff.

>>1052568
Doors make an enormous difference in temperature, and would probably make it noticeably more efficient too.
If you don't absolutely need the wide open mouth definitely stack some fire bricks in front of it.

glassworkers can run a glory hole about that size for 4 to 5 hours on similar size tank and I think they need hotter temps. So maybe you are under insulated or I don't know if you guys can add oxygen or adjust your burner. But off hand if my assumption that you dont need those temps is correct I think you should get longer out of a tank.

>>1052350
idk if I can really use that title as I've literally NEVER worked with hot metal before, but I'm looking for a productive hobby (that doubles as a skill) and decided to check this shit out

I was hoping to go for a rougher style though revolving around using bricks lined with clay and sticking to charcoal for fuel (possibly cheating on my "rough it" setup with the use of a hole in the side for airflow aided with an air compressor)

I'm planning to start with aluminum as it should be easier than other metals and then progressing to brass (old shell casings) and then to copper and finally steel.

>>1052568
With forges about that size if you can get a good 5cm/2" of lining they tend to hold the heat a lot better and in conjunction with some brick or mortar backing/door you might find that you can dial down the gas for the same temps inside. Fire bricks are pretty cheap for what they are, sometimes high-temp mortar can cost a bit though.

>>1052550
Do you have a Costco?

They refill tanks for $5

>>1052895
Unfortunately my nearest Costco is over an hour away, so the price of travel would become a factor.

>>1052898
Oh, sorry then

>>1052546
I've been seriously considering getting a Devil forge single burner wide and an old world anvils 4x4 stake anvil as a starter set. Figure I can get a #4 blacksmith hammer at lowes and get started.

Is there any downside to this?

>>1053139

The company is based out of Lithuania so the propane regulator/gage doesn't match up with US or British propane tanks. There's a video where they show you how to adapt the regulator/gage using off the shelf parts and a drill but it's complete rubbish.

I bought one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000VXEW4G/ref=gwm_tlc_pi?pf_rd_p=8a89d6cc-6768-4927-9476-0d5144805ddd&pf_rd_s=grid-6&pf_rd_t=Gateway&pf_rd_i=mobile&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=X47Z2PJ9JDQZDAH9YP3H

Along with a male hose barb connector like one of these, though I can't remember the exact size because I took the hose and the regulator to Lowes, I think, to find the right piece.

http://www.marshallshardware.com/products/productList.aspx?uid=1546-1748-1621-1622

Honestly if I could do it over again I'd save up a little more money and buy something made in the USA or even make my own, though that's its own pain in the ass.

>>1053139
>>1053839

Almost forgot. You are going to want a roll of yellow gas tape, and always check listen/check for leaks before you light up the forge. I haven't had an accident yet and that's the reason.