[TheForge] propane forge proportions

[Jay Hayes]

Jacques,

If you need a larger interior size then you will need a larger shell diameter to
accommodate the additional insulation. Most of the time I use my 12 inch OD x 24
L forge that has three inches of ceramic fiber. It has about a six inch inside
diameter and handles most of what I need to do. I also have a 14 OD x 24 L for
larger work. I like the 24 inch length because I can heat longer pieces or stage
a number of smaller pieces. If I don't need to use the whole length of the forge
I move the back wall up to the middle of the forge and only heat the front. This
also saves fuel and speeds things up. The less volume you need to heat up the
less gas it takes and the faster the forge comes up to heat.

I'm not a big fan of blown burners for a small forge. I prefer atmospheric
burners for this application. They are easy to build and best of all do not
require electricity. You may want to try one of the newer burner designs that
don't need a blower. Waiting ten or fifteen minutes to bring a 5/16 rod up to
heat is way to long.

I will send you some additional information on my forges off list.

Jay Hayes





jacques gallant wrote:

> Jay Hayes recommended two or three layers of Kaowool insulation for
> efficient fuel consumption... sounds like a good idea Jay.  Now as I said, I
> used a 12 inch pipe 18 inches long for the body of the forge, with one 1
> inch thick layer of kaowool and a bit of fireclay.  Now if I add a second
> layer of insulation, that will bring the inside dimensions of the forge back
> to what was originally called for in the plans (8 inches wide by 18 inches
> long).
> -is this smaller size going to give me more heat?
> -is 18 inches too long for an 8 inch wide oven with only one burner?
> -and why would i want an 18 inch long heat for general forgeing anyway?
>
> i'm sorry for all the questions, but i don't really know what size fotge i
> want
>
> Jacques Gallant
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
> theforge mail list group photo site is
> http://www.photoaccess.com
> Login:  blacksmithblacksmith@hotmail.com
> password:  anvil
> ___________