[TheForge] firebrick forge

Sat Aug 23 21:09:02 2003

        Harry, Frosty, and John,     I posted picture in forge album of
photosite.  I don't have that many of the last series of forges I built with
the new burners, modular lids, and wider sweeps, and larger heat
shield.............so at least this one shows half to two thirds view of it.
        Tried to upload a description but I don't know if it went thru.

Ralph
----- Original Message -----
From: "H and P Foster" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2003 7:49 AM
Subject: RE: [TheForge] firebrick forge


> Your forge sounds interesting Ralph.  Have you any pictures of it that we
> can see?
>
> Thanks
>
> Harry Foster
> Rusty Dog Forge
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected]
> [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Ralph Sproul
> Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2003 7:36 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] firebrick forge
>
>
>         Bob,   I use a brick floor and brick walls in the forge I
designed.
> They work great.  The top runs up and down with a jack, and is stainless
> formed sections that hold a sheet of Kaowool M board for the ceiling.
This
> allows you to reconfigure the firebox to any shape and height you want.
> I've got it pretty wind proof now, so it can be used outside on my acorn
> tables (which is where you need heavy heat more often). In fact the
burners
> are so nice in a light breeze that I'm thinking of using them plugged into
> the table with bricks to isolate the heat from the table and not be moving
> large objects in and out of the forge.
>       When I get guys like Doug Wilson and David Court buying
them.........I
> figured it was a decent enough unit.  Doug's had his for three years and
> David's run his for two.  People that have seen the forges at their
shops -
> have come to me to have me build one for them.  I've sold nine of them so
> far and made a set of plans up so I don't have to become a propane
appliance
> manufacturer ............which was not my goal in life at all.
>         I first liked the idea of a pile of bricks in Clifton Ralph's
tapes
> where he had a burner log set up to stack bricks for odd shapes in his
shop.
> I'd seen a Johnson Forge with the spring loaded floating top at Pete
> Happny's a few years back, and decided I wanted something that had that
> three sides open, a moveable lid, and I wanted it naturally aspirated(no
> blower - for power failures and not buying the safety valve), and the
flame
> to come from the top.  So I guess it is technically a furnace not a forge
> where the flame doesn't come from the bottom.
>         I'd thought about three sided  and clamshell designs, but what
I've
> come up with  seems to fit the bill for general work, feeding a power
> hammer, long heats, it has an idle to save fuel, and irregular shapes
aren't
> a big deal any more.  I hated finishing up a huge scroll or rail section
in
> a coal forge or with a rosebud.  I find placing two of these side by side
> offers sheet and plate work to become easy, and when you place two of them
> end to end, you can get a 48" heat to wrap something large if you want to.
> Moving heavy items in and out becomes a problem with one guy even though I
> have a ceiling crane.......So, that is why I'm headed in the plug in the
> "new and improved" burner, and pile the bricks direction.........just like
> Clifton used to trigger the idea in the first place.
>         All in all, I'm happy with it, I've sold over 30 sets of the
plans -
> which six people that have actually built them have said they really liked
> the design, versatility, and efficiency of them.
>
>         AND,  YES, this forge takes a while to warm up..........but for
all
> the other good points, I find this to be a very small down side to the
unit.
>
> Ralph
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bob Smolen" <[email protected]>
> To: <[email protected]>
> Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2003 12:40 AM
> Subject: [TheForge] firebrick forge
>
>
> > Several years ago, I made a forge using stacked firebrick. The forge had
a
> > blower and got very hot but took a while to get to temp. Has anyone used
> > firebrick for an atmospheric forge(no blower)?
> > I did not use mortar so I had to keep a flat top and this had coldspots.
> > Anyone used bricks to their satisfaction?
> > Thanks,
> > Bob
> >
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