[TheForge] going for gas

Sat Feb 8 08:44:01 2003

        Steve and all, Your right.........here's another letter.
     One of the greatest accessories on a gas forge is the idle circuit that
Ron Reil posted years ago.  On his page you can see how to incorporate this
into your  forge.  I find this saves me a lot of fuel every month with
little waiting time for the forge to come up to temp.
        The only time I light my coal forge is when I have some forge
welding that needs done.  Other than that - I use propane all the time.   I
love the ability to work 6-8 pieces at the same time.  Never could get away
with that in a coal fire........or at least I couldn't.
        Some of the other accessories that go along with a gas furnace/forge
is a three foot poker with a short tang to pull your work out to grap it
with a set of tongs.  Also a nice set of pick up tongs (mine are 36" long)
for reacing into the flames and not getting hit with the forge exhaust.  The
third item that's real handy on a gas forge is a set of fire brick tongs if
you have a forge like mine where you can rework the firebox to fit your
work.  These three items are fun projects, and hand tools that when you are
done - will last for years.
        Remember to quench your tongs often when using a gas furnace.  The
heat will creep up to where you grab things with a second hand when turning
to the power hammer or anvil with your stock.
        Also the gloves are something I agree with Steve whole heartedly on.
The nice Carolina gloves are great for gas forges, and if you work with
small parts and need more dexterity the light kevlar gloves for $4 from MSC
are also nice for gas forge work...........as well as TIG Welding.

Ralph


----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Smith" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, February 07, 2003 8:46 PM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] going for gas


> I rarely use my coal forges anymore. Gas is a lot nicer. There, that
> will start a bunch more letters.
>
> Gas is good for even heats over large areas, coal good for heating small
> sections (or large). Insulating gloves (not leather, better is Kevlar)
> are much more appreciated by gas forge users than coal for the same
> reason--everything gets hot.
>
> Gas will be much more cost effective than coal for you, once you factor
> in the costs of seriously irritating your neighbor. One way to economize
> with gas is to make a general purpose sized forge and then make one as
> small as makes sense, with a scaled down burner. You may need to
> experiment a bit to find what works.
>
> Steve Smith
>
> Sheldon Laing wrote:
> > Hi all
> >
> > I have been operating a home forge for a while now ( I live in built up
> > residential area) and I have received a complaint from a neighbour
> > regarding smoke. I use a coal forge. This puts me in quite a
> > predicament. I wish to continue forging but I don't want a visit from
> > the cops or worse, her lawyer.
> > So I have been thing about going for gas. A gas forge that is.
> > Should I go for gas? Will it be cost effective considering that a 40kg
> > (90lb) bag of good coal costs me 40 - 45 rand ( about 5dollars)?it
> > usually lasts for about 10 - 15 long sessions at my forge. The work I do
> > mostly small decorative stuff and some bladesmithing. If I should indeed
> > opt for a gas forge, what should I know, bearing in mind that I have
> > obtained gas forge plans and visited Mr Reil's very informative page.
> >
> > Thanx in advance for the help
> > Sheldon Laing
> > Hephaestus Forge
> > Cape Town
> > South Africa
> > [email protected]
> >
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