[TheForge] Re: reducing fuel costs by improving forge efficiency.

[Ralph Sproul]

Kevin,  One thought on sealing the lid that I've noticed when I have a brick
missing in a certain location while running one burner........I get more
scale(as the forge tends to suck air if the part being heated is set in a
certain position.  If it were a design that sealed, you wouldn't be trying
to plug it - or deal with scale build up for a particular shape (over the
occasional air from a missing brick on the side on occassion).

I think shooting for ends on a dome or barrel would lend itself to better
support and fastening to the lid........unless this stuff tends to break
away during temperature changes?

I know I have to keep my Kaowool M board "loose" fitting by at least an 1/8"
around the burners and almost a 1/4" on the sides for the expansion and
contraction during heating and cooling......and when running one burner or
two.  When your running one burner all the time the front will radiate a
glowing red while the back where the burner is not lit......will still look
almost white (which is it's color when cold).  I'm sure there is some
serious changes going on between that white and glowing red panel and I've
found my first snuggly fit insulation board to last only a couple
days........so with that cost, I learned fast.

Ralph

----- Original Message -----
From: "K Donahoe" <flyinpig at go-concepts.com>
To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, August 01, 2004 6:54 PM
Subject: RE: [TheForge] Re: reducing fuel costs by improving forge
efficiency.


> Jerry,
>
> I can imagine how hard it is to not overthink and overcomplicate things up
> there where the sun hardly sets (or is it rises?)... but go take a nap and
> come back to this :)
>
> The MOST versatile forge design I've ever seen was at Darryl Nelson's in
> Washington.  It was a floor of firebrick on a steel table with an igloo of
> firbrick in any shape/size/dimension you desired.  The burner was a ~1.5"
> pipe stuck in the side of the igloo, the fuel orifice was .25" flexible
> copper tubing stuck in a hole in the pipe a couple feet back, the copper
> tubing came off a low pressure regulator.  It of course, required a
blower,
> which was a yard sale hair dryer with a burned out element.  I regretfully
> missed him at this years ABANA conference, so I don't know if he's
upgraded.
> I'm sure some of the NW locals could clarify.
>
> BTW, my mistake on saying domed, when I meant barrel section.  But if the
> radius was gentle enough what would it matter if the bottom of lid had
full
> seal across the top of the brick?  The lateral top corner of the brick
would
> touch the lid and seal fairly effectively.
>
> Kevin Donahoe
> Flying Pig Forge
> Morrow, OH 45152
> flyinpig at go-concepts.com
>