[TheForge] propane forge burner book

[Doug Ayen]

Quoth Andy Vida (osan@netlabs.net):
> 
> 
> schade@acegroup.cc wrote:
> > 
> > Maybe steel doesn't stay as hot for as long here in Minnesota
> > as it does in warmer climes but it sure doesn't seem to me that
> > there would be much point in turning down the forge between heats.
> > What does the savings in gas amount to?
> 
> 	The answer to that probably is determined by measuring
> 	how much heat the forge loses during hammering, which
> 	has to be restored, versus how many BTU it burns running 
> 	full tilt during hammering.
> 
> 	I would think that this question has been seriously visited
> 	at least once in the past 100 years by folks such as Johnson.
> 	If there was a significant saving, I'd say chances are they 
> 	would have employed such features in their forges.  But maybe
> 	not.  Not all things have been discovered, I suspect.

It also matters what kind of work you're doing. When I'm working
knife blades, it's not worth shutting down for the 30 seconds of 
working time I get on a thin piece of steel. When I'm drawing out
a 2" x 2" piece of iron, it's worth the time, as I'm going to be
at the power hammer for a few minutes. 

--doug