[TheForge] Ceramic chip forge

[Dave Brown]

At 18:53 09/12/04, you wrote:

>That's a good idea Dave.

Frosty ... Duh!!     Of course it is.  Consider the source.  <grin>

>One of the tricks of getting an oil fired forge to work is getting it to
>burn cleanly. I've heard of a number of methods like pre-combustion
>chambers, various atomizers, pre-heaters, etc.
>
>I think a bed of ceramic chips would work as well or better and would be
>easier to tune.

Getting it to burn clean is no problem.  I can get waste oil (motor or 
vegetable) to burn clean right from the start at about 120,000btu input.  I 
want to get more blue in the flame, less yellow flame.  I'm at about 50/50 
right now.

Currently the burner operates horizontal, but not vertical (i.e. straight 
up).  But it's doable.  I think that a vertical flame and the ceramic chips 
may be just what the doctor ordered.  I just wish I have more time and a 
clearer thinking brain.

I'm bringing a sample of my burner to the Guild of Metalsmiths Fall 
Conference the end of this month.  It'll be in the form of a space heater 
for cold shops.  It really puts out the heat with just a box fan to blow 
air across the steel body.  Next for the shop heater design is a better 
heat exchanger.

Dave Brown
Heritage Smithing
Green Bay, WI