[TheForge] hot portable atmospheric forges may need propylene

[Keporter at aol.com]

In a message dated 6/2/2005 6:35:05 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
davesmucker at hotmail.com writes:

Recuperation is a much more practical direction to up grade the  temperature 
/ reduce the total required energy to run the forge.  As  of now I know of 
one design for a gas forge to do this.  Basically we  use the waste heat 
being exhausted to preheat the air entering the  forge.  Some older coal 
forge designs did this with an air "cooled"  fire pot -- using the blast air 
that was heated.  The open hearth  furnace for making steel using coal as the 
base fuel would not have be  possible without the regenerative heating 
system.  This is an area  that smiths could do a lot of experimental work I 
would think.

Dave  Smucker


Absolutely true, for a stationary forge. Much trickier for a portable  forge, 
but possible. For any shop or studio, very worthwhile; for the hobbyist,  
probably not.
Mike P.