Tuesday, April 12, 2016

New Forge

Here's the new forge I just built out of an old propane tank.  After ensuring it was truly empty, I removed the valve (NOT easy) and filled it with water to displace any remaining fumes.  I then cut the opening in the top, and cut off the bottom:


I used a hole saw to cut a hole in the top, for the access tube of the burner (made from a piece of black iron pipe nipple).  I also attached toggle hasps to the sides and back (formerly the bottom of the propane tank); This allows me to remove the back for long stock, or to replace the liner:


I then lined the forge with a 2" layer of ceramic wool, which was then painted with 2 coats of Plistix, an IR-reflective refractory coating:


Here's the finished product, with some soft firebricks as the floor and porch:


It works well!  I re-used the burner from my smaller forge, and the new forge appears to be more efficient; it seems to heat up faster, and requires less gas to maintain heat:


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