This page shows my propane forge, instructions on how I built it, the materials needed to build it, my grinder, and more.
PROPANE FORGE:
Temperature is set for heat treatng in the picture and the forge can get hot enough to weld in!
Forge Parts:
1 - 20lb propane tank
1 - 4C443 100CFM blower (about $50.00)
1- Old gas BBQ grill (not table top model)
1 - Rheostat
1- 8" dia. by 19" long 1/2" thick steel pipe
1- Gas regulator, hose, and connector (from BBQ grill)
1- Black pipe (gas pipe) 2" dia. elbow
1- Black pipe end cap (gas pipe)
2- 12" long X 2" dia. threaded on both ends black pipe (gas)
1- Plumbing floor plate 2" dia. threaded hole in it
3- Very small C clamps
12- 1 1/2" thick fire brick (I could not get the bigger ones at time, I also left room for the brick to sit on the bottom of the BBQ grill).
Koawool (enough to cover the inside of the chamber)
Satanite (enough to coat the inside of the chamber)
I used plumbers tape, stove bolts, and strips of wood to secure and tighten down the blower assembly to the grill stand
Total cost was about $100.00, I already had the gas grill and 20lb propane tank
The blower cost the most.
Assembling the forge
Warning, I make no guarantee to the safety or efficiency of this gas forge and am no authority on gas forges. If you make this one you do so at your own risk. Don't email me or call me for consultation on building or maintenance of gas forges! Thank you
The BBQ grill I used is an old Turco grill which has a table in the front. I cut away 3 sides of the grill leaving the side next to the table intact. I cut a 2 inch square piece out of the top of the side left intact about 1/4 of the length from the right side. This is so the black pipe can go into the chamber and also so the pipe can be braced. At this point I drilled a hole into the elbow on the outside at the upper part of the bend and used a tap to cut threads into the hole. The threads cut are for the fittings on the gas regulator. I then drilled about 25 holes into flat part of the end cap (you will need to experiment with the size for optimum performance so start small). Next, I started the blower assembly (this was assembled on my floor). I used the 3 small 'C' clamps to secure the plumbing floor plate to the flange of the blower. Then I screwed the 12" long X 2" dia. black pipe into the threads of the plumbing floor plate. Next, the elbow screws into the 12" long X 2" dia. black pipe and should end up vertical. The other 12" long X 2" dia. black pipe screws into the other end of the elbow with the end cap screwing onto the black pipe. Now the blower assembly is finished. Make sure the blower is above the chamber, like I have in my picture. This is for safety reasons.
For the chamber, I measured the Koawool (it is a good idea to use a respirator when you do this) so it was long enough to overlap itself by about 3 inches. Then I mixed up some Satanite and coated both sides of the Koawool. While the Satanite was still wet I inserted it into the chamber. I made sure that the part of the Koawool that overlapped was on the far side and bottom of the chamber. Then I coated the Koawool again with Satanite and let it dry. Once it was dry I cut a hole in it for the end cap to come into the chamber.
Now I inserted the end cap of the blower assembly into the chamber so it was just at the edge of the Koawool. I used about 3 1/2 inches of wood to hold up the blower assembly on the table. The blower assembly set in the 2" square hole and protruded out from the table about 1 1/2 inches. Once the blower assembly was lined up, I used the plumbers tape and stove bolts to secure the blower assembly into place. I drilled holes into the table and bolted one end of the plumbers tape to the table. Then I looped the plumbers tape over the blower assembly and bolted the other end to the table. Next, I inserted a stove bolt through 2 holes in the plumbers tape and tightened it down. I repeated this to secure the front of the blower assembly to the front edge of the table and also did this to secure the chamber to the cast iron portion grill.
The last part is to make sure the fire brick sits level on the bottom of the grill. For this I used small bolts. I drilled about 9 holes in the bottom of the grill and put the head of the bolt through the hole on the under side of the grill and tightened the nut down leaving the bolt protruding up. Then I set the fire bricks on top of the bolts and snugged the bricks up to the end of the chamber. I did not seal the bricks to the chamber so I can remove the brick if I wan to forge longer pieces.
The last step is to screw the gas regulator assembly into the elbow. Once that is done get some soapy water and turn the gas on applying the soapy water to gas connections to make sure there are no bubbles. If there are no bubbles then it is sealed and will not leak. If there are bubbles then fix the leaks before you use the forge.
Top view of the forge showing pipe going into the chamber
