I used to hate on gas forges until I tried one with a blown burner setup

2 comments

2 Comments

I switched to a blown burner setup about three years ago and it changed everything. My old venturi forge would struggle to get past welding heat on cold days. Now I hit 2300 degrees in under 10 minutes with a simple propane setup I built from a plumbing parts store. The control is way better too, I can dial it down for normal work or open it up for forge welding. Makes a real difference when you are trying to do pattern welding or work with thick stock.

nathan_foster6010d ago

That bit about "struggle to get past welding heat on cold days" hit home. I spent a whole winter once with a venturi forge that just would not cooperate when the temps dropped below freezing. Ended up running it so lean trying to get heat that I burned through three firebrick linings in two months. My shop floor looked like a demolition site. Switched to a blown burner and never looked back, though I will say my first attempt involved a repurposed hair dryer that melted halfway through a billet weld. Had to stand there with a shop vac blowing into the burner tube like some kind of cave man while my buddy ran to the hardware store for a real blower. Now I just keep an eye on the propane tank pressure when its cold out.