do any of you guys have electric ignition buttons on your blown forges like the standard ones on venturi burners? that lit paper towel trick scares me everytime.i am assuming it would best work inside the gas and air mixing tube if the air pressure isnt to strong to start
whats your experience or oppionion thanks bb

I know Devin Thomas doesn't use an electric ignition, but that's about all I know.

I know the paper towel trick makes me jump everytime too. heehee

:flame: I have a forced air forge, and I use a propane torch to light it. Just turn on the air, put the lit torch into the door and slowly turn on the gas. Works fine for me and usually there isn't any big "WOOF" when I light it. (That part scares me too.)

I always wear gloves when I light mine, After losing all the hair on my arm up to my elbow I had to employ a flame barrier. The propane torch works but it means putting my hand right at the opening to the forge. Very soon I will hook up a piezo ignighter to the forge that I snagged off of an old gas BBQ.

I to still jump sometimes when that baby kawoooooofs up on me. Gun shy, I believe is the term for it.

Hey Larrin, does your Dad still have and use that huge 500 pound Little Giant?

Hey Larrin, does your Dad still have and use that huge 500 pound Little Giant?
Yes he does. He also has a couple bigger hammers outside that we don't have room for.

Thanks. I'd like to see that 500 pounder in operation one of these days.

Thanks. I'd like to see that 500 pounder in operation one of these days.
I forgot to mention that the 500 pounder is also outside. :lie: The main one in use right now is a 300 lb. pneumatic. It hits harder and faster than the 500 lb., and the 500 lb. would semi-frequently fall apart (or worse). My dad still wishes he could use the old Little Giant, he used the thing for years, so he was used to it (understatement). The good side is that there is even less distortion with his steel now, because the pneumatic hits straight down.

Larrin do you think he's going to consider letting the 500 LG go? I'm sure it's out of my price range but I could always make him some furniture or maybe trade something!

There are a lot of blacksmiths that use spark plugs. The spark ignitor like BBQ grills also work. You put the sparker in the tube just above the top of the forge so that it does not get hot due to the force of the incoming air keeping the heat in the forge. If you are the kind of person that wants to use the forge to anneal by getting your steel hot and leaving it in the forge, the heat will rise up and burn it up.

The "Woooof" is still possible with the spark ignitor if you wait a second to hit the button or if it does not light right away.

I light mine with burning paper, just light it and throw it in. I turn on the gas (only) and then light it, after it is burning, turn on the blower. A lot of time if you turn on the air it will blow out the paper.

I was fun watching the guy on DIRTY JOBS light the forge at a farriers shop. About burned his eyebrows off since he was looking into the end when he lit it. Scared the tar out of him.

hey bob
whats needed to make the spark plug work? i did a search on but didnt come up with an
explanation thanks bb

You would connect the single lead from the piezo igniter to the top/tip of the spark plug. Your forge will normally have a neg. charge so the high voltage positive charge from the igniter will jump the gap. Finding the right placement for the spark plug will be the challenge, since all of our forges are designed differently. Another option is to buy a cheapo stun gun and just touch one of the test prongs to the spark plug tip to light it.

I saw that "Dirty Jobs" show also, I knew that was comming after he hit the igniter 3-4 times while the gas was flowing. I laughed only because I did that myself. The last time it happened I had to go in early to get my hair cut, the burnt/cinged bangs look is not popular right now.:flame:

thanks B.Finnigan i just didnt understand what sent the charge to the plug--i bet the plugs would be more durable than the pezio starter end i missed that dirty jobs episode
i bet that was funny. bb

Those little ceramic cylinders with wire tips that most BBQ's use for spark plugs don't seem to last very long. A chainsaw or weed whacker plug should work good. Most of them use metric thread sizes. The last one I did was 14mm.

Larrin do you think he's going to consider letting the 500 LG go? I'm sure it's out of my price range but I could always make him some furniture or maybe trade something!
I doubt it, my dad is very sentimental about his lawn ornaments; not to mention he has dreams of having it back in the shop and going again.

I can understand that!!! I almost never have any equipment for sale, except for a Blu air hammer, it's on the market.

I put a piezo sparker on a blown forge I built this last fall. It took a while for me to figure out exactly how to get it to light the forge because the fuel/air mix has to be just perfect. Ron Claiborne was here at the time and it made him very nervous watching me start that forge. Bottom line for me: after messing with it for a while I decided piezo sparkers aren't a good match for blown forges.

However, I have heard a rumor that Larry Harley has a workable mwthod of electrically starting a forge. I'm not sure if the forge in question is blown or not but I think his method would be the most likely to work for a blown forge. He uses one of those electric starters like they have on RV hot water hearters. When you flip the switch, it starts sparking and doesn't stop until the gas ignites .....

If you will go to Harbor Freight and look thru there items for propane, you will see that they carry an adapter to put on the small handheld tank. They advertise it to use to burn the grass off your sidewalks with. When you light it, you can stick it in the forge and you won't have any hands in the doorway when it ignites. I think they are around $12. It works. :flame:

I think the whooof is the best part of lighting the forge! If you really want to have some fun....
When you're done forging and turn off the forge, wait until it is just a dull glow inside the forge and give a short burst of fuel. It'll "pop" quite loudly in half a second or so.:D

I have owned and built nearly every itteration of forge in the last thirty years. Some worked better than others . The last dozen models are built using the Don Fogg system. Simple is a good thing. It is just a large pipe with a burner hole and two ports for the material to arrive in the heat. One of my well meaning friends made me a bueatiful forge with every thing you need including a spark lighter. Turn on the lighter hit the gas and VOLA you have a fire. That is wonderful in that order. Should you get out of order ie. turn on the gasssss wait a minute wondering why it did not light then remembering to hit the spark button. You getting the picture. My forge has a two foot inside dia. It holds lots of gas.
My forge is closed with a piece of thin plate with a fourty pound block of iron holding the kao wool down on the top of it.That block of iron hit the roof then the floor right between me and Wally. It rained hot kao wool. for somtime. I relined the forge then sent Wally home for a bath. Can you say fuel air bomb. I always put a lit piece of paper or a torch in the door befor turning on the gas. Wally just runs out side now untill it is burning

But I really LIKE that whooof! It startles the cats, and that's always a good thing...