Paint can gas forge

[Stormcrow]

A student in one of my blacksmithing classes wanted to make himself a small gas forge similar to the coffee can forges I made and use. He doesn't drink coffee (neither do I), so he bought a new paint can to serve as the forge shell. This is the nicest of these little forges that I've made (I was a bit rushed on the first two), so I thought it would be a good opportunity to take some pics and show how simple a forge can be. These forges use burner kits and wool insulation from Larry Zoeller: http://www.zoellerforge.com

The stand for the forge is made from angle iron. You need two pieces as long as your forge shell, two pieces as wide, and the pieces for the burner holder arm. By turning the angle irons the length of the shell so their points are up, it holds the curved forge shell in place fairly well if you put them close enough. I didn't this time accidentally, but we tucked the bail under the paint can and it stabilized the shell nicely.



The forge shell needs to have both ends opened and an opening for the burner to shoot flames through. More experienced folks may have other thoughts about it, but I make the holes relatively large to keep the burner flare from heating too much. My first rendition ended up burning up the flare over time.



The longer angle iron of the burner holder arm, if welded into the corner the correct way, should hold the shorter arm just right to put the burner over the burner opening. The first couple I did, being rush jobs, are ugly, and one of them has the angle iron forcibly twisted to work. By slowing down and playing with the arrangement, I found a much neater and better solution.

The forge insulation is measured out and cut with a sheetrock knife. I soaked it in some cone 10 porcelain slip down in a bucket, coating it as well as I could. After fitting it into the shell, seam at the bottom, and poking the hole in it for the flame, I slathered more slip on any freshly exposed wool. The slip provides a smidge more insulation, but more importantly keeps fibers from becoming airborn and getting into your lungs. It's not as durable as some other options, but you just re-apply a layer as needed.



The shell is held in place with a couple of pieces of baling wire and the burner is held on with a hose clamp. It's good to let the porcelain dry for a few days before firing if you can. These forges are what I use most of the time. They can heat up to car axle and jackhammer bit sized chunks of steel, and are quick to heat up and cool down. I can heat treat up to about a nine inch long blade in these, and have forged up to a thirty inch long piece with one.

Here's a better shot of the arrangement of angle iron pieces on the burner holder: