- Thread starter paulmitchell1984
- Start date
Wildefalcon
Member
- Messages
- 2,556
- Location
- Gloucestershire, England
Mapp torch? Rothenburger?
gaz1
Member
- Messages
- 20,263
- Location
- westyorkshire
its fine for being under the car and using on bolts
it can be used with firebricks behind and heating a piece of metal up
but its better to use the propane side of it with bricks for longer uses
Google Ceramic chip Forge. Many schools had them and they turn up on eBay regularly.
Here is a picture of mine yesterday heating up a massive bit of my JCB 3CX that I wanted to straighten. Remarkably fast, and gets hot enough to do hammer welding, which I have done but years ago. I run mine on domestic 240 volt single phase and a 47 kg propane bottle.
It has the forge basin itself that gas & air is forced though to heat as in the pictures, but it also has a powerful propane and forced air hand held torch - the force air is from an inbuilt compressor.
Here is a picture of mine yesterday heating up a massive bit of my JCB 3CX that I wanted to straighten. Remarkably fast, and gets hot enough to do hammer welding, which I have done but years ago. I run mine on domestic 240 volt single phase and a 47 kg propane bottle.
It has the forge basin itself that gas & air is forced though to heat as in the pictures, but it also has a powerful propane and forced air hand held torch - the force air is from an inbuilt compressor.
James1979
Member
- Messages
- 8,418
- Location
- Orkney
That’s interesting. Did you build that?
KemppiFrog
Member
- Messages
- 4,299
- Location
- Aquitaine
Interested here too..
I have a DIY coal forge, works for the odd hot bending for old forged gate repairs, but that chip jobby looks a lot easier.
I have a DIY coal forge, works for the odd hot bending for old forged gate repairs, but that chip jobby looks a lot easier.
hotponyshoes
Member
- Messages
- 7,565
- Location
- Somerset. Uk
I had a ceramic chip forge for a while,
You could get small chips or bigger ones, The bigger ones didn't give a very even heat distribution. Ok for just heating lumps up as you could move the lump around but no good for smaller stuff/blades etc.
The bigger chips last longer than the small ones though. The small ones tend to stick to the workpiece and shatter when you knock them off.
If you want decent lifespan from the chips you have to clean it out fairly regularly which of found was a lot more work than a coke forge.
I think the main problem is due to it being propane mixed with air means you get a lot of scale and pulling the metal out of the chips sends a lot of the scale into the forge which then burns up on the chips and kills them.
It also burnt through about 1.5kg propane an hour. My gas forge uses less than half of that for a hotter heat.
Mine wouldn't get hot enough to fire weld which was the only reason I got it so it got rehomed pretty rapidly..
You could get small chips or bigger ones, The bigger ones didn't give a very even heat distribution. Ok for just heating lumps up as you could move the lump around but no good for smaller stuff/blades etc.
The bigger chips last longer than the small ones though. The small ones tend to stick to the workpiece and shatter when you knock them off.
If you want decent lifespan from the chips you have to clean it out fairly regularly which of found was a lot more work than a coke forge.
I think the main problem is due to it being propane mixed with air means you get a lot of scale and pulling the metal out of the chips sends a lot of the scale into the forge which then burns up on the chips and kills them.
It also burnt through about 1.5kg propane an hour. My gas forge uses less than half of that for a hotter heat.
Mine wouldn't get hot enough to fire weld which was the only reason I got it so it got rehomed pretty rapidly..
James1979
Member
- Messages
- 8,418
- Location
- Orkney
I suppose what it boils down to is how often and what sort of volume are you doing?
Gas bottles is handy as you can just light them, make something hot to cut or bend it, then turn it off.
Forges are cheaper to run and better in some ways but from lighting to making it safe is a good hour or so minimum.
Horses for courses but thats what if base my decision on
Gas bottles is handy as you can just light them, make something hot to cut or bend it, then turn it off.
Forges are cheaper to run and better in some ways but from lighting to making it safe is a good hour or so minimum.
Horses for courses but thats what if base my decision on
KemppiFrog
Member
- Messages
- 4,299
- Location
- Aquitaine
To get our BBG starter going, I just put the heat gun into a hole in the lower bit, after the newspaper had died down. Gets them glowing pretty quick!
paulmitchell1984
Member
- Messages
- 841
- Location
- Leeds
I do have TIG yes, it won't be something that gets used a great deal, and I would really only need to be bending to 90 occasionally more but mainly for brackets etc not really for forging as such.
James1979
Member
- Messages
- 8,418
- Location
- Orkney
In that case I’d double check with the insurance wether they’ll let you use oxy propane.
It’s versatile stuff, as you know.
We had one in my last school, the ceramic chips lasted a long time, I used it fairly regularly & used to change out damaged or contaminated chips as they became worn out. Schools like them because they are clean & not dusty like coke. Downside was not nearly so controlable as coke and tends to retain heat for a long time. They make seriously good toast! Ones we had were made by Flamefast who seem to have cornered the market for school forge & brazing equipment, they are fitted with a host of safety cut off valves etc for school H&S which may give problems & be expensive to fix.
I had a DS 320 brazing hearth which had a very large fixed burner, idea was you could stack the white firebricks & build a furnace of shape & size you needed.
It ran on propane quite well. I tried selling it last year & no takers so scrapped it in the end.
A big nozzled propane torch & stack of firebricks takes up less room & is more versatile. Also good if you get a big queen wasp buzzing about looking for somewhere to build a nest.
Last edited:
gaz1
Member
- Messages
- 20,263
- Location
- westyorkshire
if your only doing thin brackets the rothernberg will do you the blow lamp comes with a cost though
if your doing the size of rebar you want something better to heat and bend with a j tube rocket stove will do what you want but you will have to use firbrick with it otherwise it will destroy the metal box as it glows red white hot if you dont as stainless steel box section also does the same
if its only for casual bending its free and no cost extra and no fan needed
for a lot of rebar bending id suggest a forge is the better aproach
paulmitchell1984
Member
- Messages
- 841
- Location
- Leeds
I do have a rothenberberg torch that's runs off the yellow map gas (not sure if there's different ones etc) use it mainly at work for warming bolts up but never thought to try how hot it qould get steel to bend.
James1979
Member
- Messages
- 8,418
- Location
- Orkney
It will get hot enough to bend 12mm rebar easy.
Keep the heat localised with hardie backer board or similar.
I carry one in the work truck for stubborn nuts and things. Saves carrying bottles about all the time.
