George Rebello's Forge Tutorial

The diagram above shows the essential parts of IG's (Indian George's) welding forge. As
you can see, it consists of a horizontal tube for the forge body with four legs welded on.
Also, tangent to the circle of the tube, there is a 2 inch diameter piece of pipe for the
burner inlet tube with a hole drilled and a nut welded in place to allow a screw to hold the
burner in place when applied to the forge. Also shown is the configuration and parts
needed for the burner assembly itself. Please see the parts list at the end of this tutorial
for a comprehensive list.

Lay-out of the burner parts. As you can see this consists of a 1 1/2" gate valve, two
1 1/2" x 4" long nipples, one 1 1/2" x 6" long nipple, a 1 1/2" 90 degree coupling, a 1
1/2" straight coupling, a 1/4" x 6" long nipple, and a 1/4" cap. The cap has an 1/8"
hole drilled in the center of it for gas injection into the burner tube.

A quintessential part of any forge build includes copious amounts of your favorite
liquid beverage...we're going to have to talk to IG about his choice here. You can see
how IG forms the gas inlet to the burner in the above picture. A half inch oversize
hole is drilled into the 90 degree fitting allowing the 1/4" pipe nipple to poke through.
IG then welds this in place as shown. The pipe cap on the end of the 1/4" nipple
shown above has an 1/8" hole drilled in the center. This hole size may need to be
adjusted depending on the altitude of where you live. On the right hand side of the
picture you'll see the 1 1/2" straight coupling used to couple the blower to the burner
assembly. You'll notice in this picture that the coupling has had one side ground down
smaller than the other to accommodate the blower.

The above picture shows most of the burner assembly in place, you can see how it all
fits together here. What's missing in the picture is the actual gas plumbing which IG
describes as: "The gas line consists of a regulator with gauge, needle valve, ball valve,
CGA fitting into tank, and quick disconnects. I use quick disconnects with o-ring seals
in them. The way I plumb it is in the following manner. Male CGA fitting into tank, ball
valve, regulator, needle valve, hose and quick disconnect. I use a ball valve in case I
must shut off the gas quickly and the quick disconnects so the gas set-up can be
removed and used on another forge." (That's a great idea!)

The picture above shows the forge body, legs, and burner inlet tube. Here's what IG has to
say about it: "This is basically what I like to use for my welding forge. The forge body is at
least 8" diameter pipe 14" to 18" long. The best use I have found for railroad spikes are
for the legs on the forge. I start by welding the legs on the body. Next is to cut a 2" piece
of black pipe 4" long and cut on an angle to match the curvature of the body. Also, drill a
hole to hold a 3/8" bolt for the set screw to hold the burner in place. I just weld a 3/8" nut
to the pipe. The placement of the burner should be 1" to 2" off center and at a 10 O'clock
position. Place the angled end to the forge body and trace around it and cut it out with a
torch."

Front view of the forge with the Inswool in place. Also, IG uses firebricks on the floor to
aid in preservation of the refractory blanket when using flux. Here's what he has to say
about the lining: "The forge body is lined with 1" thick Inswool coated with ITC-100. For
the floor I put in the 1/2" thick firebricks (which are cut to size to accomodate the length
of the forge). I also fill in the gap between the brick and wool with kitty litter then coat it
with Satanite. I have yet to eat through a brick with the flux."

The forge in operation with the blower attached and the gas line coming into the
burner tube. You'll notice that IG uses Soft Insulating Firebricks for the front and rear
doors. This provides a nice adjustable way to reconfigure your door size to
accomodate differing sizes of work pieces!

Parts List:

Black Pipe (all 1 1/2" diameter NPT):
Nipples: 6" & 4"
90 degree elbow coupling
Straight coupling
Gate valve (if using needs 2 nipples)
1/4" npt nipple 6"
1/4" npt cap with a 1/8" hole drilled in the center
Ball valve for gas shutoff
Male fitting for propane tank
8' of hose

NULINE REGULATOR with gauge (MSC part # 08557852) - www.mscdirect.com
NEEDLE VALVE FEMALE 1/4 NPT (MSC part # 00075390)
or
NEEDLE VALVE FEMALE (MSC part # 00076042)

Blower Part # 16-1032
Vendor: Surplus Center - www.surpluscenter.com

Indian George is a bladesmith who does some really nice knife work as well as making
Damascus, you should check out his website at the following url:
http://indiangeorgesknives.com/