from Matt Looker
Ok,
here's a piece of advise for newbies building their first forge. I just
finished typing this out for someone, so it's a good opportunity to
share it.
A lot of people advise new people to use a hair dryer for a forge blower. It seems to make sense up front because everyone seems to have an old one laying around and the round end fits nicely into the end of a piece of pipe. However, I never advise people to use a hair dryer or a shop vac. They're popular because they're cheap, but they both suffer from the same problem- noise. I can't stand being in the bathroom while my wife blow dries her hair because of the noise. I find blacksmithing relaxing, the high pitched whine of either of those blowers would be counterproductive. Not to mention that they are both noisy enough to necessitate hearing protection.
If you're looking for an inexpensive, off-the-shelf blower, one of the best and easiest to find options is a bathroom exhaust fan. The kind that mounts in the ceiling to vent steam and odors. They can be had most anywhere, they're already set up with a 3 or 4 inch exhaust port, and I've seen them for as little as $15 brand new (saw that particular one at Menards). They are also designed to run quietly. Some are noisier of course, but they are rated by the amount of noise they produce. Actually they are rated by airflow vs noise, but even the ones with the least airflow are more than enough for an average size forge. Another bonus: they are square, so even a guy with limited wood or metalworking experience can build a box for them pretty easily. To control to airflow, you can simply make a swinging plate to damper the inlet side, which is easier on the motor than putting a damper in the tube. Dampening the tube creates back pressure which forces the motor to work harder, ultimately shortening the life of the motor.
Another consideration: these blowers are made to last through years, even decades of daily use. Even more importantly, they are designed for easy disassembly so the working parts can be cleaned as needed. That's something that you rarely find with any of the other makeshift options. Hope this helps some of you who are trying to get started on a budget.
A lot of people advise new people to use a hair dryer for a forge blower. It seems to make sense up front because everyone seems to have an old one laying around and the round end fits nicely into the end of a piece of pipe. However, I never advise people to use a hair dryer or a shop vac. They're popular because they're cheap, but they both suffer from the same problem- noise. I can't stand being in the bathroom while my wife blow dries her hair because of the noise. I find blacksmithing relaxing, the high pitched whine of either of those blowers would be counterproductive. Not to mention that they are both noisy enough to necessitate hearing protection.
If you're looking for an inexpensive, off-the-shelf blower, one of the best and easiest to find options is a bathroom exhaust fan. The kind that mounts in the ceiling to vent steam and odors. They can be had most anywhere, they're already set up with a 3 or 4 inch exhaust port, and I've seen them for as little as $15 brand new (saw that particular one at Menards). They are also designed to run quietly. Some are noisier of course, but they are rated by the amount of noise they produce. Actually they are rated by airflow vs noise, but even the ones with the least airflow are more than enough for an average size forge. Another bonus: they are square, so even a guy with limited wood or metalworking experience can build a box for them pretty easily. To control to airflow, you can simply make a swinging plate to damper the inlet side, which is easier on the motor than putting a damper in the tube. Dampening the tube creates back pressure which forces the motor to work harder, ultimately shortening the life of the motor.
Another consideration: these blowers are made to last through years, even decades of daily use. Even more importantly, they are designed for easy disassembly so the working parts can be cleaned as needed. That's something that you rarely find with any of the other makeshift options. Hope this helps some of you who are trying to get started on a budget.
No comments:
Post a Comment