Finally got my forge's heat spread right after a ton of bad advice

For the longest time, I kept hearing 'just pack more insulation' to fix hot spots, but my back corner was always 200 degrees cooler than the front. I was burning through coal and ruining pieces. Last week, I finally ignored that and just angled my air pipe down a bit more, aiming it at the back wall instead of straight across. It sounds so simple, but now the whole firepot glows evenly. I tested it with six identical railroad spike roses, and they all came out the same color from tip to base. It's crazy how one small tweak after months of frustration can make such a difference. Has anyone else found that the common fix for a problem in your shop was totally wrong for your setup?

2 comments

2 Comments

jasonl8413d ago

What angle did you end up settling on for your air pipe? I had a similar fight with my old rivet forge, and moving the tuyere to point just below the back edge of the firepot was the trick. It pushes the hot heart of the fire back where you need it.

aaron_kim4613d ago

Man, that sounds exactly like the trouble I was having. @jasonl84, pointing it just below the back edge is a great fix. I ended up with mine angled down about 15 degrees, aiming at the center back of the firepot. It made a huge difference in getting a good, deep heat.