Applications

(Note: Find links at the bottom of the page.)

Please see the Chamber Volumes vs. Burners page for further notes.

Special Note about Chokes

I have made one change in what I offer. I have now done enough testing of the burner and choke combinations that is has become clear that the "slider" design of choke is superior, due to the symmetrical and balanced intake air flow it affords, as compared to the swirling and off-side air flow the "revolving" choke causes. I am therefore no longer offering the revolving choke as a regularly stocked option. I can still make one for you, if you want this kind of choke, but you will need to contact me for a price quote for custom work. It will require special set-up and milling, so will not be cheap. All burners now come standard with sliding chokes.

The Question of Elevation

A question that I receive quite often concerns the operation of naturally aspirated Venturi burners at higher elevations, 6000'-7000', or more. There is a page that deals with this question on Ron Reil's web site that does a good job in answering any concerns you may have regarding the heat output of burners at these higher elevations. Please read the short e-mail posted on Ron's site. It should put aside any concerns you may have about using one of my burners. Thanks.

Comparing Blown Burners and Venturi Burners

Ron Reil shares his thoughts on forge design using venturi / naturally aspirated vs blown burners.

The Brick-Pile Brake Drum Forge

Sometimes it isn't necessary to build a traditional forge to accomplish what is needed. Perhaps you have a one time, or occasional, need to take a heat on some iron, and the time and expense of building a conventional design just isn't justified. Amos Zubrow of "Iron Rose Forge & Welding LTD" has provided an excellent example of a quick to build brick-pile style forge, with the addition of a Kaowool lined scrap brake drum at the top for his burner mounting. The advantages of forges of this type are they can be easily modified in shape to allow oversized or odd shaped iron to be heated, and when the work is finished, the forge can be taken apart and the bricks stacked out of the way in a corner when not in use. You do need to consider the heat resistance of the surface you build your forge on, and in this case it appears to be a dedicated brick-pile forge base structure. Forges of this type are not as thermally efficient as a ceramic wool insulated forge, but they will certainly heat well enough to do normal forging operations. If you coat the interior with ITC-100, it may even reach welding temperatures, providing you have the bricks placed closely together.

When you visit Amos' web page, the decorative forged gate you will see there was made using this quick and easy to build brick-pile forge. Note that the forge linked above is heated with only one T-Rex burner, which provides more than enough heat to enable Amos to perform all needed forging operations easily with this forge.

Here is another "brick-pile" forge that Amos has created, but employing two T-Rex burners. Brick pile type forges offer unmatched versatility, allowing the forge to be fit to the work at hand. They can be built using a simple design, such as shown below, or with complex jack or foot treadle (or both) control of  the roof to allow easy placement and removal of oversized items in the forge.

Customer and Other Web Site Links

Example Forge Designs	Will one T-Rex burner reach welding temperature? Forge Welding - Jesus Hernandez Style Another T-Rex Application....Shepherd's Hook Forge it's Not T-Rex Hut -- A well thought out beehive style forge with step by step construction photos Burner photo album - wetlands.simplyaquatics.com
HybridBurner Users Web Sites	Mountain Forge, Truckee California Robert Hensarling, Knifemaker, Uvalde, Texas Wildwood Forge, Sedro-Woolley, Washington Zophia Kneiss Burning Art, New Tazewell, TN Metal Obsession - Laura Parker - Sacramento, CA New England School of Metalwork, Auburn Maine Diem Metalstyling -- a happy HybridBurners.com customer in The Netherlands Check out Fotoalbum/Kunstinnige Producten and Fotoalbum/Smedwerk Olivier Duhamel -- a Sculptor from New Zeland Oliver recommends HybridBurners products in his “Bronze Casting Manual” Cast your own small bronze, learn the lost wax ceramic shell technique. A complete tutorial taking you step by step through an easily achievable casting project for professional sculptors and hobbyists. http://www.bodyscape.net.nz/bronze-casting-tutorial.htm
Links to Information	Metallurgy of Steel for Bladesmiths & Others who Heat Treat and Forge Steel An e-book by Prof. John D. Verhoeven recommended by HybridBurners customer Mike Main -- MSEE and Amatuer Bladesmith and Blacksmith. "Probably the best short, authoritative work on the metallurgy of steel that I have ever found. It will probably answer about 95% of their steel questions and then some." Anvil Steels A collection of information on the steels commonly used in anvils by Mike Main. Sizes of Crucibles http://www.budgetcastingsupply.com/Crucibles.php Thermocouple Controlled Forge The link above will go to the technical documents page on the CBA website where the original paper can be found. Whitney Potter's design for a temperature regulated forge can also be found in his book Digital Temperature Control for the Blacksmith Forge (ISBN: 1449560105). This design could easily be adapted for use with HybridBurners. Two points to consider: (1) Be sure the burner isn't turned into a chimney during the non-firing parts of the cycle -- this can be prevented by mounting the burner with the intake ports lower than the nozzle; and (2) Consider using a pilot light (such as HybridBurners Rocket Torch) that is not run by the controller -- that way the ignition of the main burner is not dependent on the stored heat in the forge -- for that reason it is also a safer scheme. Feel free to contact us with questions.
Links to Suppliers	McMaster-Carr - the ultimate on-line hardware store Bailey Ceramic Supply - for Kaowool and other refractory products Budget Casting Supply - for refractory and foundry products Scarva Pottery Supply - for ITC and other refractory products in Europe
Miscelaneous Links	MPC Sports (Shooting supplies and accessories) Barclay Moore - Spectacular Handmade Furniture Rex Price is a proud member of ABANA, the Artist Blacksmith's Association of North America. Hybridburners.com participates in the ABANA members discount program.

(Click icon to e-mail me)