THE NEW HUGE MASSIVE FORGE!!!

[@AlecSteele]

Hope you're all staying safe and healthy. We've got some great content lined up for you and we're trying our hardest to keep you inspired and entertained. We hope it's just boredom you're fighting and not illness and suffering. We're thinking deeply about those affected by Covid19 and are grateful for all the healthcare workers around the world putting their lives on the line. If your shop is at home or it's just you, I hope you're able to make some great things. If you're allowed to be responsibly outside, as we are fortunate to be here in Montana, I hope you enjoy some nature too. If you or loved ones are struggling with health, we have you in our thoughts. This video began filming about two weeks ago so it's a little out of date in terms of the precautions and protocol we now have at the workshop in regards to avoiding the spread of the virus. What do you think about a live show at some point this week or next to lighten the mood and have a blast from the past of the Barker Street Forge days? Alec

[@acoop101]

How about an update on sword you were working on that has seemed to have disappeared.

[@alexschmidig4332]

Could you do a vid on how to cover the blanket or what to use to do it please

[@spencermachen]

You should try using compressed O2 tanks.

[@jaredsmidt6346]

Alec, those fittings are MegaPress fitting from Viega: to the Press Tool looks to be a Ridgid.

[@Burden82]

thats a pretty wide 90 degree angle

[@m15t3r_n8]

ALEC, ITS YOUR FLOWPATH BEFORE THE BURNER!!! you are swedging it down too much before your mixture point. I spent 9 years in the oilfield as a well tester, knowing how to deal with flow and fire were essential to my survival, it's easy enough to test up before wasting a whole bunch of money. Use your largest diameter pipe (equal to the output of the blower) and dont swedge it down until the burner housing or at the very least, After your mixture point. Your airflow system isnt pressurized so any restriction in that line is going to have huge impacts on your volume and flow Dynamics. Keep them to a minimum and you should be able to move enough air with what you got already.

[@AlecSteele]

Awesome advice!!! Thank you so much!!!

[@davidthewelderman2072]

I’d like to see some softer elbows to keep the air moving instead of hitting a dead end before turning to reduce the eddies in the piping. Larger piping will help reduce this as well.

[@ReinQuest]

I’m curious, if the pipe is that size at the burner. Doesn’t that still have the same restriction? Or is there something about fluid mechanics that makes this work? I just want to learn the science to it.

[@siggyincr7447]

This was exactly what I was thinking. Honestly, with your metal working skills I would try to make a custom feed line that has wide smooth curves and maintains the same cross-sectional area from the blower to the burner, maybe even opening up the back plate of the burner to make it more wedge shaped. Smooth the flow as much as possible and so you minimize restrictions and when it hits the burner you get max pressure forcing it out the holes.

[@afobear]

@@ReinQuest in fluid flow there is drag along the inner surface of the piping. Making a tight 90° turn adds a bunch of turbulence and back preasure. Increasing the pipe diameter increases the internal volume in comparison to the increase of the internal surface area.

[@tommybecker9028]

Increase your feed pipe diameter. Wil increase the volume you're moving at a time . And also reduce the back pressure created at the reduction point .

[@jakeparker1220]

I agree 100%. Yall may need to make a new ribbon burner with a larger intake port as well. Think of air like a water bottle. If the bottle neck is bigger, more volume can come out. I.E. a 3 liter bottle can only pour as much as a one liter bottle if the openings are the same size.

[@MrGhostLt]

The Ribbon Burner will be the bottle neck. 1 Get a screw compressor then you can press more air. or 2 make larger pipes and get a frequency converter for the fan or 3 get a industrial burner . Im for a 8-71 blower, your now living in the usa so bigger is better.

[@luizbag]

You could also turn the blower outlet to be vertical and remove that elbow joint.

[@epiphonesg007]

The feed pipe diameter isn't the problem, a axial fan like that doesn't produce much pressure. He needs a fan/pump with a higher pressure rating.

[@luizbag]

Maybe Alec could use that air compressor, that would create much more pressure in the intake.

[@jamesgrinlinton6522]

"you could forge anvils in this thing." Sounds like a challenge to me.

[@Alexshockwave84]

Damascus anvil..that would be absolutely mind blowing

[@JensHanenburgsexy]

@@Alexshockwave84 I think he already did that one time

[@ThePilotPenguin1]

*eyes narrow* hmmmm

[@jeromewelch6294]

Sounds like a new Steele vs. stelte(sorry I have no memory of how to spell it)

[@sobsote7973]

Alec: spend thousands of dollars on equipment for any and all projects, even if you only use it once. Also Alec: just Tuck tape together a plastic bucket.

[@lsucowboy]

Two things: -Oxygen concentration doesn't actually drop with altitude. It's still 20.9%. The issue is the air is less dense. Those charts show you a relative percentage, which isn't very useful really. -Your problem isn't the blower with the larger blower. Its the restriction at the burner. The piping is big enough and and there aren't too many bends. Youre running up against the max static head of the blower because you've got too much restriction at the burner tips or the most restrictive section of pipe. Open them up. Getting a higher static pressure blower won't help either because that will reduce your max gas flow rate due to increased back pressure. You should use the manometer to test the alterations you make to the burner tip.

[@bradkeener07]

This is the comment I came to find. I’m glad someone else knows that the concentration doesn’t change, just the density.

[@EVLS10]

Granted it won't be as effective or efficient just upping the blower power vs actually fixing the design but he would gain from a blower with more cfm at a higher pressure. It's not like a brick wall where you just stop. Diminishing returns sure but I'd be more hesitant to mess with the piping if that's indeed how it came stock.

[@Pancreaticdefect]

The part with the drill bits cracked me up. Every single person who has ever worked with bits/sockets knows exactly how instantly soul-crushing that feeling is.

[@OgeiDennepeL]

Pancreaticdefect i once flipped over a case full of bits,screws and rivets thinking it was closed... the next half hour was EXTREMELY enjoyable,me swearing while trying to pick up every tiny little screw and my colleagues laughing their asses off

[@fredom3823]

You need bigger air supply pipes, yours are restrictive.

[@AnttiBrax]

This.

[@marcellogenovese199]

@@AnttiBrax Doesn't matter they have to feed into the burner, he needs pressure from a compressor.

[@iamaduckquack]

@@AnttiBrax That.

[@randyisham7873]

Correct. He can put any size blower, but where the gas and air combined it looks like only 1” to 1 1/2”. If he going bigger size pipe. Now you move more gas and air.

[@lokilyesmyth]

Yes, he needs to make the air pipes larger to allow the flow. Maybe add another opening to the backside of the burner.

[@Bryce_2004]

When Alec is stuck in quarantine "im gonna buy this" ends up with whole new workshop

[@Nick-rk6hh]

we have all done boredom shopping.

[@Tinhead426]

I know i did

[@martinpanev6651]

@@Tinhead426 I mean I guess he now actually ended up with another workshop

[@hvzeen5832]

I've never forged, but I enjoy his content.... 😂

[@stevenb3190]

I felt that comment in my bones 😂😂

[@runes5407]

Same

[@Albatross0913]

I absolutely recommend you give it a try if you can afford it

[@spactus]

@@Albatross0913 how expensive is it to start with like beginner gear?

[@gustellio2269]

Alec: We need to turn this 90° Me: Okay, okay, im following along. Alec: Proceeds to turn it 180° Me: I believe I have been tricked, backstabbed and quite possibly bamboozled.

[@LurkngJay]

Those are just the new 180° circles Alec is prototyping!

[@theoriginalbuggins]

It's a metric 90°, you see.

[@klab3929]

He did turned it 90 degrees, just two times.

[@Legion849]

You definitely got bamboozled

[@joseppedaia3673]

I was like "please turn it so 'it faces the other way' and not just 90°"

[@nathanjaffrey]

Alec: final builds some forge doors. Also Alec: look at my new massive forge!

[@nickfenix3892]

Nathan Jaffrey next 10 part series building new forge doors for the massive forge

[@benwest481]

It will take another 2 years for new doors

[@SuicideNeil]

The old forge fell apart inside, half the insulation crumbled away a few episodes back unless I'm imagining things again. Hence, newer, bigger forge...

[@brucehirsch5437]

@@SuicideNeil The newer bigger forge came as a package deal with the screw press I do believe. He wasn't necessarily looking for a new forge. Just happened to fall into this one.

[@benvlootski]

@@nickfenix3892 another door series on the go work in progress

[@ixxolos]

You know what's nice to see after watching this brilliant young man and his journey, It's the lack of mess you see on horizontal surfaces of doom as time goes on. Kudos to you and the team Alec Fantastic as always.

[@kodydubarry4827]

Agree with this. You guys did a video about it once if u remember, but I would love to see a video about your practices in the workshop, how you guys run things. Maybe a behind the scenes or something!

[@willthedingo]

One thing I love about you, Alec? Your genuine care for safety, and for us, your metalworking fans, and that short little PSA about the fibreglass wool insulation being carcinogenic. And then there's Dude McBackyardFabricator that practices and teaches horrendous angle grinder techniques, sloppy welding safety, arc flashing their staff, and terrible workshop cleaning techniques, under the guise of "it's never been a problem.... yet". You care. And it's exactly what this generation needs to learn, to keep us all safe.

[@Gren4te]

“Yeah mine runs on 75 pounds of boost due to my 220V twin electric turbski setup. “ Starts to sound like a new cleetus mcfarland project.

[@MaxitronandMatty]

Do you think it will fit in my Honda?

[@remiel3315]

though that is a good idea, a compressor system may get the results he wants

[@raphrath8561]

i was just thinking, make a gas turbine from an old car turbo and connect the shaft to a huge diesel turbo compressor. only like 100Hp of compressed air

[@axelleaxl.5315]

Excellent !! :=D

[@OnlyOnMondays77]

Hell yea brother

[@moxbroker]

When you get the new forge up and running I want to see the biggest baddest axe you guys can forge.

[@ValentineMichaelSmit]

I second this suggestion!

[@swoyambhattarai1011]

like escanor (7 deadly sins)

[@SolemnnSolace]

Or kratos's axe

[@AdmiralStoicRum]

The Kind it takes 2 people to lift, may have to make it in chunks

[@revtoyota]

The Manifold the gas and blower are hooked to is to small and restricting your airflow. Moving up to a larger diameter manifold will in turn increase your heat production.

[@coltonmccormack8978]

Agreed. You're fighting against static pressure here. That blower has a duct that size for a reason. Scale up the plumbing or use a blower with a higher static pressure rating.

[@TheFarCobra]

As the pressure in the manifold goes up it pushes back against the gas. With only a couple PSI it doesn’t take much to adversely affect the mixture. So yes, a larger manifold should help ... however, at some point it will not be possible to push more air through the burner (brick with all the holes) so it may be necessary to increase the size or number of holes to get more flow.

[@singletracksender9021]

Plumber here, those guys did an awesome job. Definitely use them for your future projects. The press tools are definitely fun to use.

[@corvisanatares408]

Unistrut is great stuff. I have used several thousand linear feet of it for rigging and mounting. Amazing for jobsites when you can't have much more than a porta-bandsaw. Unistrut, all-thread, and make-a-bolt kits is like a grown up erector set. A bit expensive in general, but if you don't have the realistic means of on site fabrication, its a life saver.

[@WhyAreYouHere506]

Today: New forge 4 years later: still trying to build a door for the forge, because bricks are boring

[@danoham10]

*"OH MY GOODNESS ITS LIT"* When a British man starts picking up american slang

[@deadmanwillyimbothdeadandalive]

I can hear Alec laughing at this

[@tarunkasa9579]

@@deadmanwillyimbothdeadandalive who's Alex?

[@WireWeHere]

@@tarunkasa9579 Alec>1=Alex

[@AdmiralStoicRum]

@@WireWeHere You wouldn't happen to be related to Bill Marriott Jr would you?

[@WireWeHere]

@@AdmiralStoicRumDefinitely a distant relative since I live near Vancouver, BC and my Uncle Dave stayed at their hotel in Florida. Thank you for asking. I'll be sure to tell my brother, a 1964 model year JWM in Toronto. So no sir I'm not but I have been asked many times.

[@dustinparson4017]

Hey Alec! Just thanking you for inspiration and information! I finally put together a forge thanks to you, and I forged my first leaf today! I used your video on it, My first forge ever! Not the best but it was so amazing! Don't know if you'll see this but again thank you so much! I can't wait to make another tomorrow!!

[@Forsyth.]

The way you mounted that plastic container onto the bigger blower was pretty genius

[@codmon1]

Probably been said but by adding a larger blower with more volume to a small pipe will only increase it's velocity not pressure. In order to obviously get more volume to the flame you will need to greatly increase the piping size which will relieve the internal pressure slowing the blower and reducing the total amount of "air" to the flame.

[@OsmanAli-wr8kg]

"This blower is hugely bigger" Alec Steele 2020

[@chadjackson4786]

Gunna need to make more forge doors...

[@Matt-ob8gj]

Why does he need such a big blower? didnt the one it came with work?

[@AlphaMachina]

Sounds like something Trump would say.

[@SebastianMBL]

Way bigger blower

[@NoobNoobNews]

@@Matt-ob8gj The old blower wasn't pushing enough air, and he is thinking to get a bigger blower. However, the consensus is that the pipes are too small and the back pressure is just too much. he needs larger pipes.

[@jasoncralley]

This video has been up for 2 minutes and there are already 2 dislikes. You can't watch a 16 minute video in two minutes!

[@Admiral.Snakbar]

you can if you play it at 8x speed

[@jezd8431]

😂

[@piranha031091]

It's the same on every single video. Most likely bots and clickfarm accounts, trying to pass for legitimate users. They can then be used to give artificial viewer engagement and likes to the videos of people who pay for it.

[@Elesario]

Just need to get more people to like it to offset the now 6 dislikes ;)

[@Caelus]

You underestimate my power.... jk I would never dislike any of your videos

[@RedBeardOps]

Yall's videos are an inspiration!

[@doryvd1]

Alec, you probably need to enlarge pipe between the fan outlet and the forge. Also, a swept tee instead of the square tee on the gas connection to the main pipe may help too

[@jeremyhagen7684]

You can make some $ on the side with pet cremation.

[@Charzar98]

Jeremy Hagen underrated comment

[@Legion849]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@zacharydieterle2499]

Alec Steele forge now featuring Chinese food.

[@wingnutbert9685]

Now THAT might just pry a 5'er out of my no-budget wallet to his Patreon to see that video.

[@icewater7586]

Alec: make all kinds of adjustments because the handle got in the pipe's way me, a genius: just cut it and make it shorter

[@thaavatar743]

or turn it sideways.. :))

[@MrMuppenpuppen]

Or bend it 90° in the middle of the rubberpart. Been there... 🤷‍♂️

[@jeffer9499]

You can unbolt the handle and and turn it around also........

[@Corvus.2606]

@@thaavatar743 can't turn it sideways, by convention an open valve should have the handle inline with the pipe, and closed should be at 90 degrees. Turn it 180 and no problem

[@glennlawrie-smith8570]

What Jeffer949 said...

[@mediumugly4322]

Drilling the hole above your head... I felt that haha

[@chipmunkshavenuts]

Having spent a lot of time tuning motorcycle carbs, and seeing the effects of a good bell mouth shape for air intake, I'd assume that the small pipe and especially the reducer are limiting the amount of air a blower can push into it.

[@sundryg5566]

I have to admit, its nice to see other smiths using natural gas. Reminds me of my first forge.

[@andyalright]

as a plumber i cant wait to get that press tool, but for all the jaws i want its about 9k lol Also i do alot of gas sizing as well so this is very interesting to see how gas sizing is done outside of Australia. Always learn something new every video and i love it. Stay safe guys

[@entropy11]

Isn't it fun when everything is like twice as expensive as you accounted for.

[@that_hoser_143]

Yup that applies to pretty much any small Job you do

[@patricksawyer9779]

Hmmm... looks like your air ducting is choking up with that bigger blower. If the bigger blower produces a similar pressure differential to the smaller one, there's only so much air you can shove through a pipe, regardless of blower size. Now, you *could* gun for a two-stage system, i.e. one blower feeding into a second one to boost the pressure, but... it may be faster and cheaper to just redo the air pipes.

[@Screwball6986]

Also, why not supplement oxygen in the air in-flow, or am I missing something? Same airflow, with a hotter burn, and less noisy.

[@coffinsnail6930]

Dwayne the problem with that is if your air stops the has leaks into the room and kaboom

[@Shancarlus]

I'll throw this up here: get a bigger pipe

[@masonchancellor610]

True but not alot of people want to go through that procedure. Plus no one would really say that they did either go through it.

[@thaddeusyoung3627]

The original fan is fine. It is the ID of the pipe that is the problem.... A larger fan won't fix that....

[@bobtknob]

What this guy said, you need to increase the diameter of your pipe work, all the way through

[@mattkent655]

Your air pipe is too small. You're at its limit

[@mick-sk5lw]

@@thaddeusyoung3627 if a larger fan can create more pressure then it will fix that

[@datboypie8886]

Idea for obtaining more air for the new forge. Use an “intercooler”. Many automotive applications use it to cool hot (and therefore less dense) air into cooler (more dense) air. See Supercharging and Turbocharging. The more dense the air, the more air molecules available to burn, more/better combustion. Of course flow is important as well and you must have piping that can support the amount of flow you are generating. Piping size and change of direction impact this greatly.

[@Blackobluna]

Alec: Blower not good enough Me: Use TWO blowers! Alec: BIGGER BLOWER! Me: well

[@wasteitonme544]

EXACTLY MY THOUGHT!

[@Zsullivan27]

How about two Bigger blowers

[@chevy383jt]

Compound pressure with two blowers in series

[@HeBillsHim]

Alec: There are no WiFi connection in plumbing yet. Me: Laughs in Alexa activated solenoid.

[@danwyrick322]

You could have flipped the handed to the gas around

[@Palerider1942]

"you could Forge an anvil in this!" do it!

[@Matt_10203]

As an aircraft mechanic those genie scissor lifts are a god send. Couldn't do much without them.

[@ForceFedFab]

Alec Look into a regenerative type blower. 2HP is usual about the largest you will find in a single phase unit. I currently have a mid size forge with rail type burner running on a 2HP unit. This unit is currently bypassing about 70% of the air it produces. Draw back is that the blower runs at 100% and you use a dump or bypass valve to control how much air you want to move to the burner. I also used these in the Neon industry for many years. Torch temps with Natural gas very similar to forge temps. Carbon veined would be idea as it provides safety against the fuel gas coming in contact with hot vein and igniting.

[@dangilesmetalwork1836]

About time!! Been going crazy with this quarantine!!!

[@DisturbedGeneration]

The pipe along the building just makes it look cooler

[@Guthrie00]

Try increasing the duct size between the blower and the forge, and the opening into the forge itself. That’ll let your blower move air instead of fighting the turbulence and back pressure caused from the reduced duct size. It’ll also reduce air velocity into the forge.

[@danieljungmayer7064]

Alec: we need a solution for more air pressure Will: *rolls out an air compressor"

[@TerryGilsenan]

Daniel Jungmayer pressure is the problem, and it’s pressure in the flow like that is causing reduced flow. A compressor may have high pressure but not high enough airflow. The issue that needs to be overcome is the flow resistance in the lines. This means a larger air feed line or to install a second burner and split the feed into two.

[@roballen7899]

Cold Air intake is possibly the best solution, will add more air / oxygen for the same volume, as with blowing more air in via larger motor will still be blowing the same air oxygen ratio in, but cold air being more compressed by nature will give you higher oxygen content for the same amount of air in. Taking above idea, an expansion tank for compressed air with a regulator will lower the temperature without needing to have any sort of refrigeration unit, could also give you a good video series making it if you can get enough volume of air through it

[@danieljungmayer7064]

These are very good ideas I suggestion an S&B cool air intake system (completely sattire lol)

[@NoobNoobNews]

@@roballen7899 a NOS system could work.

[@picklewiickle.1583]

Avoid using as many 90 degree elbows as you can, each one you use adds 1.5 meters of resistance that can cause lack poor gas flow.

[@tazhienunurbusinezz1703]

I would recommend cord covers for any cords you have going across open floor or taping them down because you are walking around with hot steel & an accident where someone trips on one would suck so much.

[@EquitySolutionRayRaz]

In all these upgrades I think the best is the fact you didn’t just turn the valve a quarter turn out of the way and totally redo on it to make it how you want it

[@TheWarGamer11]

Air, like water is a fluid, so when you have a reduction of pipe from what looks like 3" down to 1" you're losing at least 66% of your volume. And yes air is more compressible than a liquid, however it's easier of the blower if you have a pipe that is the size of your blower running into the forge.

[@Mr.Neko013]

@@fatbuttbassett4732 As messy and dangerous as that is, I'd still love to see it!

[@joshtheking1772]

@@fatbuttbassett4732 cant compress fluid huh? Well I think about 400 billion hydraulic cylinders would disagree with you.

[@formulajake1996]

@@joshtheking1772 hydraulic cylinders work because you can't compress a fluid (well, not very much). If fluids compressed a significant amount, hydraulics would work like pneumatics. It's the reason why we bleed our brake lines on our car, because air compresses. Source: college fluid mechanics

[@Dinnye01]

@TheWarGamer11 - air is NOT a fluid, it is a gas. And thus it behaves ever so slightly differently. The reason why college level flow mechanics is a bitch. Gas flows in a way that is called a compressible flow (for a very good reason). You can't just exchange fluid for gas and use the same equations. You also can not compress liquids - hence why hydraulics even work.

[@Byrkley]

​@@Dinnye01 Although liquids are the most recognised fluids, air is also a fluid and gas can be a fluid. Liquids can also be a fluid. Fluid and liquid are different things. A fluid is anything which flows. If you know about 'flow [sic] mechanics' you should know this as it is fundamental, fluid is a phase of matter not a state of matter

[@TheCoBBus]

Could it be that there is so much pressure from the fan to the duct that it doesn't burn hotter because the air mass that goes out is smaller but moves faster? so if there would be a bigger diameter duct that air would move slowly but in greater quantity ? I am no expert but that't the principle in car exhausts that if the diameter is too small it builds pressure inside the pipe and gets "chocked" I might be just 100% wrong

[@ironwolfgaming9632]

Pressure versus volume. A venturi effect in old school carburetors might be what he needs. Before it enters the final expansion area constrict the flow down slightly which will raise the pressure. It appears to have adequate volume just not enough pressure to mix the fuel.

[@marcellogenovese199]

The issue is he needs O2 specifically for combustion which literally gets thinned down at higher altitudes. So he can make the pipe bigger but then his air is not moving with the desired pressure, which means he can back draft possibly. I am no expert either, but I think he needs to either use an air compressor so he had pressurized air supply or he needs 02 tanks. It's possible it just isn't economical for his shops location.

[@jonnyhooks9943]

TheCoBBus your observation is absolutely correct sir

[@Popscotch328]

I’m just spitballing too. I hear, “We need more oxygen.” Oxy Acetalene uses an oxygen tank yeah? Is there a safe and economical way to implement that? Seems like it’d burn through an oxygen tank very quickly, and it’s more dangerous. So, we need a Venturi effect right before ignition so as to better mix fuel at expansion and combustion. So, we need more volume, and higher pressure a la larger fan than current, as current fan was adequate at sea level. Best channel on KZbin!

[@Popscotch328]

I’m just spitballing too. I hear, “We need more oxygen.” Oxy Acetalene uses an oxygen tank yeah? Is there a safe and economical way to implement that? Seems like it’d burn through an oxygen tank very quickly, and it’s more dangerous. So, we need a Venturi effect right before ignition so as to better mix fuel at expansion and combustion. So, we need more volume, and higher pressure a la larger fan than current, as current fan was adequate at sea level. Best channel on KZbin!

[@thecheaperthebetter4477]

Couple of things: Depending of the humidity of the air, you may want to dry out the air before you burn it (drier air has higher oxygen %). Also from some back of the envelope calculations (I may be wrong) it seems that even if you have higher flow rates introducing the same MASS of oxygen, because you have a lower concentration of oxygen at 4000ft the larger mass flow results in about a 15% cooler flame (more mass to heat up, using a specific heat of Cp = 1.00 kJ kg-1), you may want to look at injecting a small percentage of oxygen into the intake to from your oxy-acetylene setup to bring the oxygen percentage higher, because even if you increase the impeller and pipe diameter, the increased mass introduced will cool the flame.

[@NoobNoobNews]

It could also be the pipes. I know that cars with a turbo fan larger than it needs causes a spike in internal air pressure and thus robs power. The pipes may be too small.

[@TheBanana4life]

Isn't this all based on wrong principals? Yes the 'effective oxygen' decreases with altitude, but this is because there air density is just lower, which lowers the partial pressure of oxygen. However, the actual proportions of the constituents of air doesn't change much. So, yes you've got less oxygen to work with, but you've also got less non-combustibles to waste heat on. Imo, if Alec's flame isn't burning rich (which it didn't look like at the end there, looked stoich), then it's borked and the only thing that could increase the temp is more gas+air or better insulation.

[@thecheaperthebetter4477]

@@TheBanana4life oxygen is denser than nitrogen so at altitude you do actually get a lower percentage/ volume of oxygen (not just the partial pressure). The argument I am making is that with more inert gas (N2) in the mixture you are essentially 'diluting' the heat. not only that but it will be harder to get a high combustion efficiency. the issue isn't the the fuel oxygen mixture (you are right it looked close to stoich) but the fact that you have more nitrogen in the mix/ volume which dilutes the energy produced.

[@thecheaperthebetter4477]

Actually, you are right *face palm* the mixing in the troposphere (up to 12km) is pretty much uniform. My bad, so yeah more airflow is the key!

[@honk212]

As a doctor we routinely increase O2 concentrations by adding supplemental O2 to patients. If there was a pure O2 supplementation to your blower you could significantly increase the direct O2 delivered to the furnace. you could use the variable O2 concentration to the blower to make fine adjustments to your furnace temperatures outside of the course adjustments from a simple gas faucet. Inquiry to a medical oxygen supply company to see if a large container or concentrator might add the needed concentration of O2 to your system.

[@sno4439]

From what I noticed Alex, between the blower and the Forge the of the size of the pipe reduces which would inhibit your air flow with your bigger blower. Hope this helps

[@r0c1ndave]

I don’t forge, I work as a paramedic. But LOVE the show! Just wanted to say I appreciated you using the correct term of “less dense” rather than what more people refer to as “less oxygen” 👌🏼 precise. Gotta think of those partial pressures

[@Admiral.Snakbar]

genuinely laughed out loud when you spilled your bits. Because it was funny, and because I've done it myself, many many many times.

[@tobiasripper4124]

we should make a club and never talk about it

[@jeffreystaley5266]

Remarkable personalities and interesting projects. Have you been approached about having a reality TV show yet?

[@NothingXemnas]

I like how the original forge's blower was just laid on that plate, but Alec made sure to make holes for screws and better fixate it. Shows how much he cares for a well constructed piece of equipment, not just put together. Edit: I say that, and then Alec improvises an adapter for the test blower with a freaking bucket.

[@KoreyMacGill]

you Could forge an anvil in that thing.... care to demonstrate? Damascus 30lb anvil? mmmmaybe? gold filigree that reads "Steele" or something?! hmmm!?! cmon people upvote how epic would that look!

[@humwhatever185]

I don't actually think he will do it, because he can't break it while straightening, so there is no risk for alec to ruin a 2 week project and its not funny

[@DH-xw6jp]

@@humwhatever185 i ldk, his last anvil took like 4 videos and it was just a small backpacker's model

[@KoreyMacGill]

Haha oh they'd find a way to snap it in half. You must be new here. Hahaha

[@eli-boy7473]

Forge door episodes: *exist* Alec: We're doing a sequel!

[@erikcourtney1834]

Since Alec has been in America, he’s learned freedomheight and how to “Jerry rig”. (More proper way to say it) 😉.

[@marbles430]

Looks the go with the bigger blower. Have you considered running a line from your compressor to the inlet of the blower just upstream of the gas inlet. Run the compressed air at a nominal PSI based on testing to see if the added air at pressure solves the problem. I recall seeing an atmospheric burner running with 2-4 PSI of air induction.

[@Hamgravy1633]

Thanks for that warning about the exposed kaowool. Like seriously I had no idea it was dangerous. I will get mine covered up before i forge again.

[@krystiankrychu2507]

you've got stronger blower but still the same diameter of pipes

[@MarkSmith-xs4dz]

THIS

[@apexaero]

Change the 1" pipe at the ceramic diffuser block and go 2" for more air. You can use the original fan again! (may need two side by side blocks for flow afterword)

[@burntdabruski]

A good resource for improving your blower performance and explaining a lot of other comments is the Cook Fans "Cookbook." You can find free pdfs easily online. It has a lot of diagrams and a good troubleshooting section. One thing that I haven't seen commented yet is that you can improve the performance of a blower on the inlet side of the blower. 2.5 to 3 diameters of straight duct into the inlet of the blower reduces turbulence on the inlet. Can't say it will solve the problem but it will improve performance.

[@ebenharris3761]

"Turn it 90° up" - proceeds to turn pipe 180° upwards :)

[@kwaqe1075]

The genie lift seems like a perfect new perch for will, I think y’all should keep it..

[@tarunkasa9579]

*with an attached seat warmer

[@KlausSlawik]

These kinds of blowers are built to suck high volume of air with low pressure at low air-speed. If you connect a much smaller pipe to the outlet you get limited volume and pressure. What you need is a blower which is built to produce high volume and high pressure. Maybe a leaf-blower could solve this problem. Doesn't cost much and produces a high volume of air with high speed. (Sorry for my english...)

[@philipfrank1833]

the two bends that you have in the blower pipe, must be also causing some loss in pressure if you could somehow make a mount that enables the pipe to feed straight and directly into the forge, the original blower might even be enough... good luck with the project!

[@gamer34551]

You know that you could have switched the valve handle on the valve instead of creating a longer nipple, right?

[@tutekohe1361]

The Blower becomes more efficient if it has a curved venturi-shaped intake piece which allows the air to evenly increase velocity and have a smoother pressure gradient from ambient to intake vacuum, meaning more air can flow and therefore raise manifold pressure and flow on the other side of the impeller. Your restriction then becomes the cross-section area of the manifold and the smoothness of the flow-path.

[@happyradish1894]

Every part of this video was amazing. Loved seeing this all get set up.

[@stevebryson3702]

Aside from reducing restriction and turbulence like Nathan Sebastian said, you could also look at building a venturi into the piping to pull more air from outside the system with the same blower size. The smaller, higher velocity blower would probably actually be better for that.

[@ProudFootProduction]

Hey Alec, have you guys ever tried to make a piece of armor? I know you mostly make weapons, but this big forge looks like itd be great to make a helmet or something. Just throwing out a new challenge for you to think about. It'd also give you a chance to be fancy with your gems.

[@RowToney]

10:53 i guess you could say that you're having an extentional crisis.

[@madmikewood]

Interestingly, air contains 20.9% oxygen at all altitudes

[@nooneyouknowhere6148]

The pressure makes a difference on how much gets into your blood.

[@trentgay3437]

Ahem ahem, Why does one need oxygen for flying high altitude then????

[@lolaa2200]

@@trentgay3437 It's a pulmonary volume vs pressure problem, the gaz composition has nothing to do with this.

[@trentgay3437]

@@lolaa2200 oh so there's not enough oxygen in the air in the volume of your lungs unlike at lower elevations? Kinda the point I was making

[@matthbva]

The air *is* 20.9% oxygen at all altitudes, but there is less air per unit of volume. You’re correct that you need supplemental oxygen at altitude, but the OP is also correct that the proportion of O2 in the air doesn’t change at altitude.

[@MajorChickem]

You could put a T at the bottom by where the one blower goes in and add a second so you could get twice the air flow

[@matthewfrost3677]

That is not how fluids work! If you don't understand why let me explain a little. Imagine a traffic jam on a multi-lane highway, cars driving up on the Jam 2, 3, 4 lanes wide at 70mph but only one lane exiting at 70mph. Doesn't matter how many lanes or fans you have coming in, only how many lanes there are going out or how big the air Line is.

[@MajorChickem]

I'm sorry if you feel to be salty but I understand thankyou but in case you could put a Y a T not the right choice but put a Y and make the output at pure than the input so it becomes a wider space for the air to converge kind of like a 1 way but 2 cars can pass at the same time

[@MajorChickem]

A T was not the right choice of words it was a quickly thought reply

[@N1RKW]

Have you considered the effect of the size of the air pipe going into the forge? To get more air flow, you either need to increase the volume or the pressure. Blowers are great for large volumes of air at low pressure, not the other way around. Perhaps increasing the size of the air pipe going into the burner would help?

[@efuzzca]

@Alec Steele Those types of blowers aren't able to overcome the resistance of the air. Essentially, you've filled the pipe withe the maximum volume of air at ambient pressure . You'd need a positive displacement pump to actually have the muscle to force more air down the pipe, and you'd actually then have pressurized air. So you need to increase your air volume by enlarging your pipe diameter / removing your restriction, or by adding an additional inlet.

[@feelthepayne88]

Consider this another vote for a larger inlet/mixing pipe. You can only cram so much air or fluid through a pipe of a certain diameter.

[@mitchellmoore60]

Before you go swapping out for a new blower, you should try making the flow pipe for the air larger because that is going to be more of a restriction than the blower’s power.

[@loamchasers]

Anyone else hear him say “natural glass” near the end😂

[@bradleynealdaley]

Compound your blowers! Have the large one blow into the inlet of the small one. You most likely are restricted by the static pressure capable of being provided by the blowers, not free air CFM. So.. either compound your blowers Or get a blower with a higher static pressure capability! Hope this helps!

[@naturelovertx]

Irrigation systems face a similar problem. You need pressure to force 4" of intake volume to flow through a two inch pipe. Those blowers boost volume, not pressure. Increasing the outlet pipe to 3 inch from the blower to the burner should help, if your burner can handle that volume.

[@yogiberries4267]

Someone else already stated it but increase your burner inlet piping size to 3" or 4" (you should be able to cut these threads on your lathe easily) and reduce at the ribbon burner inlet. You should be able to increase airflow substantially. As far as the blower damper, remember that you can restrict fans on either inlet or outlet sides. Your flow restriction was the outlet and once the fans reached their limit of airflow and pressure it will not matter how much you increase the inlet as the airflow cannot change, the fan is at it's limit with the setup you have. Open up the outlet fan piping and burner inlet piping and it will work a treat!!!

[@Veritas-invenitur]

I love all the new equipment in the shop. I cannot wait to see the size of the billets you can now work on.

[@75triviaguy]

Do you have a blooper real of you just losing your mind over another thing not working? I applaud your patience and attitude. You are a better man than I.

[@TheLordReverend]

I do travel construction and Milwaukee is the way to go!

[@isaacgraff8288]

For a short project, could be cool to see a soba-kiri. It is a knife for making noodles but it is a beast of a knife.

[@mab0852]

Fan has to generate more than the 2 lbs of pressure the gas line is generating or your fan is just cavitating. Your pipe also needs to be adequately sized for pressure and flow rate.

[@Matt_Kab]

Hey Alec I know this has been said as you constrict the pipe diameter the velocity of the air to increases causing the pressure to fall.(Bernoulli's Equation) Since you're pumping more air you might actually be ending up with a worse mixture ratio. That combined with the Nathan Sebastian's elbow statement about the gas might just be your problem.

[@iggyp06]

Loving the "come & take it" MOLON LABE. ❤🇺🇸

[@frystephenw]

Big forge, big hammer, and big press. Makes me wonder what you are going to build next :)

[@vrasin9863]

Mega press is amazing you can do the same thing with water lines as well

[@ng-ht1vx]

You need larger pipes going into your burner. Getting rid of the 90* elbows will also help. A curved 3" exhaust pipe should be just the ticket for the blower that came with it. You may need to expand your burner box on the outside.

[@chevy383jt]

Hey Alec, I don't know if anyone mentioned it, but you could have used another quiet blower's output to input the existing blower that your forge came with. This would have avoided using a loud blower. Same concept as a compound turbo setup. Say the blower that your forge came with produces 5 atmospheres worth of pressure, just as an example. If you used another blower that produces the same amount of output to input the first blower inlet, it effectively multiplies the amount of airflow. Psi would be easier. 5 psi output from first blower, input into second blower inlet, 5x5 psi=25 of course........at least it would be close to that amount of pressure. As long as your connections are tightly sealed. Just trying to help, if you're not aware.

[@euwarrior313]

Alec, you could place both blowers parralell. To try if to get the forge hotter. When it does you know much power/flow your blower needs to have. So you dont buy one and it doesnt work after

[@x65535x]

Hey Alec, you may be running into an issue where your burner is too small to get hotter. Notice how far the flame ignites from the burner face. The fast you push air through it the further you push back that flame to the point where it's not burning at the burner but more at the holes in the forge. You probably want to consider a second burner. The original blower may have enough air to feed both. At 2psi of gas you should have plenty of gas.

[@septoshi1808]

The pro press is one of the most useful tools in the plumbing field.

[@DonStinger]

A difusor on the inlet of the blower will increase its efficiency. The airflow should increase quite a bit with the right difusor.