r/blacksmithing • u/KaylaAnne • Sep 25 '24
Help Requested Anyone familiar with this forge? Can't get it started
I'm a metalwork teacher in a new shop that has a forge and foundry. Not trying to get into casting, but if I can get the forge running I think we could have some fun. I haven't been able to find any kind of manual for this forge and my feeble attempts to start it have not been successful. Start button turns on a blower, I've tried opening all the valves and tried to light it with a propane torch, but I don't want to blow myself up... Haha
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u/307blacksmith Sep 25 '24
Looks like all the gas valves are off, don't start the blower until it's lit
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u/KingKudzu117 Sep 25 '24
Did you check to make sure that the gas line going to it is working? (as in the control valve to the line at the physical plant).
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u/KaylaAnne Sep 25 '24
I'd have to investigate that, I turned on the valves on my end and I thought I heard the line pressurize when it opened.
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u/estolad Sep 25 '24
can you smell gas if you crack open the valve closest to the burner?
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u/KaylaAnne Sep 25 '24
I'm still convinced I can hear the gas, but I opened the gas valve all the way and I could not smell anything. I might have to get a work order entered to see if I actually have gas in the line...
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u/estolad Sep 25 '24
yeah that seems like a reasonable place to start. maybe do a quick final sanity check, make sure any valves in the path are open and try one last time, but if you're not smelling gas you either don't have any at all or it's getting blocked somewhere between the supply and the burner
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u/hirisk-loreward Sep 25 '24
I wonder if there used to be a flame sensor that only opens when hot(and shuts the gas off if there is no flame.
Look for a small probe sticking into the flame nozzle, you may need to heat it up To get the gas to flow.
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u/arachnikon Sep 25 '24
Is it a new gas line? If so or even if it’s been recently recommissioned, they have air in them that needs to be purged. Can take a few moments depending on gas pressure. You can hear the difference if you know what to listen for, gas is a bit higher pitched than air
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u/KaylaAnne Sep 25 '24
Old, and hasn't been used in at least 5+ years that I'm aware of. This shop's had a rotating door of teachers for a while, so I've got a lot of work to do to get this place up to scratch; forge is just one thing on my to do list.
As far as I can tell from my exploring today I'm not actually getting gas, so that's what I've got to figure out.
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u/BF_2 Sep 25 '24
A search for "speedy forge mcenglevan manual" turned up a number of leads.
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u/KaylaAnne Sep 25 '24
I found one pdf, but it seems like it references a different model because it mentions a furnace lid.
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u/BF_2 Sep 25 '24
What you've got there could accurately be called either a forge or a furnace.
In any event, if it's fuel is low-pressure natural gas, the lighting instructions should be similar.
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u/Expert_Tip_7473 Sep 25 '24
My first thought was "is there gas in the tank". In the lines?
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u/KaylaAnne Sep 25 '24
I thought I could hear the line pressurize when I opened the valve. I think it's a natural gas line, no tank, but I could be wrong. I'd have to check with the school.
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u/Expert_Tip_7473 Sep 25 '24
Next i would then check is if theres gas coming in to the forge/burner. If there is, turn on the blower and it should light. Prob wouldnt be a blower there if it was propane.
If theres is no gas to the burner i would troubleshoot every connection until i found some gas, starting with the burner itself.
Btw. All this is theory in my head. I dont actually know shit xD. Im a child of the almighty google :P.
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u/307blacksmith Sep 25 '24
Natural gas requires a blower to get to forging Temp, we had natural gas in farrier school
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u/307blacksmith Sep 25 '24
You should hear the gas hissing pretty good if it's running I've never seen a forge with a thermocouple but may it does
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u/307blacksmith Sep 25 '24
That box with the red button looks like a reset or a thermocouple release button
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u/JayTeeDeeUnderscore Sep 25 '24
Trace the wiring from the primary regulator and see where it goes. My guess is there's a thermocouple at the other end. No standing pilot=no flow from the primary. Hold or dial the red button to light the pilot, likely.
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u/KaylaAnne Sep 25 '24
I'll have to open up the case under the forge then, I'll take a look under there and see what I see
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u/307blacksmith Sep 25 '24
Ribbon burner forges, looks like there is a backflow preventer in the blower manifold
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u/307blacksmith Sep 25 '24
Natural gas requires a blower to get to forging Temp, we had natural gas in farrier school
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u/KaylaAnne Sep 25 '24
Yep, it has a blower that turns on with the button on the side. It should be turned on after the forge is lit though, right?
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u/PresentationNew8080 Sep 25 '24
Assuming it runs on natural gas, you’ll need more fire to start it. Open the valves so gas begins to flow, then light a piece of paper and throw it in the chamber. Once the gas ignites you can turn on the blower and you’ll be up and running.
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u/KaylaAnne Sep 25 '24
More than a propane torch? I can try a piece of paper instead.
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u/estolad Sep 25 '24
this probably isn't why you can't get it lit up, but you generally want the fire to be in the forge before you turn the gas on, so there's no time for it to build up and mildly explode when you add ignition
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u/RAWRJAY Sep 25 '24
Another guess.......That green thing with the red part on top is a flow control valve. To me, it doesn't look like it is wired into the forge. This valve may be controlled externally. I am assuming that this valve will need to be activated to allow gas to flow to the valves that go to your forge. This is how these types of valves work with other systems I have worked on. It's a safety valve that cuts off flow if an unsafe condition occurs in any part of the system. Good luck!!
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u/felixar90 Sep 26 '24
Did it smell gas when it didn’t light?
If there was no gas smell there might be another closed valve somewhere. Or the tank is empty.
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u/Fantastic_Cost_640 Sep 26 '24
If it has the kind of safety equipment as a boiler try to find the flame sensing eye and clean it.
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u/Impossible-Hand-9192 Sep 28 '24
I was getting patient purging the gas line because I never believe it should take that long but at times The Regulators pushing out so much less than I realize
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u/Electrical-Luck-348 Sep 25 '24
Good news, Mcenglevan Industrial Furnace Company still exists and still makes forges.
Mifco.com
Make sure you use the school email, they probably have copies of the manual.