Ribbon Forge Burner

[Grant]

Instructions by John Emmerling

About five years ago, a glass artist purchased the building next to mine and set up his
glass blowing studio. Since glass blowers use copious amounts of gas and efficiency is
paramount, I was immediately curious to see how his furnace and glory hole were heated.
He showed me his ribbon burners and gave a hand in making my own. Using a ribbon
burner has improved the performance of my forge immensely as the heat and gas
efficiency are truly amazing.


For those of us who prefer the control of a blown forge, a ribbon burner is probably
one of the most efficient and quiet. The beauty of this burner is that it can be made in
any configuration depending upon the size and shape of the heat desired. There are no
hot spots as in a venturi burner forge and combustion is complete at the burner and not
dependent on the swirling motion of a blown pipe forge. The forge itself can be made in
any configuration…pipe, tube, fire brick or just about anything one wants to heat steel
in. The ribbon burner can easily be built from materials found in most shops or obtained
locally. The castable refractory used in the burner can be purchased in a 50 pound bag,
which is enough to make many burners.


Step 1
Cut a length of tube to the desired length of the heat. In this case I used 3x3x3/16” by 10
inches long. (A burner length of ten to twelve inches works well in an eighteen to twenty
inch forge.) Measure in ½” from the outside edge of the length and width of the tube and
torch cut out that piece. In the center of the reverse side, take a 2” pipe nipple and mark
and cut out that round. Next, cut two pieces of 3/16” flat stock for the end caps. The last
part is the baffle. I used a 3” diameter punching and ground the edges flat to fit the inside
diameter of the tube. Any piece large enough to cover the hole will due. Drill several
holes in the baffle to allow some air to pass thru. (Fig 1)

Step 2
Weld in the baffle on the pipe side of the tube first. It should be welded in 5/8-3/4” up
from the opening to allow some of the air/gas mixture to go thru the drilled holes and the
remainder to circulate to the edges of the burner. (Fig 2)

Next, weld on the pipe nipple and end caps. The end caps can be flush or inset. Either
way, grind the welds flush (for mounting later). Make good welds as no air should
escape. (Fig 3)

Step 3
Find a piece of ¾” plywood that is several inches larger than the burner and trace the
O.D. of the burner on it. Measure and mark the O.D. of the cutout as well. On this burner
the cutout measures 2”x9”. I used ½” spacing between the rows of air holes and 1”
between the holes. Alternate holes and rows. (Fig 4)

Step 4


Buy a box of Crayola crayons and remove the paper. ( A utility knife works well.) On
a drill press, drill holes in the marked plywood to accommodate the crayons. Usually a
5/16” or 25/64” hole will work. The crayons should fit snug in the holes and the hole
depth should be about 3/8” deep. If your drill press has a stop, set it and keep the holes
consistent. The dam for the castable is made from 1”x3” (3/4 x2 ½”). Cut and screw
together to the size of the exterior of the burner. Attach the dam to the plywood with
screws. (Fig 5)

Step 5
On the burner, tack weld on both sides a stopper (which will be removed later) ¾” up
from the opening. (Fig 6)

The stopper allows the burner to only penetrate the castable ¾” in depth. When cured, the
castable will be locked in place in the burner body.


Step 6
The castable refractory I use is Mizzou or HPV-ESX castable, both of which are
purchased at Harbison-Walker in Portland, OR. (www.hwr.com). They come in 50 lb.
bags and cost approximately $35.00. Other high temperature refractories can be used.
Your local refractory distributor or ceramics shop should be able to cross reference
brands.
Mix well with water to the consistency of peanut butter. Too much water (concrete
consistency) will make a weak burner and cause cracking. Mist the inside of the
wooden dam with WD-40 as a release agent. Using your fingers or a spoon, drop in
the mixture taking care not to break or loosen the crayons. Fill the dam nearly to the
top and allow for some displacement. Straighten the crayons as necessary. (Fig 7)

Center, and insert the burner into the dam to the stopper depth. Lightly shake
the plywood to settle the castable around the inside edges of the burner.
The casting is now complete. (Fig 8)

Step7
Allow several days setup time in cold weather. I take my burners next door to the glass
blower and sit them by his furnace. Overnight is adequate in that case. Remove the
screws to the wooden dam and plywood and with a screw driver/chisel, gently pry the
sides away. Grind off the two stoppers. Then, lay the burner on its side on the edge of a
table (with the castable supported by the table) and tap the plywood to break the crayons.
Remember, the castable is still green and care must be taken in handling the burner.
I like to drill out the crayons using an undersized bit in the drill press. Burning them out
in a coal forge is an option, but it is smelly and messy. (Fig 9)

Step 8
The burner mount depends upon your forge configuration. For a pipe forge, construct a
surround of ¼” x 2” flat stock and drill and weld nuts for bolts. Cut a hole in the pipe and
weld the surround to it.(Fig 10)

The castable should extend into the Kaowool of the forge about an inch. It is imperative
that the metal part of the burner NOT be inside the cavity of the forge. This burner can be
mounted in any position on the forge.


Notes
The first several firings should be short in duration and not at a high temperature to allow
the castable to cure. Once cured, welding heats using propane or natural gas are easily
attainable. I have found that a large blower (mine is a Centaur forge with a Baldor motor)
operating at capacity in combination with a gate valve to reduce the volume gives the
most control. Since gas pressure is not as great an issue when using propane (as in a
venturi burner), an orifice of 1/16” is adequate. With natural gas, ¼” seems to work well
for me having 2 lbs. of line pressure. As a rule of thumb, natural gas should be introduced
into the air line at a distance of at least nine times the diameter of the supply pipe. So, a
2” pipe times 9 equals 18 inches minimum from the burner. Since propane mixes more
readily with air, the distance can be shorter.
.
As the burner is long in relation to the forge, I weld heat shields on the pipe to limit direct
heat to the ends of the burner. (Fig 10)


Longevity of the castable depends upon usage and abuse. My forge run time averages
twenty-five hours plus per week, and that often includes on and off operation several
times daily. Expansion and contraction of the burner ultimately takes its toll. The
castable in my original nine inch long burner has been replaced once in the past five
years. Recasting the burner is simple and quick if you keep the wooden pieces.


Finally, safety comes first. Put on your safety glasses and turn on the air prior to lighting
the forge.


Although I do not always have time or the energy to check my email, I will be happy to
try to answer questions regarding this burner.


Happy Forging,


John Emmerling
Gearhart Ironwerks
Gearhart, Oregon
ironwerks@iinet.com

[Robert Suter]

John,
Thank you again for your hard work making this tutorial and sharing it here with us. I am going to begin construction on a ribbon forge today, I am intending to post the build and operation and include photos. I think what Grant has in mind is to create complete tutorials. To include building, using and maintaining tools, equipment and even end products by the comments left by everyone in the thread. This makes a powerful tool, one we all can help create. Those looking for an answer can find it, or join an existing thread or get Grant to start a new thread and help find the answers. I think gleaning out the relevant information and making great tutorials will be a will prove a great asset for the community. Grant and, I assume, others have worked hard and it shows. I’m saying all this to convince you and the many other experienced smiths to post here when you have time, an answer from someone with your talent and knowledge here will prove a great boon for any who read your words.
Thank you again, Bob

[Grant]

Just to be clear: Robert was instrumental in the creation of the new Tutorial section and how it will work. Thanks for all your pages ...............and pages ................and pages of input Bob!
<-- from this to this -->

[Robert Suter]

Grant,
I am amazed you were able to convert my ramblings into a working structure, my hats off to you. It is kind of you to call my words instrumental, thank you.
Bob

[Grant]

I don't know how to convey to everyone just how much I want you guys to make this site what you want it to be. I just want to kick start it and use your input to take it to the next level.

[Robert Suter]

Grant,
I know that’s true, how about starting a thread with how the system is expected to work and see if others have ideas that may prove to be ideal. There are some great minds here, input from the entire community will be the thing that makes this work.
Bob

[Robert Suter]

John,
I’m asking you directly because you’re the only one I know of who has experience. I have a ton of questions I will keep the list short as I can.
1. Does the jet to surface area have a ratio or a minimum chamber size or is it just a pressure equalizer?
2. Do you know if the burner can be as long as you want, or are multiple burners required to add length?
3. Do these burners work well in an ‘open’ type forge?
4. Is there an optimum burner size to forge size ratio?
I would love to see your forge in action do you have any videos you would post? I know I don’t ask much.
Bob

[JNewman]

Bob seems to have asked most of the questions I had but the other one I had is do you know if anyone is running one of these successfully with one of the blowers that Grant imports for Blacksmith Depot. Dave Hammer mentioned that he had much better results running the Pine Ridge burner with a higher pressure blower.

[Grant]

From the sound of Daves, I think the burner is too small. Many people are running the 164 blower. Our own Ron Wailes sells ribbon burner forges using that blower and the only complaint heard at the last conference was that it gets so damn hot so fast!

[JNewman]

I forget which blower I bought last year from the Kaynes I will have to take a look tomorrow. I assume you meant to say his blower is too small not his burner?