Will a one burner propane forge weld wrought iron?

[bark-eater]

Hi all, I've got a good pile of wrought iron and want make some utilitarian 18th century style items. From what I understand wrought iron needs to be worked hotter than steel. Would a one burner propane forge put out enough heat to move and weld stuff under 1/2 inch? Or should I go for a 2 burner to start off with. Time and space constraints a pushing me towards a small propane forge. Thoughts?

 

[gl0vetr0tt3r]

Hey, how's your project going? For stock under 1/2 inch, a well-insulated single burner propane forge can get hot enough to move the metal and even forge weld, but it can be a bit finicky. You might find yourself chasing the heat, especially for larger pieces or welds. A two-burner forge will give you more consistent and even heat across a large area, so I say that's a better investment and more reliable results!

 

[Jackson55]

I have to agree with @gl0vetr0tt3r, a two-burner forge gives you more flexibility and generally heats things up faster and more evenly!
It can also be more forgiving if your burner isn't perfectly tuned.
But if you're really tied with time and space, starting with a good quality single burner is reasonable!
Do a research on forge designs and burner types so you know what fits your needs!

 

[Deleted member 87]

Hi all, I've got a good pile of wrought iron and want make some utilitarian 18th century style items. From what I understand wrought iron needs to be worked hotter than steel. Would a one burner propane forge put out enough heat to move and weld stuff under 1/2 inch? Or should I go for a 2 burner to start off with. Time and space constraints a pushing me towards a small propane forge. Thoughts?

As most people have said you can probably Forge weld your wrought iron with a single burner. It depends on the burner of course, if you have some air being pushed into it, or you have plenty of pressure on your gas. You will be able to get the Heat. Keep in mind though that when you run your small propane Forge that hot you'll be replacing the insides of it more often. But at the end of the day use what you have you can almost always figure out a way to make it work. Most of us started blacksmithing with very minimal anything and we've added over the years. I guess I've been through just about everything that you could try over the last 50 years. Now I wound up back using a coal Forge but because I'm 70 I have an electric blower now. Making what you have available work for you is the best way to learn and discover.

 

[Honeymoon Ave.]

As most people have said you can probably Forge weld your wrought iron with a single burner. It depends on the burner of course, if you have some air being pushed into it, or you have plenty of pressure on your gas. You will be able to get the Heat. Keep in mind though that when you run your small propane Forge that hot you'll be replacing the insides of it more often. But at the end of the day use what you have you can almost always figure out a way to make it work. Most of us started blacksmithing with very minimal anything and we've added over the years. I guess I've been through just about everything that you could try over the last 50 years. Now I wound up back using a coal Forge but because I'm 70 I have an electric blower now. Making what you have available work for you is the best way to learn and discover.

Totally agree with this. Nice to see something really detailed, I'm sure OP is gonna find this useful as well. Next time I get a problem I might ask you via DM if that's ok @Harlen Henegar