Subject: Yet Another Blower Comment

From: "David C. Hufford" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 10 Jun 1996 10:11:16 -0400 (EDT)

I have a blower arrangement on my coal forge which provides versatility: 
The outlet pipe on my Champion 400 runs into the inlet of my electric 
blower.  Thus, I can switch from the Champion 400 to the power blower by 
simply stop cranking and flip the power switch on the electric blower. 
The reverse is just as easy; flip off the power switch and begin 
cranking.  The electric blower is on a variable speed control, but I use 
a blast gate for air control - more quick and precise.  With this 
arrangement, I can effortlessly switch back and forth between the 
hand-cranked and powered blowers as necessary or desirable.

D.C. Hufford

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From: "daryl (d.a.) bender" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 10 Jun 1996 13:32:00 -0400 [/PRMD=BNR/ADMD=TELECOM.CANADA/C=CA/;bcars520.b.827:10.05.96.17.32.52]

OOOOoooooo this sounds good!! I was going to try to make my blower and 
power supply quickly removable (Not easy). This sounds like an even 
better solution. Any problems sucking air though a hand blower?

Thanks
Daryl

In message "Yet Another Blower Comment", [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 10 Jun 1996 13:52:32 -0400

>hand-cranked and powered blowers as necessary or desirable.

My setup is somewhat similar to David's, in that I have both a crank blower
and a variable speed electric blower (1/5 hp) hooked up to my coal forge.  I
use a "Y" connection on the blower pipe, with a butterfly type flap valve
which prevents the air from going back thru the blower not in use. I'm kind
of a 19th century "purist" (most of my tools are hand crank flywheel type
stuff), but there are times when you just don't have enough hands and that's
the exact moment when miraculously I am transformed into a "realist" and turn
on the AC.
Mike Schermerhorn

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From: "David C. Hufford" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 10 Jun 1996 14:16:14 -0400 (EDT)

Daryl:

Drawing air with the electric blower through the Champion blower has not 
proven to be a problem; however I run the power blower at half speed 
(about 1750 rpm) and control the air with a sliding blast gate.  I like 
Mike's system of a automatic valve, but that wasn't as feasible on my 
setup.  Seems to me that in a recent past issue of the Anvil's Ring (I 
think) was a diagram for a home-brew PVC pipe/ball value gizmo to 
automatically switch between two different blowers.  At any rate, the 
blowers "in series" arrangement has worked well for me.

D.C. Hufford

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 10 Jun 1996 23:12:35 -0400

Although many people use them, most "squirrel cage" blowers are designed to
move air at high velocity -  not high pressure, which is what us blacksmiths
want.  A Champion 400 is a "centrifugal" blower and puts out about 400 cfm of
air - which ain't much velocity but it easily pushes air through a large
forge fire.  When companies like Buffalo and Champion were still making
forges as a normal course of business, they used a centrifugal fan with an
AC/DC, brush-type motor.  This design allowed high pressure and the brush
motor allowed speed control with a rheostat.  I have a factory Buffalo forge
that was almost new when I bought it from an old gentleman that, in turn, had
gotten it at a GSA surplus sale. This was fortunate because it allowed me to
see what the factory had intended before the usual "modifications" by an
owner.  Even on the first setting, this blower puts out way too much air
without an air gate, so the factory installed one - the forge would be
useless without it.  It allows complete fire control, especially when
combined with the high pressure blower.  Although you can do acceptable work
with other setups, I think this arrangement was decided by the factory
engineers for a good reason.