Hit 500 hours on my main forge and the numbers don't lie

My old Johnson gas forge finally logged its 500th hour of run time this week, which surprised me because it felt like it was always just a tool I used. That's a lot of steel heated. Some guys say you should rebuild or replace key parts well before hitting that kind of mark, others run them until something actually breaks. What's the smarter move for a weekend smith?

3 comments

3 Comments

fiona_anderson2mo ago

You said "my old Johnson gas forge" but that's the brand of the burner, not the forge itself. The forge box is probably lined with ceramic wool and hard refractory. Those linings are what really wear out from thermal cycling, not the burner. At 500 hours, I'd be poking that lining for soft spots before worrying about the Johnson burner parts.

caleba452mo ago

My buddy's forge lining crumbled after maybe 400 hours.

-1

cole_lee92mo ago

Wait, 400 hours is actually pretty good, right? That's a ton of heating cycles for any lining. Sounds like normal wear to me, not a big deal.