NC Tool Co forges - any opinions on 'em?

T

Trout Tamer

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Jan 20, 2004
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I'm looking to buy my first forge and these have caught my attention. Before buying, though, I wanted to see if any of y'all have experience with them. I'm looking at the "Knifemaker" and the "Whisper Low-Boy" models, with a preference for the Knifemaker, due to the chamber size. What are y'alls experiences/opinions with these forges? Is there anything else I should take a gander at?

Thanks in advance,
Zack aka Trout
 
In my opinion they are excellent.I use a whisper lowboy.Just put it in the van to take to a forging demo,today. I have never had a problem with it.The knifemaker model is chambered for knife size bars of steel,so it would be a good choice.The temptation is to run them at full scream.That gets the chamber much hotter than you want,unless you are welding up a billet.Turn the gas pressure down to a nice steady whisper(OK ,a loud whisper) that keeps the steel at the desired temperature and it will save gas and steel.
 
Opinion? OK - you asked. I think they are way over priced, you can build a forge and spend the $$ you save on other things you need. If you have any metal working ability at all and a little common sense you can do it.
 
I have to say, I agree with both of the above. I have a whisper mamma that I have been using for the last 5 years or so and its worked fine. Nice and portable, great demo forge. I have welded in it (though not much). It is a two burner model and does have hot spots, so its best to move the steel frequently to get an even heat.
On the other hand, I finally got the confidence to attempt building a horizontal round "pipe" forge (I used IG's plans, very simple), and I like it better. It gets hotter on less gas, and doesn't have the hot spot problem that the NC did. It also cost a lot less to build than the NC cost to buy (and that was at 5 years ago prices).
ON the down side, the new forge does require electricity, and is not as portable (or at least weighs a lot more...)so I will still be using the NC for demos etc.
Good luck! Have fun which ever you get or build.
Ed
 
I have a NC whisper low-boy and love it but I built a big vertical Don Fogg style forge for damascus welding. I would not like to be without either. I do have a few other forges that I don't use, these two will do it all for me.
 
One question on the verticle forge while we are on the subject.
What goes in the very bottom of the forge?Kaowool?the hard ceramic board?
fire brick?
Thx for your help.
 
In the bottom I put kaowool then a layer of cat litter and or broken up fire brick, just something to soak up the flux, I don't worry to much about the bottom.
 
I like mine just fine, but like Don Hanson, I'd like to have one of the Fogg-styled verticle forges with forced air for welding.
 
I really like my whisper momma, have had it for years. Built a horizontal forge a few years ago with T-Rex burners, and like it a lot also, can get big billets in it. I'm thinking seriously about a vertical forced-air forge like Don's, will probably do that next. BTW, when I needed to reline the Momma, I ripped out the old stuff, and packed it with Darren's Kaowool, then treated it with Satinite and ITC-100. It was a fraction of the cost of a re-line kit. Works just fine, I've welded up lots of pattern welded billets in it.
 
Just got back from the forging demo.The lowboy ran flawlessly (and non stop) from 9AM till 3:30PM when the thunderstorm hit.It used about 4 gallons of propane.Forged two swords,half a dozen hunters,a machete,three hot dog cookers,and a dozen or so fancy "S" hooks.
 
I havent used a NC forge yet but of the manufactured forges I really like the Mankel. They have a few models that have offset burners and radiused bottoms which eliminate any hotspots. Down side is the price. But one very well recognized Blade smith told me he has had his for over 20 years and hasnt had any problems.
 
I've got a Whisper Lowboy and I really like it. Easy to set up, easy to use. I agree with Bladsmth, you'll probably have to adjust it so you don't waste too much gas. Lord knows it's too expensive!
 
Thanks for the replies, guys! It sounds like the Lowboy and Knifemaker are decent units. I was hoping to get one that gave me an even heat, so as to be able to use it for heat treating. But, perhaps compared to the shop-vac-'n-bbq-grill method I've been using, the forge will be a more even heat... you say that moving the blade around more helps avoid hot spots?

I do have some metal working skills, and my brother is much more adept than I, but I don't have any tools right now... perhaps the way to go is buy one of these forges, see what I do and don't like about it, then eventually build my own...

Thanks for all the replies :) Y'all are mighty helpful
 
Trout Tamer said:
One more question - does the 3-burner model get fewer hotspots than the 2-burner model?
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Actually, it gets one more hotspot. ;)

You just have to move the steel around a bit. No big deal...
 
If I were to buy a forge I would get one from Darren Ellis or Tim Zowada. Either one being a bit cheaper and more even heat.
 
burke531 said:
If I were to buy a forge I would get one from Darren Ellis or Tim Zowada. Either one being a bit cheaper and more even heat.
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Interestingly, I've been trying to get in touch with both of those guys - neither one has returned my calls. :(
 
It seems as if I read some where that there was a hammer in that Darren was going to be t this last weekend but I wouldn't swear to it. Did you try going through there websites? Also Indian George is making forges th I have head good things about.
 
Wulf said:
Interestingly, I've been trying to get in touch with both of those guys - neither one has returned my calls. :(
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Hi Wulf,

If you called in the past few weeks your call may be one of the ones that I wrote down on a notepad to return when I had a chance and then lost the notepad! When we did taxes, the office was a real mess from looking for specific paperwork, and I misplaced a bunch of phone numbers. Please give me a call back or shoot me an email...trust me, I don't ignore potential customers on purpose!

I've been spending a lot of money lately tooling up for production forge building. By this Summer, we will have a complete line that will always be in stock. In the interim, I'm taking preliminary orders. I teach all day Tuesday and Thursday at the university, so email tomorrow would be best, or a phone call on Wednesday.

:)

-Darren
 
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