What forge do YOU have?

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Dec 1, 2016
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thought this might be a interesting thread.

Ok so you guys are always suggesting forges or giving great advice on how to build them but rarely do we get to see yours and if we do there scattered in different threads. So post up your forges lets see what you got! Might inspire some people!

Daniel.
 
I've always been a fan of properly insulated vertical forges.
I saw on another thread about a flux conversation where guys were complaining about how flux is a problem eating their forges and causing all sort of problems.
With a vertical forge - those problems disappear.
(These pictures are over five years old, but you get the idea)
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I've got a home made Venturi one that is made out of an old fit extinguisher. Works ok. I think my first project when I get back home in October will be to re-build or make a new one. I'm thinking vertical this time, blown, PID controlled and well insulated!
 
Mine isn't really worth taking a picture of. I'm currently on my second forge, as I made my first one way too small for anything but knives.
Just a steel box welded up from 10 gauge sheet metal, and lined with 3500 degree kiln bricks, and coated with a few layers of furnace cement.
It's not at all a textbook forge (square chamber rather than round, ect) but it works very well for me. I built it as a tube so I can stack loose bricks at either end to configure it for whatever work I'm doing.
The kiln bricks make for great insulation, and combined with the heavy layer of furnace cement it's a lot more durable than a wool lined forge. Not quite castable or high alumina bricks, but not all that far off. The burner is a 3/4" blown burner made from $20 in plumbing parts from the hardware store.

I'd like to have a couple more forges eventually (a vertical as Karl posted, something a bit longer, and a foundry furnace) but for under $100 to build I'm quite happy with mine.
 
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a 2 burner majestic propane forge. i made a modification to it, i noticed when doing longer blades as soon as the tip and end of the knife is outside the back opening of the forge, it cools off and loses red very quickly. then, trying to catch the tip back up to red i would lose some color in the ricasso. so i made an extension or chimney off the back with hardware cloth and kaowool. just hung it on there with wire. now the tip will hold its color all the way to the end of the extension and it is easier and faster to get an even red color on the whole blade. the kaowool has never sagged, been using it for about a year.
DSC_0124 by john april, on Flickr
DSC_0125 by john april, on Flickr
 
Started with an old propane tank, cut and added 2" of insowool with 1/4" of satanite and 1/2" on the bottom. Pieced together a blown burner with a squirrel cage blower.
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Josh, Those carts are great, aren't they! Gas bottle will sit on the back lip when not in use. Hammers and tongs fit on the shelf, and there is plenty of storage on the bottom for other forging supplies and tools.
Weld two pieces of 1/2" black iron or stainless pipe on the side of the legs ( from front to back). Place them at a height so the top of the pipe is even with the bottom of the chamber. Stick two 30" long pieces of 7/16 round stock in the pipes ( 3/8" will do fine) and weld a table across the end so it makes a work shelf at the front of the forge. Use 1/4" steel for the table. 2" is wide enough for the table, but you can make it 4" wide if you wish. Length only needs to be enough to rest on the rods for welding.
You can now push/pull the table in and out to support long bars and blades when forging. Adjust the bar length to suit your forge and forging length needs.
 
That's a good idea Stacy, I was trying to think of a way to weld up a little table for it.
Yeah these carts are perfect for these size forges. Easy to move, compact, and cheap!
 
I originally had an NC knife maker, but traded it in for one of the original narrow door Chile Habaneros. I also have had a 16 inch Uncle Al vertical forge for like 3 or 4 years, but I haven't managed to put it together. o_O
 
I originally had an NC knife maker, but traded it in for one of the original narrow door Chile Habaneros. I also have had a 16 inch Uncle Al vertical forge for like 3 or 4 years, but I haven't managed to put it together. o_O

Nice! I am trying to decide whether to go with a vertical or horizontal forge. I'd like to have a vertical because I plan on doing a lot of Damascus but am leaning towards the horizontal forge just because it will be a lot cheaper to run. Damascus making Is probably a ways away anyways. Lol.
 
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