ebay forge - your thoughts?

Josh Muller

Josh Muller

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Jun 22, 2003
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http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=13869&item=6153560633&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW


unfortunately i bought 2 carhartt sweatshirts (both of wich rock, though im very, very sad that they are taking up my langlitz's spot in daily wear :( ), so i wont have 350$ (or 1/2 that to go halvesy's with anyone on it) until next paycheck. but, hopefully that ebay member sells them regularly, or will put them back up if they dont get bid on.

i really want a forge... i have 50ft of 5160 right now that im going to waist half of through stock removal, and some of the things i want to do simply cannot be done stock removal (khukuries mainly).


so, what are you thoughts on that forge? the pictures arent that great, and the description is lacking a few key points, but for what i want to do (beginning forging) can it be all that bad?
 
You could make that forge for alot less. I don't think its all that efficient a design anyway due to the large openings. They're handy for some things, but you ought to be able to adjust them so that for small stuff you don't have to run it full bore. Even BIG knives don't need 15 square inches of opening :D

Take a look at http://refractory.elliscustomknifeworks.com/ . Darren can fix you up with anything you need. If you've got a fireplace dealer in your area you can probably pick up soft firebricks for about a buck a peice too. Burner can be made out of pipe from the hardware store.
Ron Reil has a really informative website too, but I don't have the url anymore.
 
Dude; First off all I am not a fan of the venturi burners. Like Matt said you can build one allot cheaper. I have a tutorial on my site on how to build a forge too. If you live around me I would show you how to build one. :D :D You could build one for around $200 at the most.
 
thank you for all the responses. the forges from ellis custom knives is bueatiful :D they have a lot of stuff there that i had wondered about too... awesome link

my only hesistation with building my own is that i have no experience with any of the materials, and would actually have to learn a quick lesson in pipe welding in my welding class (wich is where i would weld it. one of the very nice things about constantly being in a welding class - the best equipment is available :D )


it would make an interesting project for me and my step dad... have to read up on the reil pages first though...
 
Hey george- how much save (psi. at normal operating temp.) when you use a burner with a fan, and I've heard that it is quite a bit louder. If not- that could be a definite improvment.
 
Welding is not a an absolute necessity. None of the parts on my burner are welded together. They're either threaded, or put together with set screws. That way you don't have to rebuild the whole burner if it starts to burn out.
The forge body can be made of just about anything you want, from large steel pipe, to sheet metal. Or justa pile of firebricks.

As a side note, welding the type of pipe you'd use for a forge body or burner isn't that hard. I'm 75% self taught and have welded that type of pipe with a stick welder successfully. If you've got equipment from a welding class available it should be no problem. In this case, your not even going for pressure test, it just has to hold things in place :D
The basic trick to sealing it though is to tack it in several places so distortion doesn't pull your joint apart. Then weld as far around as you can in one pass. Clean it up, and start the next pass about a half inch back from the end of your first bead so thay they overlap. Then you don't have any gaps. On thin walled pipe, its a real bitch. But on thick stuff its no big deal. And for a forge, you can throw all that out the window, cause your not dealing with any fluid or pressure. The gas line should all be made with brass compression fittings.
 
man... its going to be fun building this... come next paycheck (wednesday after next :( ) i'll by the itc-100, inswool and satanite... my step dad has all of the other parts lying around his shop at work....

its all new to me, by brass compression fitings your refering to all of the actual lp connectors, not the burner set up right? as in the hoses, regulators, and check valves are brass, but the burner set up itself is black pipe/cast iron for the 90 degree coupling?


interesting thing about fire brick - you can actually weld on it :rolleyes: learned that while in class, and realized that you can weld on anything... wont necessarily weld it together, but you can weld on it.... as i lay down beads, i strike the stick across the firebrick to break off the flux from around the core so that i can get an easy spark on the next bead, and as i struck it across the firebrick i got flashed. after half a minute of waiting for my vision to come back, i looked and realized it was from all the spatter of the other students (and myself) building up, so it created a closed circuit between the welding plate and the brick. ran about an inch of bead along the brick to see if it would work... i thought it was interesting :rolleyes: :D
 
also, thank you george for the tutorial :D:D:D it puts everything in perspective having had no experience or prior knowledge to how a forge or burner works. the only thing i had trouble with after your tutorial was what itc-100, satanite and inswool were, but the link to ellis explained all of it...

fun stuff :)
 
Yep you've got it now. The compression fittings are for the LP line. Thats what the guy at the LP distribution place where I bought my regulator and stuff recommended. Very easy to eliminate leaks that way. A little TFE paste and torque it down and your good to go. He didn't even bother checking the line he put together for me for leaks (I did thoroughly when I got home though).
The burner is made of iron pipe. IG's is a good one, lot of guys using that design. I modified Ron Reil's burner and I'm pretty happy with it. I've got it set up so that I can use it as a venturi or a forced air burner. I go with forced air to forge and venturi to heat treat. Venturi gives a richer flame and lower heat. Cuts down on scale.

Thats funny about the fire bricks. I've been gas welding and brazing on them at school for the past week, and the top layer has pretty much become a hunk of sheet metal :eek: I really like a table like that for hot work. I'm going to make one myself this week that I can roll around as extra bench space. Give me somewhere to lay hot stuff when I'm forging and I can also weld, solder etc. on top of it.
For electric welding I really like a steel top table. You ground the table and weld like crazy cause you don't have to mess around with putting the damn clamp on your work and trying to keep it from sitting crooked :D
 
peter ryt said:
Hey george- how much save (psi. at normal operating temp.) when you use a burner with a fan, and I've heard that it is quite a bit louder. If not- that could be a definite improvment.
Click to expand...
I can weld at 3 to 4 psi. I was told that on a venturi it is over 7 psi. It is louder not by much than a venturi and sounds like a little jet engine when you crank it up.
I have more control with the blower burner. I can run it rich or as lean as I want.
:D
 
SethMurdoc said:
also, thank you george for the tutorial :D:D:D it puts everything in perspective having had no experience or prior knowledge to how a forge or burner works. the only thing i had trouble with after your tutorial was what itc-100, satanite and inswool were, but the link to ellis explained all of it...

fun stuff :)
Click to expand...
No problem, just be careful. I keep a spray bottle of water and soap in the smithy and check all the connects once a week or so. :D
 
IG, What did you say? I can't hear you....... Jet engine is an understatement. :D :D :D

I got me a blower last week so when I have the time I'm going to make the switch. I like the freedom of the ventura but like IG says your limited on ajustability not to mention the savings on gas. I'm still looking for a burner that will run off of a fart......
 
Raymond Richard said:
IG, What did you say? I can't hear you....... Jet engine is an understatement. :D :D :D

I got me a blower last week so when I have the time I'm going to make the switch. I like the freedom of the ventura but like IG says your limited on ajustability not to mention the savings on gas. I'm still looking for a burner that will run off of a fart......
Click to expand...
Ray, is it that much louder???? :eek: Did you fined the biggest forge loud too???
 
Its 2" thick instead of 1" thick ;)

The inswool is insulation. Same idea as insulating your house. The more you got, the more efficient it is. I've got 4" in my little forge and it has to run full out for about 45 minutes before the shell gets too hot to touch.
It should also be coated with Satanite, because its rated for a much higher temperature. It also seals up the seams and keeps ceramic fibers from being blown out of the forge for you to breathe in.
ITC100 can be put on top of that. It is a reflective coating that will increase the insulating properties even more. Its more expensive though so most folks just use it for a thin top layer rather than using it like the satanite to stiffen up the inswool and seal everything up.
 
peter ryt said:
Yah, I.G., would it be acceptable in the suburbs?
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I live almost in the center of the city. I am 7 city blocks for City Hall. My press makes the most noise. :eek: :D My anvil is a Fisher so it doesn't ring. :cool:
 
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