forges

[marekz]

well im looking at getting a forge in a few months. i want one that will last me forever and fit all my future needs as i progress. any reccomenations.thanks marek

 

[marekz]

nc whisper forges are in another thread. for damascus billets i would need the whisper daddy right? or could i do that with themamma or baby?. i was also looking at the ellis foorge--is there really a greater advantage to have a blower?--thanks marek--any minimal dimensions that need considering. the nc daddy is huge, the ebay one is 4x8x6, the Mr. ellis one i think is smaller but states good for damuscus work. i need to be educated--thanks againand again-yours truly-marek

 

[Mike Krall]

Marek,

Have you searched here (if you can)? Try this if you can't http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=011197018607028182644%3Aqfobr3dlcra. Try searching: forges, "horizontal forge", "vertical forge", etc. The other knife forums will have info on forges you can access through a search.

I think a lot of folks who do a lot of knife work that includes damascus making, very often have more than one forge. Mostly, there is no such thing as a forge that does everything well. All the designs have limitations. If you have a horizontal forge with interior dimensions of 6"-7" diameter & 18" length, you can do a lot of different things adequately.

Generally, blown burners that can be accurately air-tuned for gas/air mixture will use less gas for the heat. Well designed venturi burners work fine. Some venturi burners (T-Rex) air tune extremely well. T-Rex venturi burners will out preform the vast majority of blown burners.

Mike

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

If you want it to do the max, you will need to make the forge PID controlled. They don't come that way commercially. Look at Darren Ellis' site and consider building your own.
http://forgegallery.elliscustomknifeworks.com/
Darren has everything you need. I highly recommend making the forge a blown forge. While there are some great venturi burners, like the T-rex, they can't be controlled like you can with a blower. The main advantage with a venturi burner is that they don't need any electricity. That isn't usually any concern now days.

The discussion on making a forge two stage controlled is here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=635924&page=2

You can purchase a Whisper Daddy or a Whisper Knifemaker,for now,and learn on it, and then make one later that fills your exact needs. If you are going to do general forging, damascus, and HT in a forge, you will probably need two different forges eventually. I like my Whisper daddy, and do most of my general forging in it.

Stacy