Forging demo...

Raymond Richard

Raymond Richard

Joined
Jun 17, 2001
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While waiting in line to board my plane at the Las Vegas airport I met a couple fellows that were with Benchmade Knives that had done the Shot Show. I took a tour of there facility on Tuesday and had a few of them over from Benchmade for a tomahawk forging demo on Friday. I showed them what a high tec outfit I had. These are a few pictures that were taken then. Part of this thread was for me to learn how to use the attachment set up here......
 

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Cool Ray
How'd you like benchmades facility? I looked through an online tour of Buck's factory once and its kind of funny. Hardly any "knifemaker's tools" around. Its all big CNC stuff :D

I like your forge by the way. Mine is very similar ( old propane tank shell) only I ran the burner into the top of the chamber instead of the bottom, and I don't have the shelf on the front. I thought that would make it heat more evenly for heat treating. Wish I had done it the other way now though.
 
Matt, Benchmade wasn't dirty enough to feel like a real knife shop. I enjoyed the tour and the 3 fellows that came out Friday were pretty blow away with what I was able to show them with just a hammer. This was a good incounter and made some new friends to boot.

The one thing about useing the propane bottles is there free. Easy enough to make a new forge. I made another forge a couple weeks ago for heat treating blades up to a little over a foot in lenght. I put the burner at the back and it just wasn't heating the whole chamber. I cut another hole in the middle of it and it works just great. I plugged the old hole and mudded it over. You could do the same with yours. As long as you've got most the shell things should be just fine.
 
Yeah, I might do some hackin on it. Right now its got a fire brick floor in it which I'd like to keep. My main gripe with it is that I made the opening level with the floor so some stuff lays flat against the blocks. Takes longer to heat peices up then if the forge hasn't been running long enough to get the bricks up to temp.
I probably will build a second one sometime soon. This one does work really well for heat treating and forging short stuff, but not everything. I have an old 2 gallon air compressor tank to make one with. I guess there wouldn't be anything wrong with having half a dozen lining the shop wall eventually ;)
 
Matt, You give the old ones to your friends when they start to pile up. The little forge in the picture is totally self contained. Cerramic insulation threw out with a coating of the clay mortar. The burner comming in the bottom for me works the best. When I lite it up I have the steel is already in it and I'm forging in around 3 minutes. Its also used for heat treating my hawks and knives with up to 7" blades.
 
Mine is lined with Kaowool with a coat of clay too :) The bricks just make a flat floor that doesn't get beat up as easily. It will get to forging heat in less than a minute, but I've got a shop vac hooked up for a blower :D

You could do the same thing to your forge easily enough.
Get a fitting (or fittings, I had to get a 90 deg street elbow, and a 1" long nipple) for the bell end of your burner to hook to a 2" PVC ball valve. Then whatever you need to hook the hose of your shop vac or blower to that. The ball valve is kind of like a throttle body. You adjust your air flow with it, and the gas flow with the regulator.
I'm using a 2 gallon shop vac that has a small diameter hose so I can just shove it right into the ball valve. Larger ones might require an adaptor of some sort.
The difference is amazing :D
 
Tony, Yes that is a Nimba anvil. I like it alot for forging knives but not so much for doing hawks mainly cause I left all the edges sharp. Its a great anvil and by far the most expensive one I have. There one of the loudest anvils made. Having a 3" ring magnet on it plus having it solidly fastend solves than.
 
Raymond thanks for the shop moment, I really enjoyed that. It sure pays to be the gregarious type; I'd never have struck up a conversation with anyone and then missed out on all the great knife talk. My wife hates that I'm like that because it means she has to do all the talking. :D
 
Sounds like fun..Hope the show went well for you.Looks like I will be up in your area this week,try and get by for a visit if you will be around.
Bruce
 
Bruce, As usual when you called I was in the shop. I've got a show in Tacoma this weekend but won't be leaving untill early Saturday morning. When will you be here?
 
Dave, I had a fairly long wait while at the airport and I got a beer at a Sports Bar in the terminal. It was a good sized one and lubed me up pretty good. I guess for 8 bucks it better be big besides the two fellows from Benchmade had been at the bar about the sametime I was.

IG, If I had my sandles on I'd have to have a number of pairs of socks on and that would be a fire hazard.
 
I was fortunate enough to attend this little 'hammer in' and I can tell everyone that the guys from Benchmade weren't the only ones impressed with what Ray can do with just a hammer!

It was great to meet everyone that was there and to watch Ray make it look easy to forge a really nice looking 'hawk. I have yet to try one, but now I'm much more prepared for when I do.

Thanks Ray!

- Mike
 
Ray is the man with the hammer. When he was up here he did a great demo that all of was enjoyed. :D Just don't let him next to a press. HEHEHE!!!!
 
Mike, Nothing I like better than showing off.

IG, I never mentioned to you I was a welding inspector... Just doing my job.... :D
 
Ray,Canceled out on the trip..
Call you later.If I don't get ahold of you-have fun at the show.
Bruce
 
Bruce, I was thinking maybe your Dad was having problems and thats why you were comming out. I guess that wasn't it. Anytime you make it out this way your more than welcome.
 
It was about Dad Ray..But all is taken care of.Been trying to call but the phone is busy..Talk to you later.
Bruce
 
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