Homemade forge to HT 1084?

Bfusmc03117 · Nov 20, 2013

Does anyone have any plans or tutorials or suggestions on how to make a decent homemade backyard forge so I can start heat treating my own stuff. I have been using 1084 and from what I understand that is fairly easy to HT the backyard method. I also have a lot of 1095 that is not annealed yet. Hoping that I can accomplish that with this homemade forge as well.

Omega Leather Works · Nov 20, 2013

Plans are in the stickies, along with all kinds of really good reading.

Here ya go. Zaph did a great write up.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=915448

Bfusmc03117 · Nov 20, 2013

Thank you that's a good thread. Also wondering the quality if HT you can achieve with a forge like this?

Atlas Knife Company · Nov 20, 2013

I'd like to think you can get a pretty good HT with it. Good enough that Howard Clark, ABS MS, just added one to his shop for working on and heat treating smaller knives. It's probably not going to replace his salt pot for swords, but he seemed pretty eager to add one to his shop for smaller work. Yeah, I'm super psyched by this.

Omega Leather Works · Nov 20, 2013

Zaph, are you referring to your 2bf design, or Atlas? I'm assuming Atlas.

One other question, hope the OP doesn't mind?

I got a (caulking style) tube of furnace cement. It's rated at 2k°. I know that isn't ideal, but should I return it and look for the higher temp stuff? I (as I'm sure everyone does) want this to be as durable as possible since the bricks are the hardest part for me to secure.

Bfusmc03117 · Nov 20, 2013

I'm still confused on the construction of one of these smaller forge . Are the bricks being cemented together? Or are they being bolted together and coated with concrete?

Also someone offered me a NC big daddy forge with no ports for 250 bucks. Is this a good investment or should I stick with building my own?

mccandmatt · Nov 20, 2013

This is what I made, but I used two bricks instead, seems to work nicely for 1084 but I have only done 2 so far. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMuCId2Uo6U

Atlas Knife Company · Nov 20, 2013

The bricks can be bolted together, or wrap mesh around them to hold them together, or stick them in a 5" square pipe.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/920120-Virtual-BBQ-2-Brick-Forge-WIP

Omega Leather Works · Nov 22, 2013

I'm not going to put cement between the bricks. In the how-to it shows a 2bf coated with cement and the results weren't good. I'm planning on wrapping the bricks together with metal cloth. I'll be using the cement just on the inside of the forge. From what I gather from the how- to, the cement is primarily there to help the swirl and keep the bottom from becoming damaged by the blade.

I'm also going to take back the tube of cement that I bought in favor of cement more like the stuff in the how-to.

I want it to be as good as I can make it, as I'm sure you do too.