How To How do you know if your steel is at the temp you need?

[suha04]

Don't let Natlek rattle you. He means well.
I looked at your profile and don't see any info at all. Fill out your info with age, location, and something about you. That will help us give advice as well as any local smiths offering some help.

I am not sure what natlek has against a gas forge., but they are very simple to build and are much easier to operate. The Stickys has info on building forges, and there are many online tutorials. My advice on building a forge is not to scrim on the materials and size. A 16" long forge with a 5" round chamber and a blown burner will last for many years and do any task needed.

BTW, the stickys has the custom search engine that will find you previous threads on any topic. Search "building a forge" and you should get lots of info.

Many years back I developed the Two-stage PID controlled Forge Burner System. I didn't patent it or sell it, but instead gave the plans free to any knifemaker who wants to build it. There is info and plans in the Stickys, as well as in old threads. This will allow you to control your gas forge to a very precise temperature. The best thing is it is an add-on to almost any existing gas forge. Build a simple forge and add the PID control later on.

Could you please lock this thread? I got what I needed

 

[TheEdge01]

Well, aren't you so nice!

I can assure you, I started working with my dad at the age of 11, so I familiarized myself with these tools, (however, I hate angle grinders, I prefer bench saws if possible ), and of course, he's down for the idea of me trying these things. Of course, I experimented with scraps before, I wouldn't want to just waste my money, I even practiced heat-treating and tempering too, so it's really the smithing part which will be new to me. We thought about using coke for the forge, so the gas one is out of question.

I promise to always wear glasses, keep my hands attached, and I'll take a break in summer

Natlek............. well he’s Natlek.
Anyway, he’s one of the many knife makers on here that really knows his stuff and has helped me along the way. You can learn a ton of info here, just come back from time to time with any questions and don’t allow difficult, yet knowledgeable folks keep you away.

 

[Ron Raducanu]

Could you please lock this thread? I got what I needed

You can do that on your own. When you hit edit, there is a drop down tab called "Thread Tools". Uncheck the "Open Thread" box and the thread will close for further comment.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

suha, I apologize for the rude behavior of those two members. I assure you they are not the normal member here. I won't tolerate any conduct like that.
I'll close the thread. Feel free to send me an email if you need any other info or help. If I knew where you lived, I might ne able to put you in touch with a make near you, or at least in your part of the world.

And, just for reference - I start forging at age 11.