Im looking to get my first gas Forge...

D

DaQo'tah Forge

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Hi this is DaQo'tah.

I have just started to learn how to make a knife from John Deere Control Shafts and my coal forge is just getting to be too much trouble.

I wish to speed up my work on a knife as well as bring my forgeing indoors with making the jump to a real knifemaker gas forge.

But I know nothing about the type of beginner forge I should get, nor where I should go to look at them on-line.

I have the Koval Knives Catalog , and there is a Two Burner Tunnel Forge for $465.00

Is that about right for me?

Is that about what I can expect to pay for a beginner forge?

Anyone know of a website or something where I could find what I am looking for?

I know some guys have made their own forge, but I just dont think I understand how they work enough to make my own yet. The truth is, I have never even seen a real Gas forge in my life yet..

I could use some advice....
 
Well I think you have a lot to consider. What do you mean buy a real forge.

what are you hoping to drive out of it, how much space do you have how much ventelation do you have. If you are moving indoors you realy want to get the ventelation right. You can go belly up before you know it with fumes.

I built my own forge a modified version of one of ron reils early modles. But time I bought regulators and fittings the wool linning etc I would have spent over $300. It looks home made but works fine.
My problem is it is home made and not an approved device under local
laws. If it causes any problems I would assume no insurance.

I am not aware of what your listed forge looks like but if you have the cash get it or another recommended one. The time you would have spent making it spend making a couple of knives and get your money back. Or save the price of xmas presents giving them away.

I enjoyed making my forge but now in hind sight if I had the cash I would have been just as happy to buy one and get straight into it.
 
okay,,,,my knife making shop is about 40 foot by 24 foot,,so there is lots of room,,,I have HUGE barn-type doors that will let in the fresh air, so thats not a concern,,,

But I live in northern North Dakota and do most of my knife making in the winter, so I just got to get a gas forge to allow me to stand out of the wind...

Last winter was the pits as I had to fight every day to keep my home-made coal forge going in the face of a winter windchill of -50


I also am now useing Load shafts, its a fun steel to forge, but the coal thing is getting old....it's time to make the jump to a gas forge

I just make knives, and so I only need a smaller forge , I would love to make my own, but I have read every example on the web and so far, I think I better not start making such a thing untill I actually learn more knife making skills.


I was just thinking that if the Koval two burner forge sounds about right for $ 460.00 then I might talk to my wife about a Christmas gift she could get me....

But I dont want to get the wrong thing, and I dont want to blow a ton of money when there might be another thats just as good for less...

any advice?
 
Personaly I like my copy of Ron Reils ez burner and freion forge, off the shelf pipe fittings, a 75 dollar roll of Kao wool, a tub of ITC-100, a hair drier to boost power and heat times, a little cutting and welding, a fire brick in the center for a work stand, and good to go. The venturie works fine, but I wanted a faster heat time for damascus so I drilled the gas hole out with a 1/16" bit and taped a hairdrier to the end. works great if a little goofy looking. The damascus flux tends to eat up the kao wool linning, so I just bought a whole roll and reline/repair as needed. Mine dosent look quite as nice as Rons, but it works great.
 
Will52100..

You have always given me good advice, however I dont always understand what you say...

Now I have been reading all about making my own gas forge for about 2 years now but I still dont understand. I have to believe that I will never be able to understand until I actually see and work with a gas forge a while so that the ideas behind it are understood.

I have no idea what some things you guys list mean..

ez burner?
freion forge,?
a tub of ITC-100,?
venturie?

I bet if I could only see a gas forge that all my questions would be answered, but there is none around here...nothing to look at, and the on-line photos are just not good enough to tell what Im looking at, or the scale of the different parts,,


HOWEVER....could you tell me one thing, that might work for me?...Could you tell me if there is any place to get the "guts" the gas jets or what ever you need to make a gas forge?

I got tons of places where I can find the stuff to build my own fire-box (Or whatever thats called where the fire is and the steel blade goes in), but I will never be able to make my own gas jets for a forge.

is there a place that sells what you need to run the gas into a box to make a forge?.

like,,,a kit?
 
Check this site out, it's where I got my info to build my forge.http://www.reil1.net/minifor.shtml

It has a ton of info, like the ez burner desighn, wich is nothing more than a large reducer, a couple pieces of pipe, and some copper line. The burner jet is nothing more than a copper line with a numbered drill bit hole for the jet. The refractory, Kao Wool, Insulwool, fiberfrax, is just rolled on the inside of the tank after you cut the ends out, coat the wool with a little ITC 100 to keep airborn particles down and stick the burner in the side, light it off and your ready to go. Not much more to it than that.

Venturie means that it's not forced air, it creates a vacume to suck air on it's own.

ITC-100 is a ceramic putty that helps keep loose fibers from getting airborn and into your lungs. Mix a little water with it and paint on with a paint brush.

But I know where your coming from, when I first started I had a hard time finding info and was about to buy a forge through simple frustration.
 
will52100

Well...I have been pointed to that site,,,perhaps even by you, before..LOL

and,,,well....Perhaps if I could hold the parts he is talking about in my own hands, and see how it all fits into the forge, then maybe I would catch-on...

But...to tell the truth, I just dont understand,,,not even a little bit, of what the guy clearly is trying to tell me on that site..

I see his forge, and yes, it's just what i think I need for my own blades,,,but getting from that site the needed information that would allow me to buzz down to the hardware store and get all the parts is just not going to happen.

I think we need a guy who does all the shopping and then just sells the bag of parts, all numbered, and drilled and ready to slap onto the firebox....


But, the lawyers likely would put a stop to that,,,so Im stuck with going "New" correct?
 
I would love to learn of a site made by a guy like me, who understands my lack of understanding...LOL

I would love to see a website where a guy teaches me how to build a forge by starting out with photos of everything I will need ,,,he would show in the first photo, him holding up something and saying, "See this part?, It's called a _____ and you find it in the plumbing supply store for X- amount of money, GET IT..
Next you see this other part? It's called a ___ GET IT..."
 
Hi,
If you are really nervous call Jay. At the third link given.

http://www.flash.net/~dwwilson/forge/forgeplans.html Some more plans.

http://www.frii.com/~katana/burner.html

http://www.flash.net/~dwwilson/forge/hayesad.html This has kits and parts lists put together for you. CALL JAY!!! He is very helpful.
His web site sucks but he is a combustion engineer. Take him up on the tapping and drilling of parts!

http://www.customknifedirectory.com/CKD_TutorialFrameset.htm?CKD_Tutorials.htm~tmain is another tutorial on forges.

All else fails, call JAy. He will fix you up and considerably cheaper than a factory unit. One of his kits will save you from a lot of scrounging.
Enjoy, Ken
PS: At the Don Fogg site are several examples of gas forges.
 
I'd like to hear some info on the actual question: What is the "best" commercial small shop gas forge. Scrounging is a highly variable art, depending on where you live, how good you are at it, and whether you make 350 an hour as a lawyer (not me) and taking a vaccation day off to look for Koawool kinda cuts deep.

I'd also be curious whether anyone has tried something like the small forges that just use propane torches, but using bigger burners. There are quite a few of these around all of a sudden, that run off those BBQ size tanks. They include various torches for burning up garden weeds, and making huge pots of stew.

Increasingly the $460 doesn't sound like much compared to blowing your house off the block, uninsured.
 
If you would like me to send a compilation of steps of building a forge I can do that. My old mate LLoyd was snapping away at each stage.
I can also send you plans of the easyest burner I know. And pics.

I put off building my forge for years. One because I was nervous and second lack of cash. When I got the start made it was easy. I soon got my money back. I am always worried that my advice may lead to someone getting injured. Gas and flame equals danger. However if you wants some plans and pics send me your email address. I will send them. reg_ellery@optusnet.com.au However I am currentley at the end of the first day of a 2 week course. I am not sure of the work load to follow as the course progresses. If it takes a couple of weeks to get back to you that is why. I would imagine I could send most information on the first email and clarify things in a couple of weeks.

I have not blown anything up but I did stick my face in front of a 3 foot flame that shot out the front of my forge when trying to light it. That was a me error not a design fault. I did not loose skin just eye brows and lashes. Caused a bit of extra work cleaning my pants out as well.
 
Hi,
As to the question of a good "commercial" knifemakers forge that comes with real service and will live a very long time, go with a Mankel Forge. They are built by Ken Mankel out of Michigan. Ed Fowler and Keith Kilby are a few unknowns that use them.Built like a Sherman tank, blower, lift off removable doors, castable refractory on the bottom half, relining kits available, aprinted sheet of instructions to tune it.
(616)874-6955
Enjoy, Ken
 
If you decide to simply buy one from a distributor, I would get the 3 burner version. Several of my friends have them, and love them. It will probably be my next knifemaking equipment purchase.
 
so much to think about.....

Im printing out all posts, Im printing out all linked websites...


time to study.....
 
Hi DaQo'tah,
Don't make it over complicated! I thought about it and read all the information becoming more and more confused. Jim Fagan stopped by one day and we put it togather in a couple hours.
A blower hooked to a 1 1/2" pipe, a 1/8" inlet for the gas, a regulator for the gas, an old o2 bottle, some kwool and ITC 100 and you're in business. It's too easy!
Lynn
 
Had Fagan done it before? That's totaly different. You obviously have the right stuff in terms of friends, local suppliers, whatever.

I just spent 3 hours in a local community with every kind of industry you can imagine, from a GM plant to nukes. I took the industrial supply listings in the YPs, and went to every industrial supply house and leed I got from those, and found neither Kaowool, nor 2x72 belts. Time sure passes when you're having fun.
 
DaQo'tah and Protactical, I sure feel for you... I built my own Reil freon tank mini forge and had no more experience or scrounging ability than either of you do, so I know it can be done. I ended up spending about $150; a friend found and gave me the old freon tank. If I can do it anyone can.

That being said, I recommend we listen to my friend Reg Ellery and if possible set the "build your own" ideal aside and order one. He's right; why mess with this if you don't have to? (I had to - the difference between $150 and $465 is significant to me. :D )

Ken Simmons suggested Jay. He's right of course - Ken knows what he's talking about, he's one of those guys who doesn't say anything unless he has something worthwhile to say.

So my two bits? Call Jay. Get yourselves a nice prefabbed kit or built unit, and get to work! :D

Good luck gents, be sure to share your results.

Dave
 
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