Mankel Gas Forges???????

B

BIGBEAR

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May 18, 2004
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Hi everyone. I'm relatively new to blade smithing and would like to get some opinions from those who might have one or two. I am slowly gearing up to forge my own knives and was wondering if anyone has used a Mankel forge and what there thoughts are on it. The one that i am interested in is the 3 burner propane round bottom knife makers forge with offset burners. I understand that even heat distribution is critical specially when making your own damascus billets and when dealing with carbon, alloy and tools steals. Or am I better off making my own gas forge. I have been talking to one blade smith and he is very much trying to encourage me to build my own. pros and cons on this subject would be greatly appreciated and any other thoughts. Thanks to all who reply.
 
If you build your own you will have a "feel" for it, and it will most likely cost you a lot less. I built mine really oversized and it still cost less than a small premade forge. The flip side it that if you buy a pre-made forge it's a lot less hassle, and not nearly as time consuming (more user friendly). Good luck with either way you choose.:)
 
A pal of mine who is a full time blacksmith uses one of these, and is well pleased with it. It takes a while to heat up, and therefore wouldn't suit me because I am a kind of hit and run smith. It also uses a lot of gas again for my scale of use.

I'm embarassed to say that until I saw his half a dozen years ago, I didn't realize you could run a forge off a BBQ sized bottle, I thought they had to be plumbed to a line. That was all I needed to know and I was off and building my own.

I can't say I found the make your own atmospheric burnner business productive. All the pipe fittings in my neighbourhood, and I looked everywhere, are such low quality chinese stuff I found I couldn't make the parts myself to the kind of accuracy I was after. I also could make high efficiency burners for less than I could buy them for. Where I am going with this is you can buy finished hybridburners.com for 60-80. Add a regulator for 40, then all you need to do is build the enclosure. The basic result is not unlike your BBQ; a burner inside a box. Listen to how you feel about doing it yourself, but really it's just a BBQ. If you buy the parts, you save a thousand or more dollars. If you don't have a welder and a bandsaw to make it, you could for the cash saved.
 
Its nice to see different views and opinions and appreciate all of them. I hope that others will continue to forward their thoughts. Those who do use the Mankel please feel free to mention your likes and dislikes.
 
I used my first 3 burner Mankel forge for over 20 years and still use it. I recently purchased another forge the the seminars we put on in my new shop. The old forge is now back in my old shop and used for heating up large billets of steel to be worked down on my Beaudry. Ken is one of the good guys in the world of knives, makes a good product, always has time to talk to you when you have questions and the quality is supreme.
 
Can't argue with either Ed or Bruce in terms of durability and service. I trust them both and value their opinions highly.

But Bruce seems to essentially have 1/2 rebuilt his forge to make it work the way he wants. And that's beginning with a very pricey forge. For less money, and not a bunch more work, you could build your own to work exactly how you want it.

I can't speak for Bruce's modified version, but I learned on a Mankel and used it exclusively for the first few years. It was very reliable and got the job done. But, unmodified, it takes a long time to heat up--no big deal for production damascus work, but not the best for bladesmithing--is long and so often heats up way more of your blade than you can work on in a single heat, and, perhaps what I liked least, has the burners entering straight down into the forge. This translates into less vortex, more hot spots, and lots of direct flame on your work. Not always ideal in the world of blades.

John Frankl
 
Hi John. The model of Mankel that I am looking at has offset burners that shoots the flame from left to right. I assume that this will help reduce hot spots??? I also believe that Bruces forge was an open side forge that he totally inclosed " I hope I am getting this all correct" by enclosing the unit will that help speed up the initial heat up????? Unfortunately I am not very good with the computer and would love to post a picture of the unit i want. " Think I will have to ask my 7 year old how to do that". Thanks for the feed back guys I really appreciate this.
 
John is correct in that I spent some time and money to modify my Mankel but it was mostly to fit my needs. First off The "Knife Makers" forge for whatever reason was open on the side so I closed it off. On the other note it also opens and closes on both ends. I raised and expanded the door opening so I could put cannister billets in. The re-routed fan and added propane pipes are because my press is located next to it and I couldnt turn it on and adjust the flows without leaning over the fire. No real expense involved. The external needle valves are the high priced ones ($20 ea.) but arent needed but I like to forge 52100 cold and find I can fine tune the flames at the lower temps. Welding is a breeze because I just crank everything up to wide open and soon it is lemon yellow (2300f) I reccomend a pyrometer for any forge. I can do without it now but when the sun is shining I cant see the colors well enough.

Truth be known I think a vertical forge is better in most cases. The fire is below the work and heat rises to it but a handle needs to be welded onto almost everything. The work is suspended and welding flux drops off, a real plus when forging a blade the work isnt lying in a pool of flux. The sides are coated koa-wool which allows it to warm up much much faster than castable refractory. The door opening usually has a separate fan blowing cool air across it so you could forge with bare hands (not reccomended) There is enough room in the big ones to run 2 or 3 billets at one time for a forging party! They are normally more portable because of less weight. The lid comes off easy for clean out and relining. A salt pot for heat treating can be lowered in it through a hole cut into the lid. I could go on. I have experience with many forges. I think a person should buy or build one, try it and modify it until it works right and fits their needs.
 
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