Mini forge out of a soup can!

strahd71

strahd71

Joined
Jan 26, 2006
Messages
784
last night i built a mini forge out of a large soup can refractory/furnace cement. i cured it in the oven and today I attatched my brand spanking new benzo jht7 torch to it and it worked great! not going to achieve welding temperature but it did get a piece of 1/4 steel a nice orange. its big enough now that i could probably do a 1inch x 1inch piece. with a little tweaking i could get bigger.

so this gives me a chance to just try and learn how to hit the steel and get it to go where i want. my desire wants to create a knife right away but my skill level says take it easy and learn the steps! i'm 37 now i wonder if this is age related cause i would have never thought this way when i was younger.

i was gonna do pics but its just a soup can with fire comming out of it.

thanks for all the info and advice over the last month or so. i appreciate it guys.

jake
 
Jake, thank you for listening to us about the galvanized metal. More than a few people have died from that stuff. Believe it or not I've been worried.

Sounds like it's going to be good for you :thumbup:
 
hey Will thanks for the heads up on that. i had read on here that it wasnt a good idea to use the galvanized stuff. but i never really read that it was so deadly! i was thinking that maybe the refractory would keep it from getting so hot. at any rate i dont want to find out! i am gonna just thro that pipe away now since it has a hole in it.

i've been thinking about buying a grinder first but i think i might want to get a real forger set up and go that route. its alot cheaper. and i do have a small belt grinder and like you have said many times in the post i have read. "files and sand paper work too". so by forging i should be able to get by a little easier. now if i can just learn the forging techniques!

thanks again Will.

jake
 
I can't wait to get pictures of that forge of yours... Sounds interesting. By the way, as long as you are not absolutely determined to use propane and you are stil considering the posibility of using charcoal... you may benefit of having a look at THIS. You could easily improve the design using that refractory cement of yours on the walls instead of my crappy pieces of firebrick.

Mikel
 
mikel i am forced by circumstances to use propane for the time being. i do not have a garage of my own or place so i have to use my father in laws yard/garage. so what ever i end up with as to have the ability to be "put away" also i dont have the time to mess with a fire i need the ease of "light and go". also the garage has a wooden floor, and the area i live is classified as "semi arid desert" in another words fire is a big risk. but when and if i ever get to move i want to have both a charcoal/coal forge and propane.

i do like how urs turned out tho its given me some ideas thanks

jake
 
Jake,

I like your forge, even though I have not seen it. I am wanting to make one myself. What angle is your torch slid in at? I have been using a mapp gas torch in open air for about a year, and it is a real pain to use.

A picture would be nice. I would be willing to message you my cell phone # if you could take a pic with your cell phone and text it to me.


Tommy
 
tommy i can take a picture for u

i cant up load it on here. so P.M me and i will send it when i can.

i just have it going in straight into the side since it isnt that big. it does heat up to orange if the piece fits in there.

Pad i think it was tomato soup..... i dont remember if it was good should have been.

jake
 
Jake, Have you tried the one brick forge that Wayne Goddard conceived? The soft brick drills easily with a spade bit, so are quick to make. They really aren't a toy like they appear. Even with two "real" forges I use various one bricks at times. That torch you have works well. Those soft bricks are excellent insulation and are available at pottery supply stores.
Have Fun!:thumbup:
Alden
 
ok here ya go i think i got the pics on here!
 

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You know, "if it works, it works"? I've got a JTH-7 forge and it's got a lot more whistles and bells on it than yours does. I wish I had thought of what you did before I got carried away.

If you want to mess with it a little, try moving the burner tip outside the can up to 1+"... maybe angle the flame forward or back... roll the can so the flame comes in on a tangent to the inner diameter. Experimenting with those aspects might get interior conditions with advantages for different parts of the forging/HT-ing process.

When I HT in mine, I turn the gas down... I can control rate and eveness of heating easier.

Mike
 
Alden Sherrodd said:
Jake, Have you tried the one brick forge that Wayne Goddard conceived? The soft brick drills easily with a spade bit, so are quick to make. They really aren't a toy like they appear. Even with two "real" forges I use various one bricks at times. That torch you have works well. Those soft bricks are excellent insulation and are available at pottery supply stores.
Have Fun!:thumbup:
Alden
Click to expand...


or a "two brick" as seen in the following link. I made a similar one and the bricks are cool to the touch on the outside. use refractory brick, insulating fire brick. they are cheap and easy to work. then line with the furnace cement to beef it up!
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11056

peace
jt
 
i thought about jt, the soup can was a spur of the moment thing. i had a weekend off and wanted to do something not just order stuff and wait. the soup can does get hot enough to forge though so what would i gain by going smaller since i can get almost a 2 inch wide piece in the soup can? either way i am building a large forge now which i have added pictures to the new threat "forge i am building". thanks for the suggestion tho.

oh and guys its ok to try stuff!!!! it doesnt have to be in the 50 dollar knife shop

jake
 
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