NC whisper low-boy for welding damascus? Making blades

D

Dezmond

Joined
Jun 5, 2009
Messages
80
Hey Guys,

Got the chance to pick up a NC whisper low boy forge.... Will this work for making damascus? Also for forging blades?

Don't know a lot about these ones...

ANy help would be great!

Thanks

Dezi
 
The website says "• Uniform heat that is self regulating to 2350°" which should be hot enough for forge welding. If this is the one you're talking about -- http://www.centaurforge.com/NC-Whisper-Daddy-Low-Boy-Atmospheric-Forge/productinfo/NCLOWBOY/

Also says 3" by 1.5" opening, so keep that in mind, it's going to be hard to fit a billet in there unless you can open that up somehow. You'd want to ask about that I think.

-- Looking closer (bad picture) there is a handle and the whole side opens it looks like, the hole is just for putting small things in like round bar i guess. But still that door might be annoying with a billet and a handle hanging off the end. Maybe someone here owns one or has used one, I'm just looking at it for the first time.
 
$300.00 is asking price... I would hope that I could open up the hole yes.. Or refit something else on there.....

I have almost everything to make a single burner forge from David Robertsons website... Just didn't know if this would be better for heat or not....
 
if it is in very good condition, 300 might be ok, but I would see if I could work him down a bit. it would probably be better than the single burner for damascus, but you don't need it for starting out, and I think It might be a bit of overkill.
 
I think thats the one i have, while it will probably do damascus. The flux will eat up the insulation very very quickly. THese really were not made to do damascus , I use mine now for general forging after I destroyed the interior attemtping to do damascus when I started. I then the next year re-lined it and made a blown vertical forge.
CW
 
I use mine for doing damascus with no problems. I usually start with a 20 layer billet 1.5" x 4" and that works out to be a pretty good sized billet when drawn out.
forge.jpg
 
I have a Whisper Lowboy that I like a lot as a simple, atmospheric, general forging heat source. It is portable and robust. It will weld damascus, but you can build a much better dedicated welding forge for $300.
I also agree that $300 for a used Lowboy is a bit high, unless it is very clean and comes with some extras. Being in Canada, maybe used forges run higher. Down in my parts, a used forge will run from $100-$250.

If you get it and do damascus in it, just make billets that will fit the ports. You don't want to try and modify it. The original floor will get eaten up by the flux, but is easily replaced with Mizzou and bubble alumina, so the flux problem won't be a major reason against buying it.

It is a venturi burner forge, and thus will not run at low heat. The general range of chamber temp will be from 1600°F to 2400°F. It can not be converted to a blown forge, or to temperature control. The temp is regulated by raising and lowering the gas pressure, but it will backflash ( flame jumps back into the manifold and burn with a high squeal) if the pressure is set too low.

If you have the ability, building a blown forge would be a better use of $300. For $500 you could build a superb, temperature controlled forge capable of doing everything from welding to HT.
 
Hey Stacy, you say I can build a "Superb, temperature controlled forge" for $500.00.... Where do I find the plans for that? If I can build one for that price, I would rather go that route. Then I can pretty well do anything with it....

Thanks for the advice everyone!!!
 
Indian George had a set of plans on his website. Also Kevin Cashen had a design. I have not looked in a while so i do not know if they are still up.
 
I got my whisper lowboy donated to me. I relined it once last year and I am not sure if he ever did. For $300 I would try and talk him down or build your own. I have a larger blown forge already built and waiting to be finished but for now I have made a bunch of Damascus in the lowboy and will continue to.
 
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