New kid

[J.McDonald Knives]

Hah thats cool, I didn't know that. It's cool that there is a new generation of knifemakers starting up. I'd hate to see the art of handcrafted tools and knives die.

i feel the same way. just curious how old did you think i was?

 

[Caden_Vekk]

oh ok i usually present that as ft^3/m so i threw me off. I'm thinking about using IG's setup for the blower stuff. Would that work?

 

[J.McDonald Knives]

it works for mine. that setup even works for forge welding.

 

[Caden_Vekk]

how much did your foge cost to build. If I'm estimating right this one should cost somewhere around $150-$170

 

[J. Keeton]

If you’re looking into blowers... the 164CFM blower on this site is really good. I've heard really good things about it, and I have one. It's been working for a good long time, and is very substantial.

http://www.blacksmithsdepot.com/Templates/cart_templates/cart_browse.php?theLocation=/Resources/Products/Forges_and_Parts/blowers

Ps: Damn that 400CFM blower on that site looks like a monster! First time I saw that.

 

[J. Keeton]

how much did your foge cost to build. If I'm estimating right this one should cost somewhere around $150-$170

Mine cost a little more than that. I think ball park 300. However, I had to buy some stuff twice because I screwed up.

 

[Caden_Vekk]

ugh $160 it had better be. It's too big for my application at the moment. I'm more interested in the 112 CFM even though its $100. i think i can find a blower though it may have to be a hand crank blower. Would that have any giant imact?

 

[J.McDonald Knives]

mine cost me about $200 to build. i got the blower (about 50cfm squirel cage fan) and the forge body for free. if you want to see what my forge looks like go here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=459254 you can see what mine looks like and what i used.

Keeton, i saw that 400CFM blower. its sexy!!!! once i get the money im getting that 164CFM blower. that way i can use my burner setup on my future welding forge.

 

[J.McDonald Knives]

ugh $160 it had better be. It's too big for my application at the moment. I'm more interested in the 112 CFM even though its $100. i think i can find a blower though it may have to be a hand crank blower. Would that have any giant imact?

with a gas forge, a hand crank blower will not work. once you stop it you have the big chance of the heat going back up into the blower itself and possibly melting it if not destroy it or have it catch on fire. not to mention you cant control the atmosphere with a hand crank blower. contact darren ellis and have him explain the differences between a neutal, a reducing, and an oxidizing atmosphere. hes a physics professor and is friggin smart when it comes to things like that. you can learn alot from him on that matter.

 

[Caden_Vekk]

Dang she's pretty. deffinately like that night shot. Would it make since that if I'm using a smaller forge with the same size burner that it would heat up faster? Since I'm using bare firebrick should I coat that with the satanite too?

 

[J. Keeton]

This would be my 3rd one. (THe one that worked right) If you need more pics I have like 100 of the construction.

My propane forge:







Edited: (Pics wouldn't work)

 

[J.McDonald Knives]

you dont need to with your forge. you can if you want. just so you know that flame shooting out in the night shot was the wrong type of flame to have. that flame will cause scale buildup. its called a reducing atmosphere. darren can explain it more in detail. what you want is for the flame to stay inside the forge and at most shoot out an inch and not constently but more like flicker out. with a smaller forge it will heat up faster cause it has less surface area to heat up. mine takes me about 5 mins to warm up on a neutral atmosphere but on a reducing atmosphere it takes about a min or less and then i adjust it down. once you finish your forge have darren or indian george help you start it up and adjust it. after a while of using it you will get to know your forge. what help me out was just doing a little blacksmithing work and watching how the metal reacted at certain settings. i pretty much have it down right now but i need a better blower. im going to save up and get that 164cfm blower. its a good investment and you might want to think seriously about the future. save up and get it now so you dont have to get it later on to replace the crapier one you bought before and wasted your money on. just my .02.

 

[J.McDonald Knives]

keeton i like the horse shoe you used on the door. also this forum doesnt like html code. use [img] codes.

 

[Dave Bowen]

Welcome to the "Crack for Craftsmen" site. As they said, it's addicting but tons of fun. It's nice to see younger people interested in the craft.

I guess I'm kind of in the middle at age 37, but I started when I was in my early 20's.

You couldn't have picked a better group of people to be associated with. These guys are great.

Good luck, and I look forward to seeing your work.

Dave

 

[Caden_Vekk]

just showed my mom the plans. naturally she's a little apprehensive, what are the odds that the propane tank will explode if it is 8 feet away?

 

[J.McDonald Knives]

mine sits less than 5 feet from the back of the forge. probably around 3 feet. but if you look i dont have a pass thru hole. my hose is 5 feet long. just make sure you dont have it sitting infront of the forge or near the flame and youll be good. also when the pressure is being released from the propane tank it starts to get cold. you really dont have much to worry about with that tank. well maybe it freezing up on you since its so small. alot of knife makers who use a forge use 100lb tanks. just something you could think about in the future. tell your mom she doesnt have anything to worry about because there are alot of the highly experienced makers here that will help you with it.

 

[Dave Bowen]

just showed my mom the plans. naturally she's a little apprehensive, what are the odds that the propane tank will explode if it is 8 feet away?

As a former firefighter, I can answer this with confidence.
It won't explode.

Worst case scenario is if you put the tank right in front of the forge and it heated up enough to explode, the hose would have been long melted off.
You would have a flame shooting out of the nozzle. In order for something to explode, it has to be pressurized or contained. Unless the tank was instantly superheated, the lack of pressure (because of the open valve) would prevent an explosion.

I have personally put out large propane tanks that were on fire. The only way to do it is to reach in and turn off the valve while protecting yourself with a wall of water. I've never seen one explode because they have relief valves.

Mom doesn't need to worry about a thing.

 

[J.McDonald Knives]

Dave Bowen, if you ever are in san antonio or close to it come on out here. shoot me an email and ill give you my phone number so you can call me if your gong to be out this way. id be more than glad to have you come out here. pimpin.squee@gmail.com

 

[Dave Bowen]

You bet. I would like to see your forge before I build one. The wife and I were thinking about coming to San Antonio for a weekend just to hang out at the riverwalk and stuff. Since I was born there (Ft. Sam Houston) I like to visit once in a while.

I'll shoot you an email.

Oh, and call me Dave. When I hear my full name I think I'm getting in trouble. lol

 

[J.McDonald Knives]

i know exactly what you mean. i got your email and i replied to it also. so whens the next time yall are coming to san antonio? when you get ready to build your forge ill help you with it. i just dont have a welder yet. look foward to seeing you out here sometime.