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- Jul 8, 2008
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- 1,079
Well I decided to make a large forge for heat treating big choppers, and a couple of swords that I want to make. Got the idea from the first blades guide to making knives, in the chapter by don fogg. I looked for a link to his forge, but could not find it on the net. so I figured that if I had problems, someone else might also, and so here is what I built. it seems that the sword forges are not near as common as normal sized ones, and WIP's aren't very common, or at least I was only able to find a few.
If anyone has a link to don fogg's forge I would love to see it. It seems his website is down.
I started with a 40 gallon gas hot water heater. cut the ends off, while keeping the rims intact as I wanted it to stay round. then lined it with the 1" body soulable refractory blanket with stainless wire used to hold it to the sides of the forge, and then coated it with kastolite. then I ran some more stainless wire through the top to hold a baffle pipe, which was the flue from the hot water heater. had to make a new back as the bottom wouldn't work right. the front door, I may tinker with to make it a little nicer, as right now it just kind of sits there and isn't really stable. built a forced air burner with 1/4" pipe threaded on the inside for removable orifices, welded inside 1 1/2" pipe for the rest.
I did have problems with the air flow through the forge for awhile, there is a good sized hole in the back door that lets burned gas escape, and she seems to run best with the front door not closed all the way for more combustion air. and she takes about 30 minutes to come up to temp.
but she is very nice! with the baffle tube, once she is up to heat, I can place a blade in the baffle and watch it come up to temp, go through the phase change, steady out and then pull for the quench. no more pumping the blade back and forth in my forging forge {the rack she sits in has the sword forge on the bottom, my big forging forge in the middle, and my little forge on top so they don't take up much floor space}.
interior dimensions are 42" long by 13" inside diameter. I suppose I could cut a hole in the back door where the baffle tube ends and then could do a longer blade by pumping it back and forth.
I can also take the baffle out, and just use her as a large forge pretty easily.
the next few modifications to her will include a removable heating element and PID controls for her to double as a tempering oven, and I also have a gas setup from a kitchen oven that works ok also. and I would like to find a 1 1/2" brass air control valve, but they seem to be in short supply in the hardware stores at the moment, so that is why I have the plastic one on there.
If anyone has a link to don fogg's forge I would love to see it. It seems his website is down.
I started with a 40 gallon gas hot water heater. cut the ends off, while keeping the rims intact as I wanted it to stay round. then lined it with the 1" body soulable refractory blanket with stainless wire used to hold it to the sides of the forge, and then coated it with kastolite. then I ran some more stainless wire through the top to hold a baffle pipe, which was the flue from the hot water heater. had to make a new back as the bottom wouldn't work right. the front door, I may tinker with to make it a little nicer, as right now it just kind of sits there and isn't really stable. built a forced air burner with 1/4" pipe threaded on the inside for removable orifices, welded inside 1 1/2" pipe for the rest.
I did have problems with the air flow through the forge for awhile, there is a good sized hole in the back door that lets burned gas escape, and she seems to run best with the front door not closed all the way for more combustion air. and she takes about 30 minutes to come up to temp.
but she is very nice! with the baffle tube, once she is up to heat, I can place a blade in the baffle and watch it come up to temp, go through the phase change, steady out and then pull for the quench. no more pumping the blade back and forth in my forging forge {the rack she sits in has the sword forge on the bottom, my big forging forge in the middle, and my little forge on top so they don't take up much floor space}.
interior dimensions are 42" long by 13" inside diameter. I suppose I could cut a hole in the back door where the baffle tube ends and then could do a longer blade by pumping it back and forth.
I can also take the baffle out, and just use her as a large forge pretty easily.
the next few modifications to her will include a removable heating element and PID controls for her to double as a tempering oven, and I also have a gas setup from a kitchen oven that works ok also. and I would like to find a 1 1/2" brass air control valve, but they seem to be in short supply in the hardware stores at the moment, so that is why I have the plastic one on there.
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