Please post some "one brick forge" pictures

A

alexmin

Joined
Nov 16, 2005
Messages
513
Guys, can some one post pictures of one brick forge?

I am saving for an electric oven. In mean time I want to try to HT myself. All my knifes are O-1 anyway. I got some soft bricks last week and torch with MAPP gas can and ready.

Any "one brick forge" related tips are appreciated.

Alex
 
Here is some stuff I got from a google search when I was building mine. I hope I'm not violating any copyrights by posting -- I can't remember where I downloaded the images from.

Note that the following instructions were included:

"One important thing is to wire it up so that if and when the heat cracks it, it will stay together. He just looped the wire around and twisted it tight at the top of each loop. Also, he said to keep the torch about an inch away from the hole. I guess most people tend to stick the torch into the hole. You stick the knife into the long hole and the heat into the short hole and that's it!...I goofed up the image, that's the front view and the side view on the bottom of the sketch."

Also, from my research, I gleaned that:
-- a single propane torch might not be hot enough for anything but a small knife. Two torches (with an additional hole on the opposite side) should work. Or a MAPS torch.
-- Don't put the end of the torch right into the brick, or it might melt.
-- it is far better to get a good quality "swirling" type of torch tip -- the pencil point kind won't distrubute the heat properly. I wish I could remember the link about this, as it recommended specific brands (and "swirling" was not the proper description, but I can't remember it:rolleyes: )

I've only just used mine once (on my first knife, which I just finished yesterday). I only had a single, pencil-point torch, and even on the small knife it was difficult to get the whole blade heated correctly. I'm going to get a better torch for next time.

You can find more info by searching on "one brick forge", "coffee can forge" and "bean can forge" in google.


Hope this helps.



 
Alex:

After looking at Iain's post, I'm going to replace my one-brick with a two-brick. It looks like a much better design. The two-brick will allow for a larger blade, and the nice, shaped interior should distribute heat better than a straight bore.

Thanks, Iain!
 
No worries anytime :)

It isn't my design so I take no credit for it but so far it has been pretty easy to make. After marking mine out I scraped out the cavity with a spoon then sanded it to make it smooth (incase you don't have a similar knife to the one used in the thread like me).

I have no wool on mine but ZDP said it wasn't nescessary but I have wire wrapped mine and am coating the outside with refractory cement.

Tried to buy a map tourch today but some thief has stolen all the map ones from the DIY store near me. :mad:
 
One thing I don't like about the one brick forge is they make to darn much noise. I made my first new forge a couple weeks ago. I used the smallest refilable propane bottle I could find. Think its rated at 1 gallon. This was going to be my demo forge but I've used it almost everyday now. I cut a small port in the back incase I use it to do larger blades. I can do a 6" blade without any problems totally inside the forge. If I think of it tomorrow I'll get a picture of it. My favorite forge before this one was out of a 2 gallon bottle.
 
The BurnsOmatic torch works the best by far for propane. It is a venturie style tip, it prodces much more heat than the others.
I think the 2 brick job is much better for the cost of another brick. I cut a 3/8" slice off of the end of each brick and used them for doors on the each end, without them it would be open on both ends. I held them in place with coat hanger bent like a big C, and I can slide the doors up and down to suit the need so things can stick out both ends. With this I can do a knife with a 6" blade but it is the limit. It is big enough to do two small ones at once so I can hammer one while the other heats up.
Cheers Ron.
 
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