poor boy propane forge

B

byersj79

Joined
Nov 17, 2007
Messages
156
Anyone heard of or used this from ebay? Do you know about how hot it gets. Looking for something just for heat treating and this seems like it would save me money in the long run rather than sending my blades off. A lot faster too. I have plans on making a coal forge but if this works well i'd soon go with it. Thanks.
 
I'm no expert, but that does look like a decent forge. Being me, I would opt to save money by making one.
 
My only concern is that the burners don't fire tangential to the forge body. You'll have to pretty bad hot spots Im' willing to bet...

-d
 
My only concern is that the burners don't fire tangential to the forge body. You'll have to pretty bad hot spots I'm willing to bet...

-d
 
I am not familiar with the Poor Boy. But I am new to forging and started out on a coal forge at the local art and craft center. It was a little tricky because if you get the fire going too hot and turn your back, half of your knife stays in the fire when you try to take it out. I just bought the cheapest gas forge I could find on the Internet from Diamond Back in NC. It came to just under $300 delivered. Am I happy with it! It takes a little longer to heat up your stock than using coal but if you regulate the flame right you will never burn a blade. I got the one burner forge because of the price and the only drawback is that it won't heat a long blade evenly for heat treating. I don't have a problem because I have used a furnace for years and will continue to heat treat with that. Keep in mind that this is advice from an old guy that has been doing stock removal for 20+ years and just getting started with the forge.
 
you can avoid the hot spots that decker mentioned by putting the blades inside of a piece of pipe in the forge. this will equalize the heat for you.
 
Got one and use it all the time. Love it. Make sure to plaster the inside with Satanite first. I've had mine for about 5 years now. (9 psi is the magic number for me at < 1000' elevation)
 
I've bought tools from Poor Boy before, (he's a regular poster over at anvilfire) and have always been impressed with the quality. Several times now it's been cheaper to buy something from him than it would have been for me to make it myself, because of lack of some of the right tools to do it fast.
 
Ken Scharabo (Poor Boy) has a good reputation for all of the things he makes and is a real good guy from what I can tell over there on Anvilfire... for the price I would bet it's a good deal, and like he says it can always be modified to suit more specific purposes. He states it will achieve upper forging temperatures well, and with an added layer of k - wool and some ITC 100 it should reach forging temps. (Which could be said very truly about a lot of home brewed forges as well.) As for coal heating up your stock a little quicker, that can be true, but blades deserve careful heating in any case, and that one quick coal heat is after 10 -20 min. building your coal fire as opposed to pop it with a torch and pull the steel out 2 or 3 min. later like a gasser. I almost bought the poor boy forge a few years ago until I realized that building forges is almost more fun than building knives...
 
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