Question about small fire brick forges...

[BubbaW]

I've got my fire brick forge together, and everything looks good...

But I'm confused about how the propane nozzle goes in to the forge. Is it supposed to be pointed slightly upward and towards the back of the forge?

And how far into the brick does the nozzle go? The tip should be inside the brick, but not extend inside the actual chamber, or shouldn't be inside the brick at all?

My first attempt headed up one small spot, but there was no "swirling"

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

A 1BF or 2BF forge is a pretty simple and primitive forge. With careful forming of the chamber and port, you can get some swirling, but the small size of the chamber won't allow much.

The tip of the burner needs to be somewhere between just at the outside of the port hole to about half-way in it. It usually won't work well stuck all the way in. You may have to play with the position and diameter of the hole to get the forge heating right. The torch you use also plays a big role. I would suggest buying a 30K burner from Atlas Forge to use. Also, a look at their Mini forge will show you a lot about how a good 2BF can be built … or just buy a Mini and be happy.

 

[Storm W]

I messed around with a coffee can forge when I was starting out and it wasn't doing what I wanted. You can definitely do one and make it run nice but it's a new skill to learn. Stacy had some great advice. I wanted to start making knives and got a little Atlas just to get me started. I don't use it much now that I have a oven but if it broke I would buy another one right away. If your time matters much then it's hard to justify building your own. It's a great little tool made by a guy from the community as a perfect starter and portable forge. Besides being fantastic at what it is its worth thinking about supporting people who have a positive influence on the industry. He is also coming out with anvils.

 

[Atlas Knife Company]

I place the burner about 1/4" from the inside of the chamber.
New picture showing the swirl right after lighting it.