Ribbon burner forge... Worth it?

A.McPherson

A.McPherson

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Jan 27, 2012
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Hey guys, I'm looking at building a new general use forge. I've got a vertical forge already and that works great for HT and forge welding, but it's kinda crap for general knife making/blacksmithing tasks.

I'm going to make a new horizontal forge out of a piece of pipe that I've got. It's 18 or 24 inches in diameter and 2-ish feet long. I've got a PID controlled blown burner that I plan to use.

What do y'all think about ribbon burners? Worth the extra effort?
 
I haven't built one myself, but those who have seem to like the heat control.
 
I do more blacksmith work than knives (gifts/when I feel I need more tedium and aggravation in my life) and unless you plan to do big pattern welding billets a regular 2 burner will do plenty for general forging. The additional aggravation of blown air and the temps created are a bit much for general forging imo.

18-24in is huge though. That's either going to be a ton of insulation and take 45 mins to get to temp or you'll need a ribbon burner with a strong blower and a ton of gas to keep it hot. It would be an awesome size for doing large axes or similar size artsy stuff. Hammering out a chisel or knife will be annoying though and you'll end up with a small 2 burner anyway😆
 
18-24" is a big range. Assuming 18", I would put 2" of Kao-wool in it and 1" of refractory ( Kast-o-lite 30) ... 4" of insulation if it is 24".

Put a floor of K-26 soft bricks in it and then add the refractory. Make a back wall and front wall from stacked hard firebricks.

A ribbon burner would be fine, but so would two blown burners and PID control.
The plus of a large chamber forge is that you can do blacksmith projects and things like tomahawks and axes as well as large blades.
 
I've had venturi burners that worked good, but the blown burner I now use is so much better than the venturi burner due to better control I wouldn't even consider going back to a venturi setup. Power for the blower isn't much of an issue since 120vac is using just an extension cord away.
 
Ribbon burners can also run on lower propane due to not having to rely on the venturi effect and are a lot quieter, IMO.
Also, I think they are easier to control the forging atmosphere.
 
Yeah I'm definitely going with a blown burner, and I was planning on doing something like Stacy was saying, kaowool and a castable refractory with a replaceable firebrick floor...

A ribbon burner would help speed up the heating of a larger area...

Eh, I was going to have some more feedback from folks who had them already, so they could tell me about the things they don't like about them. All I ever really see is the hype, ya know?
 
A.McPherson said:
Eh, I was going to have some more feedback from folks who had them already, so they could tell me about the things they don't like about them.
Click to expand...
I've been using one for over 13 years. I can't think of anything I don't like about them, or anything that a venturi forge does better.

Well, the only possible negative thing would be the need for electrical power for the blower.
 
A.McPherson said:
Yeah I'm definitely going with a blown burner, and I was planning on doing something like Stacy was saying, kaowool and a castable refractory with a replaceable firebrick floor...
Click to expand...
This is also what I have in my forge.
Here's my newest model, Clamshell design so I can work plate if I want:

NK5fybP.mp4
https://imgur.com/NK5fybP
 
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Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
18-24" is a big range. Assuming 18", I would put 2" of Kao-wool in it and 1" of refractory ( Kast-o-lite 30) ... 4" of insulation if it is 24".

Put a floor of K-26 soft bricks in it and then add the refractory. Make a back wall and front wall from stacked hard firebricks.

A ribbon burner would be fine, but so would two blown burners and PID control.
The plus of a large chamber forge is that you can do blacksmith projects and things like tomahawks and axes as well as large blades.
Click to expand...

Stacy, would you give pretty much the same advice for an 18" diam air compressor tank that is 18" in length and I was thinking of cutting it again to make a half moon top and set that on a welded table base. base would be refractory or firebrick. i want to be able to forge weld damascus with this ribbon burner set up. Thanks!
 
Housemade makes a ribbon burner forge kit that looks pretty neat tbh... Thoughts?

 
Brian House's "House Made" products are well planned and parts are cut accurately. I haven't used any of his stuff, but the videos are well made, and the info is excellent.
I went over the ribbon burner forge video you posted and the ones on tuning the forge. Seems like a really good deal for the money. I would say you need a little experience in forges and in welding to make it. There are extra items, like the blower, pipes, hinges, valves, firebricks, solenoid, stand, etc. to buy, and I would not use the 3-D-printed funnel, buy suggest the Pro-funnel. If going this route, bite the bullet and do all the upgrades and build it all at one time. Probably about $1500 by the time you are done.
I highly recommend using Quick-Disconnect propane fittings when building or setting up any forge.

His video of how to do the build is excellent:
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Brian House's "House Made" products are well planned and parts are cut accurately. I haven't used any of his stuff, but the videos are well made, and the info is excellent.
I went over the ribbon burner forge video you posted and the ones on tuning the forge. Seems like a really good deal for the money. I would say you need a little experience in forges and in welding to make it. There are extra items, like the blower, pipes, hinges, valves, firebricks, solenoid, stand, etc. to buy, and I would not use the 3-D-printed funnel, buy suggest the Pro-funnel. If going this route, bite the bullet and do all the upgrades and build it all at one time. Probably about $1500 by the time you are done.
I highly recommend using Quick-Disconnect propane fittings when building or setting up any forge.

His video of how to do the build is excellent:
Click to expand...
thanks yeah I think if I was going to forge a lot I would probably go this route because it really does seem like a well thought out and well made industrial piece of equipment.

From what I could tell the welding on it is minimal, but I haven't watched the build video yet haha

For an intro starter forge I think I would spring for the one made by Atlas forge (single burner) (for example my kids are interested in getting into some forging)

Thanks for the insights
 
You are correct, that ribbon burner build is not an intro level forge. The Atlas forges are good intro level forges. The Graham is a good general forging forge. If planning on doing both blade and blacksmith projects, consider a NC Forge and Tool Whisper Lowboy forge.

At a minimum, you will have to weld up a sturdy base as well as the doors to build the ribbon burner kit.
 
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