Two Brick Forge

depending on the size of your knife, a forge like this could do the trick - but...(there's always a but) you want to make sure that you can maintain a constant heat for sufficient "soak" time...1084 is a pretty forgiving steel but it has its limits so make sure that you read up on that steel(see stickies)
Good luck and post pictures!!!
Shawn
 
A 2BF will work. It is the minimal forge, but if you have no other HT method, it will do. You need a good torch like the one in the link.
Keep moving the blade in and out, and check regularly with a magnet to detect when the blade becomes non-magnetic. When it becomes non-magnetic, it is about 1415°F. You need to heat the blade about 50-75°F hotter than that. Heat until it is one shade of red hotter. When the blade is at 1450-1475°F ( as good as you can guess), quench it in a gallon of Canola oil. Just stick it straight in like you were stabbing the oil. Move the blade up and down, but not side to side as it cools.


Here is Zaph1's tutorial on making a pretty good 2BF:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/920120-Virtual-BBQ-2-Brick-Forge-WIP

Zaph1 also makes a very heavy duty version of a 2BF, called the Atlas Mini-Forge, that has been pretty popular with new makers:
http://www.atlasknife.com/forge/
http://usaknifemaker.com/forging-to...ssories-tools-c-172-173/atlas-mini-forge.html

That said, for half the $240 of an Atlas, you can build a great full size forge. The stickies have lots of info on building forges:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/782574-PID-CONTROL-FORGE-Salt-Pots-and-more
 
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Thanks! Could I do Zaph's forge with the bricks hollowed out like the ones in the link? I just don't have a hole saw.
 
Yes. The soft fire bricks are soft. You can use an old spoon to carve them. If you have a ceramics supply store in your area, they should have soft fire brick. When I went to the store, I was telling the sales person what i was doing. He sold me a few bricks at a discount that had minor chips off the edges or corners, not a problem for a two brick forge.

Ric
 
The way Zaph1 does it makes a much better chamber.

If you don't have a hole saw, try this:
use a can or piece of PVC pipe to mark the bricks for the circle cut-out.
Use a 1/4 drill bit to make a circle of holes around the circle.
Use the can/pipe to "punch" out the center by pressing and turning it.
 
Erd,

I built one like Zaph's only I used 4 pcs of allthread to hold the bricks together rather than the long screws. I have sucessfully heat treated about a half dozen knives so far, and all have come out fine. I have only done blades made from 1084 as there really is no way to to get a consistant soak at temperature for some of the more complex types of steel.

Also, I found that the standard type of propane torch would not get hot enough to get the blade to non-magnetic, so I built a venturi burner similar to the designs you see on the Web(I used 3/8ths inch pipe and scaled everything down to that size). That burner gets the forge plenty hot to HT simple steel, but I still find it necessary to gently move the knife back and forth inside the forge to even the heat out on the blade. For this reason I personally would hesitate to try heat treating a "large" blade.

Good luck with your build.

Jeff
 
Erd,

A spade bit can be used as well to drill out a good size hole. Just be careful when drilling, as these soft fire bricks are pretty fragile and you can break them in half if you're using too much force to bore out a hole. I built a one brick forge not too long ago. I used a one inch spade bit to give me a centered hole, and then went with an old half-round file to elongate the opening into more of an oval shape. I went all the way through the brick to allow for proper oxygen for heating, per Mr. Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop book. I do move the blade back and forth in the brick to ensure even heat on the blade. Good luck with the forge.

John
 
The standard torch for a 2BF was a JTH-7. I think it has been replaced with a newer model that has a hose. One type will connect directly to a 20# propane tank. Your local Big Box hardware or the welders supply should have one. Some model # are TS8000 and BZ8250.
If using the small bottles, MAPP gas will get hotter.
 
Here is the one that I built -

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It works for me for heat treating simple carbons like 1084, I did do 0-1 a couple of times with some success. The torch comes in at the top of the chamber and creates a swirling effect with the flame.

It is coated with satanite and ITC-100
 
Just a reccomendation - Make sure you keep your torch approximately one inch from the fire hole in the side of the brick. If you construct your fire hole correctly and keep the torch about an inch from the hole, it should allow your flame to swirl around the work piece in the forge. See the below link. You may have to copy and paste if the link is broken.

http://books.google.com/books?id=as...a=X&ei=W3LyUfqzNOygyAH_jIGoCQ&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA
 
If you don't mind a non-stainless prototype, I've got one prototype burner left that I'd send you for the cost of shipping. It's the non-stainless steel version of this burner, and the hole is .029" instead of .0225". You would just need to add a regulator and hose.

nbd5.jpg
 
I may take you up on that offer. What is it? How would I use that for a forge? Is it for a two brick forge?

Thanks guys for all your help! :)
 
Zaph1, glad you showed another pic of that burner. I lost the cable weld thread. So is that just a nut welded to the pipe at 90 degrees to hold the brass parts?
 
It's a 304SS 1/4" > 1/8" bushing. It's welded with stainless MIG wire. For some reason, I have to re-tap them no matter the vendor. Then, I used a #74 drill to put a jet in the 1/8" brass nipple, then assemble everything with "pipe thread compound for lines carrying gas."

Erdbeereis: This is the burner that I include with my 2 brick forges that I sell. The one I am offering is a prototype, so not nearly as polished, but it still works very well.
 
I think I'll just stick with a regular torch since I can't quite envision how it would work and I think it would be a bit simpler. Thanks so much for the offer though!
 
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