Variable length forge

B

BKT

Joined
Feb 15, 2016
Messages
167
Sort of a long shot but I was wondering if anyone had ever come up with a way to create a way to shorten a forge chamber so that you can have just one forge that is small and large. I am building a new forge right now for larger pieces. The chamber is like 20" long which is way more that I need usually so I was trying to think of a way that I could make some sort of way I could slide in a firebrick plate or something to shorten the forge down to like 12" when I am just working with my usual knives and only run one burner.
 
I've seen it done. Had a buddy who had a three burner forge. If he didn't need the full length he'd put in a sort of sliding wall that he made out of ceramic board and cut the gas to the burner(s) that he wasn't using. Worked fine for him, and cut down on his gas usage dramatically.
 
That is what several folks do. I have seen soft firebricks paced in the forge to shorten it, too.
 
Travis Wuertz made a bolt together ribbon burner forge for his sword on forged in fire. Pretty cool setup really.
 
My method for this was to create a sliding back wall using rolled up ceramic fiber blanket bundled into a roll and then sealed in on all sides with Castable refractory. Works great. I also created a small opening on the bottom of this sliding back wall large enough for the blade to pass under if desired, which is a great method for shielding part of your blade when you don't want to heat the entire length of it in forging.
 
Hmmm, I throw away a lot of 5" diameter half circle bricks. I suppose you could use them to fill the chamber. Maybe I should stop throwing them away?
 
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