Gas Forges

I've been following this guy on youtube and he does some really neat work. His vids are all in Russian (I'm guessing) so you can understand what he's saying, but the skills translate around the world. I particularly like seeing how he adapts the tools and materials from his region - whether it's building a tire hammer or this blown burner for his forge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0cZWforqow

I recently saw an advertisement on the web for a 2 burner gas forge for about $75 . Being on fixed(broken) income this is affordable. Anyone have experience with them? Replies are greatly appreciated, thanks.

Looking for firebricks for the floor of a gas forge. The forge doesn't have much height, and as I'm putting in blanket and refractory cement, so there'll be even less height. Am in the UK. So, firebricks shouldn't be too thick, maybe like 20mm? Any recommended ones that don't crumble after 3 or 4 heats?! OR, if I have used blanket & refractory, do I need firebricks on the floor? - I've not used refractory cement before so need advise! (more used to coke forges, just getting in to gas forges). Looking at the blanket & refractory cement below... Will be doing mixed forging, variety of things but to include forge welding at times. Re…

clickbaity title I apologize but - I just bought into Blacksmithing and I got a few bars of 1.5x12x.125 1095. I can get the forge to around 1400-1500 degrees at the max but two things are confusing me. I have made a blade before several years ago under an eye of an master and but I think it was 1084. Recreating the steps I remember plus what I have seen on youtube things aren't working correctly. When I forge the tip of what will become a blade - the "top" and "bottom" of the side edge doesn't want to forge together so it looks like I have a crack going down the center of the tip. the second issue that arose was when I was attempting to forge out the tang. I got it as hot…

Appreciate all the helpful information you've documented throughout the site. Had a quick question for you and the community. I frequently see 'food coloring' recommended for post-buttering application of fumed silica to ceramic wool. I was wondering, would acrylic-ink be an acceptable option as well? I have Liquitext Acrylic Ink pigments on hand; they say: "Ultra-fluid acrylic with lightfast, artist-quality pigments. No dyes. No fade. Just pure, permanent color. And like all acrylics, it dries quickly and permanently, with no smudging or bleeding when rewetted or layered. You get pure liquid color in a range of opacities." And elsewhere I see they are made of …

Hi, I am kinda new to gas forges and was wondering what temperatures a good gas forge for general forging and welding should achieve. I just built mike porter style gas burners for my forge and tested them. I hear a lot of people saying they get a "white hot" heat in a gas forge. I don`t really seem to get that. It is more like a yellow color. I only ever get real white heats in my coal forge . I use insulating firebrick in the forge and the burners seem to work fine. The temperatures i get are around 1400 °C at 15psi with a 0.023" orifice as far as i can tell (measured with k-probe and IR-thermometer). Is that hot enough for good forge welding ( I haven`t really had tim…

Anybody try this? Looks like a keg, while large, would still make a good forge with a couple layers of kaowool for protection. What do you think?

I was thinking about a coal forge and how the work is often buried in the coal to heat it up. It was the surrounding steel with hot material part that struck my interest. Here's a different concept. A coal forge with a ribbon burner in the bottom and covered over with alumina, (or some type of refractory ceramic) balls. Think of a decorative fire pit on steroids. Refractory balls are often used in furnaces to retain heat. I was wondering if sticking a piece of steel into a pile of these heated balls would be an advantageous way to heat it up. Wadda you guys think?

I've been using the yellow PTFE tape for my gas line. I'm about to switch to Harvey white slow setting pipe thread compound since it's what the plumbing supply place near me stocks and I'm out of tape. My concern is that since I have to disconnect the tank from the regulator after every session that I'll have problems with particulate matter getting into the regulator. I plan on using a brass brush to clean the threads and fitting every time the same way I've been cleaning them up when using tape. Does anyone foresee a problem with this? Pnut

I'm looking to build a very small, light, and cheap forge that I won't be keeping for long. I want to forge small mild steel pieces and try lower temperature metal casting. I saw this design and it looks quite interesting and very easy. Reading the burners 101 thread though I'm concerned about inadequate airflow keeping temperatures down from a lack of oxygen in the flame in that design because there is so little ventilation. Does it look like that would be a problem for it? I'm also curious what torches people use for these kinds of designs and what fuel efficiency is like in them. The TS8000 he's using in the video is hard to come by in this country and way more expensi…

I currently have a forge built from a piece of 10 inch pipe with 2 inches of Kaowool ceramic blanket, satinite coating, and a plistix wash over that. It's only a single burner, but gets plenty hot (thermocouple says 2400) and holds the heat well and rather evenly. Now on to where I have a question. The floor is in pretty bad shape and it is going to need re-done. Currently, it is built up with kaowool to have a flat floor. When I re-line it, I was thinking of how to make the floor a bit more durable. I know hard brick like I use for the doors doesn't insulate well, but it is extremely durable. With the current config…

I purchased a Metalsmith model from Diamondback forge last year (the one with 3 doors) and have put about 400# of propane through it. It is the first and only forge I have used, so take my beginner's opinion for what it's worth. There are some design shortcomings that render it more of a forge for the amateur /hobbyist than a forge to make money with. The "smooth bore burner bells" are simply pipe reducers with the threads mostly machined off. There is still some root of the thread left, not that it makes much difference, but it's hardly a well constructed venturi. The burner performance is unreliable. About every other time I start up the forge, one burner los…

I've searched and can't find specifically what I'd like to know. So... Is there anyone here who has a two or three burner Devil Forge that is using it to make (Pattern Welded steel) Damascus or Canister Damascus? I built my own forge a few years back, it's a single burner forced air propane forge. It gets forge welding hot but I don't get the coverage area I'd like and it takes it quite awhile to come up to temp. I've never used a commercially made forge. I'd like to go for the Majestic 3 Burner but it's out of my range now. I have so many people asking for Damascus that I need to do something now. Its also fairly prohibitive to buy Damascus billets to forge o…

Ok so, trying to get into the apparently less frustrating world of gas burning forges (I'm coming from a good bit of working with coal in a brakedrum). Here is my issue, I don't have enough money. I bought a Bernzomatic TS4000 a while back for some soldering I had to do. Now, for the time it will take me to save up for the materials for a 2 burner propane forge I decided to go with the 2 brick forge using the TS4000 as my heat source. My issue is with the torch, it's not burning the way it used to. When it was new it burned all very close to the tip with a bright(ish) blue flame and an audible woosh (I'll not call it a roar). However now there is a large, low pre…

So I am looking at getting into Blacksmithing here in the UK in Yorkshire and I am trying to work out a few things before I start buying bits to get started but the hardest thing I am finding is information on Propane in the UK. How much is the average cost for a Bottle of Propane is quite easy as I can google that and the prices are about £40 for 19KG. How long would someone expect that 19KG of Propane to last in a Propane Forge? How easy is it to get refills of Propane? Is it cheaper to get Propane refills than buying a whole new bottle and if so what is the price differene? Is propane in the UK more expensive than in the USA? I am v…

I'm putting together a 20lb propane tank forge with two 1/2" Frosty T burners... I'm trying to sort out the plumbing to the burners and picked up a couple 2' long 1/2" stainless steel gas heater/dryer connector hoses to hook directly to the burners - at the other end they'll each go to a ball valve, then a Tee, then to my 3/8" propane supply hose, regulator, and 20lb supply tank. Looking at the parts, I'm now wondering if there is an issue going from a 3/8 supply hose up to two 1/2" hoses before the burner - I feel like gas lines usually go from larger to smaller diameters... But I figured the regulator would keep it all at the set pressure regardless and the burner…

I am working on building a propane forge with a 3/4" Mikey Burner and was looking for a regulator for it. I was planning on just buying one of these cheap ones found on Amazon, but when reading the reviews it sounds like a lot of people have had problems with leaks, and hoses flying off the barbs causing fires. So don't think I want to go down that road. So instead I started looking at real regulators make in the USA by welding companies, and found this Harris 25-50C-510. It looks way better, but then I will need a grade T welding hose and split the two lines apart or a dedicated propane hose which is more money, plus order some extra fittings, and it wi…

Hello, My name is Keith. My son ( Mackenzie 18) and I would like to build a small forge. I'm here for some advice. We have some 3/16" plate. 8" x 20" x 2 8 1/5" x 20" x 2 and 8" x 8" The Idea was to use the plate weld it in to a box and add refractory bricks 9" long, 4½" wide, and 1¼" leaving us an approximate hole in the center (fire box) of 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" x 18" the face of the box would be open. The Door would just be 2 bricks we slide to close off the opening if needed. The back with be blocked off with a rear plate and brick. The fire box would be 760 cubic inch. We are unsure of the type of burner or burners we should use, any suggestions on the forge and…

Hello everyone! New member here, thank you very much for this amazing repository of knowledge! I have recently bought my first forge, a 2-burner Devil Forge. I have been using it for about a week now, typically for around an hour or so. Today, after having it on for about an hour, it stated making a loud "gargling" sound. Unfortunately I cannot tell you exactly how the flame when that started as my reaction was to immediately turn off the gas. However, I managed to record a video (attached as "IMG_8807.MOV") in which you can hear the sound clearly (even though the flame was out and the gas was off). I have also attached photos the burners and the reductor …

Ok, so yes I did the search thing, this topic is not related to the past Chili or Majestic Forge topics... This is simply my experience of the two forges should any other newbies think of approaching things the same way I did. This is what I've learned, although I thought I already learned it over the years with other endeavors. A huge Kudos to those here (Mikey98118, Frosty, Glenn and many others) for all the work, support and resource they provide as far as burners, forges, and "making your own" goes. I'm just going to focus on these two production forges. A couple months ago I decided to get back into Blacksmithing. I played a bit when I was in my early t…

im building a forge that should be able to get to as high a temperature as possible. so i started experimenting with propane burners. i have built quite a few burners over time for hardening or forging small pieces and most of them are adjustable to the point where the flame goes out on the lean side. i quickly found out than more air is needed in a closed chamber than in free air so the goal is to have an even larger reserve to lean the burner out. this is the prototype design i came up with: im getting a good flame with the secondary (or is it primary?) intake completely closed, so there is hope for success in the forge. i like to run my burners …

I’m thinking of building a duel burner forge 10”x10”x20” with a 5”x5” opening either end with forge doors and I was wondering if two frosty T burners hooked to a standard propane tank with a 30 psi regulator would get hot enough to forge weld. Also what insulation is recommended I was thinking of using fire bricks.

Hello all.. New here, and very excited about all the wealth of knowledge in one spot. In saying that, i sure wish i knew of this place BEFORE i attempted to put this forge together lol. All i see now is all the things to do different! So i had originally planned a larger, rectangular build. That was months ago though, and i got to noticing steel prices lately, so i decided to just go with an old freon tank i had sitting around. I already had the double burner set-up and plumbing, saw someone on youtube had done it, and, well, here we are. Massive overkill i know. Hey, i can always turn it down, right? It looks ridiculous, and kind of embarrasing : / Anyways, it …

I am new to the forum, and I am thankful that my Google searches led me here as I have learned much in a few short hours of reading (including TOS and read this first, thank you). The expert knowledge is appreciated. I am planning to build a multi-port gun burner. I have flipflopped between a couple different chamber ideas, and I am starting to settle on a 'D' (flat face down) with relaxed 90s at floor corners. D's seem like they are common, and from other threads, ovals direct the flame path well. This is why I am thinking about making a relaxed oval with a flat floor. I have access to a large amount of scrap metal, including sandblasting tanks and 20lb propane tanks. I …

I was just getting ready to do a little more forge practice yesterday (after calling it quits on my stupid plumbing) and as I was setting up and getting ready to do my "dehumidifying" heat on the forge since it had been about a week since I last ran it, I happened to notice cracks in the top of the liner. I assume I should worry about those and get them fixed correct? Or is this a common thing that I should worry about too much? Due to them appearing to originate from the nozzles, I probably didn't do a "dehumidifying" heat on the forge correctly at some point and ran it too hot before it dried out.