Gas Forges

I'm not new to blacksmithing. But I've only owned coal fire forges. I've used propane forges quite a bit when visiting other peoples shops. I recently had a bit of an upgrade in space at home, and would like to setup a propane forge now. I'm sure there a lot of decent forges out there, and I know a lot of people build their own, but I have a couple hundred bucks in amazon gift cards burning a hole in my pocket, and I'm wondering if there is anything worth getting from Amazon? Most of the ones I've seen there look rather cheap and/or dangerous. Some have comments saying the gas lines get hot, etc.. Does anyone here have any experience with any of the stuff on Amazon…

I'm curious if anyone has experience with Majectic Forge. Also, how does their craftsmanship and durability compare to Diamondback forges? Thanks in advance for your comments. Mark

I recently ordered a Majestic Forge from Majesticforge.com they are out of Ohio. Brian seems to be the owner or manager as his name is listed on the website to contact. It doesn't matter which form of communication you try to use, you can't reach anyone. The voice mail box is full and can't receive any new messages or the contact us form on the website is "frozen", trying to reach Brian by email goes unanswered. I ordered a forge at the beginning of this year and it hasn't come yet and of course no way to communicate. I feel like this site has gone out of business or it was a scam. I am out over $800.00 for a forge I probably will never see. Has anyone els…

Hey guys sorry if this post is in the wrong spot, but anyhows, about 2 weeks ago i made a post, spoke of my forge not getting hot enough, a goop residue over prolonged use and a few other minor problems, this is an update for Frosty (who requested some photos "A pic of the interior through opening shortly after you light it so we can get a look at the burner flames. Then another after it's HOT. Another pic of the whole forge including the burners, burners behave differently and some have their own quirks. A pic across the opening from the side against a dark background so we can see how much and what kind of dragon's breath it has. From the one pic it looks like…

Hello IFI, I've been lurking these forums for a couple of months now and feel fortunate to have been admitted! While I have not read the entirety of the Forges 101 thread, I have put a mighty dent in it. As such, I have a fair idea of what kind of forge I'd like to build, but there are still some room for some guidance if any of y'all are feeling generous with your time. First, the burner. I plan to use Frosty's T Burner build. I'd intended to obtain a flare from Larry Zoeller, but it a) doesn't seem like he's in business for those parts anymore and b) seems Frosty himself doesn't use them, but instead uses thread protectors obtained freely from local plumbers. …

Hey guys... So yesterday i asked about forges (i did ALOT of reasearch) and I decided to build one with a t burner (actually 2 ). And ive been talking to a friend on Instagram and he says 1.25 inch pipe for the burner and 1.5x1.5x1.25 inch tee but it looks like people on here use 3/4 inch pipe for the burner tubes. Also are you supposed to have it reccessed down in the pipe? And last question what length is good to start with? I will be using this forge to forge stuff and forge weld Damascus. Thanks in advance!

I recently acquired 2 air tanks to make forges out of my current single burner just isn't enough I have 1 tank that's 10" wide and 20" long and the other is 14" wide and 28" long the smaller of the 2 i was thinking setup as a 2 burner lined with 2" of kaowool then refractory cement and I was planning on cutting it at both ends on the weld seam and hinging both side to open or close as needed. Both ends I'll cut a 3" tall 6" wide slot to pass through anything that's longer. The bigger tank I'm not sure if I should do it as a 3 or 4 burner. But I'll line it the same way only thing I might change is in the bottom make a slot that has only 1" of kaowool and is the size of a f…

Hi I’m 15 and I’m going to start knife making and forging. I’m a going to make a horizontal pipe gas forge. I’m using Castable refractory as an insulation. I’ve also decided to use a 100000 btu tiger propane torch as a burner. Is that ok? I also want to know where to put the torch should I put it inline with the forge, or vertical, or on an angle? Thanks for any input!

Dad bought the parts from Jay Hayes back in 2003. I found the shell and burners while cleaning out the barn. Figured it was time to finish it. Made the back side as a cap to make is easier install the Kaowool and to service later. For the doors i used a couple of cheap chipping hammers for the handles. The hinge is held with a pull pin to make for easy removal. A buddy gave me a couple of K-type T/C's and a temp controller. A bit overkill but it was free. I'm still waiting on some misc parts and fittings so started tacking together a stand/cart for it. Should be done in the next week of so. Pretty excited to fire it up.

I designed, built and welded this solid 1/4” steel forge. All dimensions are shown in the attached images. I am wondering value? Maybe someone near me might be interested? Thank you

Hi All. Can anyone recommend a starting point for size & number of holes in a ribbon burner for a 1/2" frosty burner? Or am I on my own in a whole new frontier? is a 1/2" feasible for a ribbon burner? FWIW, this is for a pretty small forge that will be mainly used for (small) damascus billets, and will be used at sea level. But I'd like to get the interior at the most even heat possible Ta!

So I was running down further information on Plistix 900, when I stumbled over an instructional video on another blacksmith site. The guy'a ideas were half wrong, although he had a couple of interesting ideas on how gas forges work. Anyway, he happened to be using a Mr. Volcano forge for his demo, and while he was prattling on, he put it through it's paces. I was quite impressed. In conclusion, they appear to be the best built and best running forge out there at the low end of the price range. I would recommend them to anyone who wants to test the waters, before plunging into the deep end.

Hi, I'm sure this has been asked a gazillion times, but where I can find Frostys' own plans and tuning instructions for his Frosty T burners. All I come up with are youtubes by wanna be experts. I have found links to PDFs but they've all turned up dead. Trust me, I hate asking my question. I have tried and failed to find the plans as created by Frosty. Can I blame my age?? Thank you all...... this is a great web site P.S. I registered with a different email address and lost the my password. The password reset function did not work. I tried multiple times over several days and never get a password reset email in my inbox or in spam. Chauncey

Hello! I've recently purchased a venturi on amazon and i wanted to know how i can set it up. I've tried threading a pipe nipple but ended up breaking the die, so i was wondering if there was a better way of going about this or just trying again. Thanks. Here's the link to the venturi: Link removed

Okay, so I know what propane smells like (I know.. mercaptan). This isn't it. It smells like a kerosene lamp, or propane/kerosene heater. Some details. I bought a 'latchkey' forge off Amazon, Simond Store brand. Retangular, so it's taller than it is wide.. two burner, top down venturi design (the specific kind that has a screw down flat cover ontop of the intake bell that has the jet nozzle). Has a back door I keep closed. I've had issues with this since I got it, always feeling like I had to open the air chokes all the way, just to get it to run right. I usually run it at about 6-7 psi (otherwise it would sputter the burners), but the chokes were always pretty solid…

Hi guys. looking for a venturi type tube burner to swap out in the Mathewson's forge I have which is a 3/4 and barely will get yellow/white and can not in a reducing atmosphere. The forge is actually a decent design and size. The burner not so much. Takes about 45 minutes to get to peak temps which are under whelming. Looking for a user friendly plug and play that won't break the bank. Any suggestions?

I have a handheld pyrometer; I'm not convinced of its accuracy. I see digital thermometers with thermocouple probes for sale. What is your experience with them?

Hoping for some help. I have built a two burner forge out of a 30# propane tank. The inside diameter of the forge is just under 7 inches. The burners are Frosty T style with .035 mig tips cut down 1/8 inch. I can get the first burner to ignite, but have to have it at a very low pressure. The other burner will not ignite at all. I'm guessing its not getting enough oxygen, but its only a guess, and I am looking for some suggestions before I start making changes. Any help is appreciated.

I have heard that kitty litter can be used to protect forge lining from welding flux. If this is true, I would like to know what brand is suitable. Thanks

Hi everyone! I've recently started designing a new forge I'm going to build out of a 13.5 kg propane tank. It will only be used for knife forging, so it does not have to be big. I'm writing this basically to get your opinion on what dimensions to change, or if complete aspects of the design need to be changed. I also have tons of questions. Here's where I am at now: These dimensions are a mixture of what I could find online and of what may be suitable for me. For instance, I found some 50x50mm square pipe laying around, so it would be nice to use it for the ribbon burner if it isn't a stupid idea to have so "small". This…

Hello all, I have been digging around for information on Mr. Hoffman's blown burner design and come up short. His profile shows he has not been active here since 2020 and all of the discussions with pictures of his build are old enough that the photos are unavailable. He does describe a build briefly in this discussion: But I would like a bit more to go off of than that. Has anyone built or bought one of his blown burners? Or does anyone have access to the fabled "Hammer Down" article where he details his builds? As some background I have built a Frosty T-powered forge and have piddled with coal forges as well, but after a lot of life changes, including moving …

Everything I read about gas burners talks about the size of the mig tip. My forge doesn't use a mig tip, but instead has a big brass part that serves the same purpose. I don't know what the part is called. Anyway I'm thinking the hole in mine is too big. I stuck a piece of .030 mig wire in it and there was a lot of wiggle room. Looking at it next to a .030 mig tip you can see a big difference in the size of the holes. My forge will not get yellow hot. I added a choke to it and that did help, but still not getting weld hot. You guys think I need a smaller hole(mig tip)? Are there replacement parts that will screw right on? What is this part called?

Hi all, I'm relatively inexperiences with gas forge design. I've forged for years with both coal and induction, but for various reasons I now use gas in my shop. I'm using a commercial forge right now but I don't like it so I'm planning to build a new quick little brick built forge. One of my main problems with my current forge is that with the burner coming directly vertical from the top, there's a lot of rising heat and the gas hose gets a lot more mot than I am comfortable with. So I want to change the burner angle. I was noodling around youtube and found "Essential Craftsman's" brick built forge where the burner comes in the side. (https://www.yo…

Hi everyone, I have not had a lot of time for hot work and forge experimentation until recently so, bear with me while I get rolling again. since I am occasionally quoted and referred to I thought it was time to share my findings so far. Also full disclosure: Like Mikey I was, at least at the beginning inspired and guided by he Mr Hansen's work on digital fire. Also, do not see this as a scientific truth, I have done some stuff but not nearly took enough measurements to conclude anything. TLDR: - I am still messing around with this - Even if you have a fool proof formula this may not be economical - It "works", forge gets hot but the process of making …

I'm curious to see how much everyone pays for propane for their forges. I'm in California which has the highest prices in the country, so this should be interesting. If i purchase under 20 gallons of propane, the price is $3.27/gallon. If i purchase more than 20 gallons, the price is $2.79/gallon Prices do not include sales tax. So a typical BBQ tank costs $14.75 plux tax to fill up. Most places in Southern California charge a lot more for propane. My local gas station wants nearly double.