becabwca

oh thank you, all of you, for your ideas & thoughts, i think i will hold out for a decent 2nd hand one, & once i get going design one according to likes/dislikes & hopefully make it myself, one day.... yeah-my throat thing started towards the end of my training at hereford...seems to have been a cumulative thing & now i cant even be in a room with a coal fire (in various houses!) without some sort of effect. really annoying! I havent been doing a whole lot of forging (ie; none!) recently due to young family, but now they are a bit older i am desperate to get going again! I think once im back in it i will have more confidence in building one myself...hopefully! thanks again, I'll let you know what I end up with! beca

Hi someone has told me to watch out for tax/customs adding a load more when buying from USA, does anyone know of this?! Ive a second reason for wanting a gas forge-I have developed a kind of intolerance/allergy to coke fumes, get a very sore, swollen throat & cant speak/swallow etc! so a gas forge s the way to go, charcoal will be a bit too expensive it think! im in south east wales, not too far from holme lacy college, where i trained, was thinking of asking them to build one! i must update my profile! thanks alot, still thinking! beca

HI -Beth-mainly due to cost; i recently won a prize & had sworn i would spend it on a gas forge if i did! but its still not enough to cover a basic swan & i would like at least 2 doors, & 3doors looks brilliant! although i think a draw-bridge type opening would be better. I know i should build one, but im really, really busy-2 young kids, i work part time & just dont have the time....the most time i get to forge/work at the mo is 2 hours so I need to be able to just turn it on & go-a firebrick one would take constant re-building i fear: lots of 'sticky-out bits' are bound to catch the bricks & rearranging them hot wouldnt be fun, & they also look a bit in-efficient! seems mad-the USA is much more liable-mad than us, but they dont seem to care about dangerous things like forges & foundries! there is this one other company with gas forges for sale in the uk: http://www.castreekilns.co.uk/blacksmith-forge-with-optional-door-1212-p.asp but its still more than the diamondback, with p&p, ~& not so flexible.... a stainless steel one went on ebay a few months ago for over £300...it looked 'workshop made' but i cant find anything like it anywhere.....wish i had bid more now! ill keep looking a little longer! beca

hi i am an artist blacksmith, & after 3 years of planning to but never actually building a gas forge, i have decided to bite the billet ~& buy one....cannot believe no-one is making them over here! there are loads in america! so now i am looking at diamondback forges metalsmith forge: http://www.diamondbackironworks.com/2_burner_metalsmith.html which is much more than i want to spend, but i seem to have no other option, unless someone experienced would be willing to build me one?!! in return for payment of course.....and i would sign any disclaimer, or you could leave it unfinished or something....a flat-pack forge! or does anyone know where i may get a good one it the uk? i mean not a swan one & not for shed loads of money.... thanks. beca