Nabok

Any idea what type you have? I’ve ground and done a little machining, but never forged any, I gave Ron Reil a drop of 6AL-4V bar (AL for aluminum, V for vanadium, some places list this as grade 5) I got from a knifemaker friend. After forging Ron noticed some flu like symptoms, he thought it was possibly due to the vanadium. CP2 commercially pure, aka grade 2 is another common type, and might be a little more forge friendly. Todd

Great, thanks for the input, I’ll contact Johnson and Mankel, and see if NC will change over to natural gas. All the Johnson forges I had seen were too big for our space, must have not looked the right place to find the smaller ones. I need to visit the Safety office to see what their requirements are, building one may not be entirely off the table, I know the sculpture department made a natural gas forge a few years ago, but there is a lot more attention to safety now. Thanks, Todd

I have been asked to look at natural gas forges. This is for a university art metals studio, mostly small scale stuff, a knifemakers or slightly larger would be about the right size. I know that I can make one, I made mine at home, but this is for work, I think at least partially for liability a commercial made forge is desired. I also suspect that for most users propane is the preferred fuel, again that’s what I use at home, but at the university we have access to natural gas, it runs the sculpture studios melting furnace, gas kilns in the ceramics studio, so I assume high pressure, but will check and we have a line in the art metals studio for a large annealing torch and a 2 burner set up. Besides natural gas is “free”, but propane would have to be bought. So the question is who makes a natural gas forge? All I’ve seen so far is Mankel and the too large for this application Johnson, any other candidates or words of wisdom? Thanks, Todd

My name is Todd Brandel, among other things I am a studio assistant in the art metals and ceramics studios at Boise State University. Mostly try to keep things running smoothly, supplies in stock, things fixed as best I can (students can break stuff pretty fast), and make a few tools. Mostly for my own enjoyment, I make some jewelry, small blacksmithing, make an occasional knife or tool, etc. I also do some woodwork. In the past I’ve worked for a leather goods manufacturing company and carbide tool manufacturer, where I learned enough about machining to be dangerous. In a couple of weeks I’ll take a field test to complete a certification in dispute resolution, then I can apply for certification as a professional mediator and hang out my own shingle. I’ve interned or volunteered in small claims court (here you have to try mediation before going to trial, about 60% get an agreement, but about 90% of the agreements are satisfied) for almost a year, fun and interesting, but no money in that area. In what free time I can find, I like the usual outdoor stuff, hiking, hunting and fishing, shooting and traditional archery. I also like to read and am trying to finish up a bachelors degree, so I can look at graduate school. Todd