omegabrock

That's actually the model I was looking at from lowes but the price was definitely off putting...but as it turns out, my wife has been delaying my project. Telling me to make my complete parts list and draw up the plans for everything before I even start collecting parts. Out of nowhere yesterday, she tells me to build a new workbench that will be portable around our garage. Turns out, she was putting me off from buying anything so she could surprise me with a diamondback forge. It's supposed to be in today. That's pretty exciting considering she has been telling me to be as cheap as possible. She doesnt know this, but I still plan on building one haha

yes definitely. my thinking was that the only thing i really needed to protect the table from was the dragon breath.

i was thinking about some fire brick, or would you recommend going another route with insulation? my workbench is wood but i figured the bricks would raise it up a few inches and would create the clearance i need

another question i have that i havent been able to find anything on searching the forums... i know that forge stands are the standard, but if you have a solid base and a solid workbench, is there any drawback to placing the forge on it? besides the obvious space being taken up. i don't think i have seen any set up with their anvil and forge on the same table, so i wanted to see if there were any other concerns about that i needed to take into account.

very good responses here. thanks for the information. mikey, i don't think i am comfortable building my own burner yet. it is definitely on my to do list though. digression - when i first decided to get into this, it was simply from watching our farrier shape horseshoes. i thought how cool it was. long-story-short, i wanted to learn how to form metal. im a mechanic by trade so i enjoy working with my hands. i have decent experience in woodworking. i thought "oh, i can just buy what i need and start forging"...i have learned that i can learn to literally make every tool i need and i am excited about it... michael - i saw a couple of posts about mapp being a safety issue so i havent really checked into that except that the map/pro burners can also use propane for fuel but propane burners can't always use map so i was planning on going with the former for versatility. viking - looking at that, i think i would want something a little bigger like a paint can, even just starting out. i was thinking about the 8000 because it comes with a hose and it's still relatively cheap.

Oh wow awesome. So basically I have been overthinking it haha. The long term goal would be some Damascus but I still need to learn the basics so it will be a while for that lol...and hopefully I'll have a lot better setup by then

HA! I'm near Columbia. i guess I just assumed that a soldering torch would be too small. I did a little hospital equipment repair work years ago working with solder and copper pipes. I never really heated anything up past what was needed to join the pieces together haha. Guess I'll check into some specs tomorrow when I head to the store. What are some ways to judge the quality? Should I look for just the highest btu in my price range? Are the btu specs listed usually accurate for everyday use? Or is there something else I should look for? Sorry for such the beginner questions, I'm completely green here and almost everything I've read has involved having some type of previous knowledge.

Haha yeah I was thinking the title and that didn't make sense so I figured I would just throw it out in the comment where I am and then update the profile at my computer. I was planning on hooking it to a 20# bottle. would a soldering torch get it hot enough?

I'm in South Carolina. I guess just a simplified question, is there really a big difference in the burners kits from lowes or Home Depot, or other shops that I need to pay attention to?

everything i have read has suggested a bernzomatic jth7 torch for a burner...the problem is, i can't find that lol. or is jth7 the proper name for propane? i get links to bernzomatic burners but the only actual hits to jth7 are links to people recommending to use it. would any propane torch work?

i was actually planning on checking into seeing when there was going to be a local chapter meeting, i read somewhere that you can actually learn a lot just by showing up and watching some demos. i will definitely keep you posted on everything as i go. as for the type of burner, i havent set anything in stone yet but after today, i think i have decided that i want to build everything instead of buying anything premade. that being said, simplicity is my friend to start haha. i like to get a good basis of what im doing before tweaking anything. i will definitely check out that page. thanks for the quick responses

my wife actually just got transferred to south carolina, from oklahoma. so, im assuming we will be here for at least 2 years.

so, i stumbled across this forum when trying to decide if i should build or buy my first forge. that turned into research that is a lot more in depth than i was expecting to find. the short version, after reading a lot...and i mean a LOT...of the posts, replies and comments i decided to go ahead and make a profile and join the community here. there is a lot of knowledge and a lot of opinion here, and i want to soak up as much as i can. now, about me. i am a disabled vet, so i stay home with my son until he's old enough to start school. i have always been fascinated by blacksmiths at county fairs or stables. whether im watching the farriers fit horseshoes, or some guy making hooks, to an intricate decorative piece, it seems like i get entranced in the art. since i have my son every day, going to school or taking classes is not an option because my wife works full time...even bringing it home on a regular occasion. i have decided that i will stop waiting for the right time and set up a smithy in my garage and teach myself. i already have a few books on my to do, starting with the complete modern blacksmith - recommended from an ABANA site i came across earlier. as of now, the only thing i have actually decided on is going with a gas forge (leaning towards blower, based on what i have seen so far here) opposed to coal to begin for ease. i plan on later making one with coal just so i can learn that aspect as well. i tend to have a lot of questions but typically search for the answers before asking, so i am more of a lurker than an active poster, but i will not hesitate to ask for clarification. any advice is always welcome.