WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith

I sure would not pay$500.00 for the blower. The other one is a squirrel cage and will not develop pressure. The type used to blow up Frosty (the snowman) or Santa Clause will do. www.BlacksmithDepot.com aka www.kayneandson.com sell the blowers that Grant Sarver sold. I can't get the webpage up right now but the smaller one, I think sells for about $125.00. Probably a hair dryer would work. You could try the air compressor. I have had smiths suggest that but I have not tried it. Go to the Forge Supplies page at www.WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.com and study the Ribbon Burner attachment. You do have to have a tuff castable to make the ribbon burner. Let me know if I can help you.

Matt, you could use three floor flanges and wedges to get the angles.

I build a cradle out of angle iron then weld 3 3/4" couplings on the bottom, one on each of the front corners and one in the center of the back. They are splayed out at about 22 1/2 degrees, the front ones angled out to the front and the side at 45 degrees. The legs are 3/4" pipe screwed into the couplings and as Matt did about chin high so that I can look straight into the forge without having to squat, etc.

A while back I posted this article on another forum: http://www.brewracingframes.com/safety-alert-brake-cleaner--phosgene-gas.html This needs to be studied by anyone using cleaners and heat. Maybe print it out and keep it in the shop for future reference.

You are not to far from Adams TN: Possum Trot Forge – Meets the last Sunday of each month at 1:00 pm at the Adams Museum behind the old Bell School building on Highway 41 in Adams TN. John Williams 615-696-8390. The AACB http://aacblacksmiths.org is the Tennessee affiliate of ABANA www.abana.org. You might want to look into going to college at Tennessee Tech and take the Fine Arts Major and take the blacksmithing courses at Appalachian Center for the Craft https://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/. Or you might want to look into work studies at the John C. Campbell Folk School www.folkschool.org. near Murphy, NC at Brasstown, NC. Let me know if I can help you. I prefer e-mails over PMs.

If you haven't gotten any refractory in the forge you are not giving it a fair test and are not getting good use of it. Check out the Forge Supplies page on my web-site www.WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.com. There are two attachments that will help you. Let me know if I can help you. waynecoe@highland.net.

Frosty, he was following my instructions to place it in the oven at 500 degrees for a couple of hours. I have always cured my forges and recommended it and have never had any problem or had any adverse comments. I suspect that Matt's paint burning off gave the discoloration.

Clay Spencer told me, "I can make one just alike."

Yes, he was a good singer, sang with Tommy Dorsey, and stared in a number of B westerns. Here in East Tennessee on Saturday mornings on PBS we have the Marshall Andy show which is devoted to the Saturday matinees from back in the 30's, 40's and 50's. On Saturday afternoons I could go to the movies for $.10 and see a serial, cartoon, newsreel, and a western. The Martial Andy Show just finished a serial "Don Daredevil" were Ken Curtis "Festus" played the lead as the Masked hero, kinda like Zorro. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Curtis for more info. Don't get me started, I have lotsa stories from back then.

Use both and cast the floor too.

Like Frosty said, ITC has gone completely out of sight at about $75.00 per pint. Plistix or Metrikote are more reasonable alternatives. ITC, Metrikote nor Plistix have any strength. I always recommend against just using them to coat the ceramic blanket because every time any of them are poked with metal a hole will be poked through, however, with this style forge that risk is minimized. You might want to look at the attachments on the Forge Supplies page at www.WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.com for more information on building gas forges. Let me know if I can help you. waynecoe@highland.net.

Well, Frosty said "as long as it isn't aluminum". I guess he forgot plastic. Maybe they don't have them up yonder. The mail box is a good shape, however is thin if you are going to have to weld in a burner tube, etc. Check out the attachments on the Forge Supplies page at www.WayneCoeArtistBlacksmth.com for how I like to build a gas forge. Let me know if I can help you. waynecoe@highland.net.

Go to the Forge Supplies page at www.WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.com and study the two attachments there: Build a Gas Forge and Ribbon Burner. Let me know if I can help you. You can e-mail me at waynecoe@highland.net if you have further questions.

Check out the Ribbon Burner attachment on the Forge Supplies at www.WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.com. There is lots of information about Ribbon Burners including John Emmerling's instructions for building your own burner at a fraction of the cost. I have one and I don't see how an expensive production burner could be any better. We should all thank John for writing this.

The higher the carbon content (don't use SuperQuench above 40 points) the harder and more brittle it will get. Even with mild steel Robb recommends tempering to 450 degrees. It won't harden mild steel but will refine the grain structure.

I use SuperQuench for RR Spike and Horse Shoe knives and get a hardness in the 53 rc range. I have discussed this with Robb Gunter, who invented SuperQuench. In a demonstration Robb cut a piece from mild steel and made a chisel from it and hardened it in SuperQuench then cut the parent stock with the chisel. I have had RR Spike and Horse Shoe knives as my EDC and have had to sharpen my wife's Case knife more often than my EDC. Let me know if I can help you. www.WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.com

With my Ribbon Burner I am running 1/2# of Propane pressure and forge welding Damascus billets, with no flux. Natural gas burns a little different than Propane but you could build a Ribbon Burner using the instructions on the Forge Supplies page at www.WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.com. You also might want to view the attachment (Build a Gas Forge) for building a forge using a 20# Propane Bottle. If the Ribbon Burner doesn't work well with the natural gas you can always just use Propane with it. Just remember that Propane is lighter than air and will flow down while natural gas is lighter than air and will flow up to the ceiling . Let me know if I can help you, Wayne

He who hits black iron will pee in the bed tonight!

Mikey, as I see it 2300 degrees is a bright orange to yellow. For welding billets without flux or even welding mild steel projects I want to know what the temperature really is. Light conditions, etc. can really effect the colors. Also remember high carbon welds at a lower temp than mild steel.

I'll bet that Glenn has them.

I am sold on the ribbon burner. I have a pyrometer and adjust the flame to obtain the desired temp for critical for the particular metal that I am treating. I find it much better than judging just by color or a magnet. I can also get good long soaks at the desired temperature. When you finally build a forge with a Ribbon Burner you will kick yourself for waiting so long. BTW, I am welding with 1/2# of propane pressure. Check out the attachments on the Forge Supplies page at www.WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.com. Let me know if I can help you, Wayne waynecoe@highland.net.

Well, every one of them kept coming and they all did make several knives, after J hooks, tongs, forged hearts, etc, etc, etc. I am very proud of all of them and they all have shops at their homes now. Twelve to sixteen is a good age to get them started, before they get driver's license and discover girls, then they have to get a job so that they can buy a car and gas. Most of these guys parents had to bring them to the shop so they wound up hammering too.

I have youngsters come to my shop for classes. First thing they want to make is a SWORD! I tell them that is to advanced so then they want to make a KNIFE! Then I tell them you come here and learn how to move metal and to make the projects that I assign and then after about a year we will look into making a knife.

Jon, go to the Forge Supplies page at www.WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.com and study the tutorial attachments there. With your 20# propane bottle you can build a very good, long lasting, efficient forge far cheaper than buying a comparable forge. If you don't have the shop skills to build this you probably don't have the skills to be forging knives. There is one necessary weld in this build but if you don't have a welder maybe you have a friend who does or you could get a welder at a shop to do it for you. Let me know if I can help you. As to anvils expect to pay $3.00 to $4.00 per pound for old used anvils. There is nothing wrong with old anvils if they are in good shape. Expect to pay $5.00 or more for new cast anvils. Go to www.ABANA.org, click on Affiliates then click on Affiliate List, then find a blacksmithing group near you, attend a few meetings, get to know the people there and you will probably find them very friendly and helpful. You may find your anvil there and even someone to help you build your forge. The ABANA conference is going to be in Salt Lake City this year so try to go to it. There will be tail gate sales there as well as demonstrations and you will learn much about blacksmithing and knife making. Again, let me know if I can help you, Wayne waynecoe@highland.net

When I began with Ribbon Burners I too would let the fan run on after shutting the gas off but then considered, the fan is pulling in cold air and might be worse than any chimney effect of heat being drawn up into the burner and beyond. I now shut off the fan immediately after turning the gas off. I have felt the pipe that feeds the gas/air mixture and can not feel any gain in heat. Just remember, if your blower is lower than the burner ALWAYS turn on the fan first, then the gas. Propane is lighter than air so if the gas is turned on first it will fall down into the blower and you might get a fire in the blower or across the floor. ALWAYS turn the gas off first when shutting the forge down. BTW natural gas is lighter than air but still follow the same instructions. Let me know if I can help you, Wayne waynecoe@highland,net