CRAFTBENDER

Here is a shot of my burner choke and slots. I bought Michael book and the new propane bottle about two years ago and after a visit to birdogforge owned by Bruce Godlesky, I got busy and built my burner and forge. I have a lot to learn yet. I think the next thing I need to do is some tongs.

Here is my propane cylinder forge all cranked up. I hope my picture comes through.

Bob, that stuff looks pretty good to me. What sort of background do you have?

I saw his setup last Monday while visiting his shop. Developed by trial and error. If I remember right it only uses five psi and it do get hot quick.

I also use muriatic acid before I weld and it works great. It also will take off the mill coatings on hot rolled steel.

I decided to us the plastech 85 that Jymm Hoffman uses in his shop. I've already installed the stuff this morning and am curing my forge right now. I think it is the way to go. Expensive though. Thanks for all your answers.

Yes Unicorn, that is the stuff. I haven't opened mine up yet but I've seen it in action at Jymm's shop.

Jymm Hoffman uses Plastech 85 for the shelf of his forges which he uses day in and day out for years. My friend Bruce Godlesky and I visited his shop yesterday and he graciously showed us around. Got educated. After we left his shop, I bought some of the stuff for my forge shelf. 55 pounds per box at about 100 dollars.

welcome from another newbie.

Just a couple of days at Birdogforge owned by Bruce Godlesky. I've worked and tig welded a lot of chrome moly but not forged any. I bought some plastech 85 refractory for my forge floor and will try some of the file/chrome moly in the near future after finishing up my propane forge.

I have a lot of chrome moly (4130) steel 7/32 by 1 1/8 wide. Haven't even finished my propane forge yet. Need refractories. Any way, I've been thinking about forging a strip of the CM and a file together, twisting and folding into a billet to make a sort of damascus type of steel. Has anyone forged chrome moly with other steel or even by itself? When I get some photos of my burner and forge, I'll post them.

What kind of alcohol is best?

I haven't finished my forge yet. The experiment with the tile I heated up was done outside of the forge body with my three quarter inch burner that I just finished. The piece of tile I heated became red but not like it would enclosed inside a hot forge. I'm gonna do it right. Thanks for all the answers from everybody!

Thank you for the invitation. I will call to make sure it is convienent for you. I just put rigidizer on most of the blanket. Does the stuff you use take the place of ITC 100? How do you install the coating?

The bottom of my forge is 2300 degree blanket. I just coated the inside with rigidizer. I was hoping that the floor tile would work as a shelf. While waiting for an answer, I heated up some of that floor tile with my 3/4 inch burner to see what would happen. It held up ok but I know that the forge gets much hotter. I did check out the firing temp for ceramic floor tile and it is about 2000 degrees F and porcelain floor tile is fired at 2400 degrees F. I guess I'll just order what my Michael Porter book says to use. I have to wait 2 or three days anyway for the forge to cure. Thanks.

I can tell you are a crafty guy. I am also new at this stuff. This I believe is a great place to pick up knowledge. Bruce Godlesky is a member of this site and as luck would have it lives close to me. I've learned a lot from him. Welcome!

I did a search on this and didn't find a satisfactory answer, so at the risk of asking a stupid question here goes. I have almost finished my Michael Porter propane bottle forge with a 3/4" burner. I got the ceramic insulation #8, 1", 2300 degree blanket installed in two layers and am wondering if ceramic floor tile is suitable as a forge shelf. I got a bunch of it left over from renovating an old house. Is it worthwhile? By the way I'm thinking about making the front and back door out of the same material. OK let me have it.

I haven't done much hot work in the past but one day when I was piddlin, I took an old green porcelain cast iron bathroom sink and put some plain charcoal in it and stuck the exaust of a small shop vac on the bottom of the drain hole. It made a hot fire. That might work for you.

I am building a forge that is featured in Michael Porter's book on forges and kilns, the propane bottle forge. I have already finished the burner and am in the process of cutting the propane cylinder. I called Jay Hayes for prices on the lining, floor, and ITC and fiber board and it comes out to a little over 100 dollars. I spent about 50 dollars for the stuff to make my 3/4 inch burner and another 30 something dollars on a new propane hose. I already had a regulator and propane bottle. By the way, the burner works great, easily melts copper. My question is; are there alternatives to the lining called out or do I need to wait for my next social security check and buy the other stuff?

I have decorated steel pieces with copper using tig and it sticks very well. Never have welded steel to copper. Also have tig welded 1/8 copper to copper but it must be done quickly because if the heat gets ahead of the weld it comes to a screeching halt, doesn't want to fuse. I am not a metalurgest but I think that copper absorbs oxygen when it gets really hot.

Thanks for the info. I'll check it out.

I was invited over to BirdogForge a while back to witness some hot work. Bruce Godlesky is the owner and he also had a young fellow there, Andy Takach, both expert forgers and knife makers. I was mainly interested in the forging of the steel cable. Andy's grandfather was also there to observe. I had a great time and am inspired to build my own forge. I already have the plans. I have been a fabricator/welder for over 40 years but maybe an old dog can learn new tricks. Thanks to Bruce and Andy!

Howdy neighbor. Like your website and your stuff.

I set up my little baler during the autum of last year. Sold quite a few bales including several that my wife prettied up in holiday themes. Set up a canopy right in my front yard. They are very convenient for decorating. I was getting three dollars single or four for ten dollars. I set up later than I wanted to but I was recovering from double knee replacement. Gonna start earlier this year if the Lord lets me live.

I built and sold a small bender for about ten years in Texas. That's what I use to make the scrolls. It does away with that awful flat place you see on a lot of non forged scrolls. I usually dress the ends before forming, depending on who I'm making it for.