(M)

From what i've seen on this site, bell reducers are not good flares.  Other than that i can't say much.  Good luck!

Hello all, looking to build a propane forge.  I have my 3/4" t-burner built, and im confused as to the order of how to proceed in construction.  This is how i understand it.  I have not decided on a shell yet, but somethinf that will give me a final volume of 350 cubic" for knife and machete-making as well as for general forging.   

Step 1: cut kaowool( 2  1" sheets)

Step 2: dry-fit it in the forge body and adjust as necessary 

Step 3: remove kaowool, spray on rigidizer 

Step 4: let dry? 

Step 5: trowel on castable refractory? 

Step 6: apply thin layer of itc100

Step 7 allow time to dry

Step 7 fire multiple times to solidify?

Step 8 add kiln shelf as work rest 

Not looking for a Lamborghini forge but something economical to build and efficient on propane in the long run.  I do need it to get to welding temps for working with tough steels like HSS and so i can get to forge welding and maybe damascus one day. 

Please enlighten me.  I have looked through forges 101 etc so i somewhat understand the underlying concepts but i am confused as to the construction process.  Thanks in advance

It was the characteristic yellow white stuff..

Will something like this be able to get a 3/8 by 3 inch leaf spring to a welding heat?  (I have no experience with propane as of yet) and I can't see tell the colours by pictures.  

Pretty flare too!

also do you have sealant of some kind on that kaowool????

My plan is to follow solvarr's design with a 3/4". T- burner and maybe a kiln shelf over the bricks.  Is there any alternative to satanitr?

Just a FYI, I was trying to straighten a rusty leaf spring at a demo I was doing, and it started turning white and smoking and stinking up the shop.  I have done research on metal fume fever and the like and I immediately quenched the piece.  I thought there might have been some remnants of a  plastic coating (I could see some stuff) that needed to burn off, but the turning white scared me so I stopped.  So just because it's rusty doesn't mean it doesn't have some galvanization still.  I burned the rest off outdoors downwind of me,.  Nasty scary stuff!  

so bottom line, both dust and smoke are not good, prevent them where possible, and hope for the best? 

yeahhhh

working on another one now.  going to use oil this time  and i'll make sure to temper it.  

maybe i'm just weird, but i used a car bearing race to make a nice knife blank, one of the first things i *tried to* make.  Seemed easy to work with, I split it with a bolt cutter while it was hot then hammered it to shape.  I dunked it in water, and then promptly snapped it in half with 2 fingers.  learned my lesson there.....

wow this thread went interesting places

even if they are cut from the same leaf spring?  or can they still have non- uniform crack patterns?

ok thanks everyone.  next stop amazon for bladesmithing books.  i will probably make practice blades out of the old and rusty steel i have and destruction test them as thomas suggested

6 hours ago, Frosty said:

One last thing about our last statement. If you don't care if your blades stink, why bother? Seriously, making dangerous tools or potential weapons is NO PLACE for people who don't care about quality.

i meant if they look pathetic.  i want the blades to be dependable and i DO  care about the quality.  i meant if it looked bad due to poor forging skills.  the last thing i would want would be for a blade to fail and cause injury.  thats kinda what i am asking:  what could happen while forging to make a failing blade

i guess ThomasPowers has answered that for me though.  so if i mess up, i can make a shattering breaking dangerous blade.  not just bad cosmetics but really dangerous.  got it   now i gotta learn how to do it right

ok i should clarify: how can the knife be dangerous after it is made.  specifically the forging process.  i e how could i accidentally make a dangerous knife-- 

so as a newbie if i was to go and try to forge a knife out of a leaf spring- after checking for cracks  in the stock- what is the worst that could happen if i "forged it wrong"  i really know nothing about this so please let   me know what i am dealing with.  cracking?  shattering? also if this is already discussed in another thread then pls redirect me.  

thanks in advance

i dont really care if my knife stinks, but what are the dangers of breaking etc.  

ok. i just reclayed it so i will send the new pics today

made the JABOD: fantastic! i can actually heat stuff up with this, even with wood which is kinda nice   Still have much to learn but dirt offers lots of chance for that.  now to learn about firepot depth and shape and steel position and tuyere opening and all that good stuff.  

i have a JABOD forge that I run on wood/charcoal, and i use chunks of firewood to contain the mound of coals.  seems to work pretty good at containing everything and sealing off 2 sides of the firepot which is about 4 inches deep.  

i got free pick from a truck spring service guy's scrap bin.  i got a full set of leaf springs and a u-bolt for 0$.  and i also got a contact if i ever need to use an oxy acetalyne or a 100 ton hydraulic press! 

i'm a beginner too gr8 thread!  i would say bring a water bottle when ur at the forge.  i personally get super dehydrated standing in long sleeves beside a wood fired dragon breathing fire

Thanks very informative.  short enough to read without getting bogged down.  

(M)

here's the picture of my current forge

the fire is smaller than i usually run it in the last pic

(M)

so i would be better off to get some kind of steel "v" and ram it with like soil?  could you point me to an example of such a forge?  I kinda-sorta have a "v" shape already but more like a "u". I built it in 15 minutes just cause i was tired of planning planning planning etc etc.    And for the size of the charcoal chunks, i was using lump charcoal right out the bag, anywhere from eraser size thru computer mouse size, in all different shapes.  Do smaller chunks burn better due to surface area? and the forge is about 3" deep.  i usually mound it up to 4" high.  i try to psition the stock about 1" away from the vents as that is all i can do to cover it with 1" of charcoal.  and the cement said it was ok to be in direct heat applications-- troweled on-- but it is cracking.  it's just a something to get the metal hot.  and for the blower i had a hijacked hairdryer fan and it is powered by a 12v dc source.  there is no ash release it sort of follows the design in this link 

his seems to be working better though....... maybe tis the contained space

thanks,

(M)

I am a noob as well.  i made a 4" by 8" (roughly) forge using a coffee can cut lengthwise.  i lathered on a good 1' of firebrick cement and have an air supply ribbon with lots of holes coming in along the bottom.  I have used it (with Charcoal) several times and only got metal yellow hot once-it was very thin strapping.  I usually build a fire with sticks and light that, then pile on as much charcoal as can fit and fire up the hairdryer type blower.  I tried heating up an old rusty pipe wrench and it got pretty orange but i quickly discovered that it couldn't balance in the forge.  My eventual goal is to make knives and machetes.  I would like to have enough heat to get steel to yellow hot and to prevent items from tipping out due to length.  Do i need a bigger forge or what else can i do better?  please tear my description apart.  sorry no pics working on it.  

(M)

On 7/21/2017 at 11:48 PM, Frosty said:

If you mean Portland Cement NO NO NO! It will not survive contact with a hot fire like found in a forge and will spall. POP throwing chips of HOT sharp concrete.

Take a look at the Just A Box Of Dirt JABOD forge. Charcoal works just fine in a compacted clay soil side blast forge. 

Frosty The Lucky.

No don't worry.  it is a firebrick refractory cement so it wont explode. it is good enough for now.  

After considering my options and budget etc, I decided to go for a simple charcoal forge with some basic cement.  If I really enjoy it/ once I get some experience smithing I will probably build the muffler forge with the mods I learned using Frosty's research 101 

(M)