Nick Brodsky

Thanks again Steve what supplier would you recommend for a axe I did a quick search through the list and saw a few good looking options but was wondering if you had a personal favorite.

Thanks Steve where would I look for that steel

Hey people I'm at the point of wanting to step up my forging of large stock a bit mostly in the form of axes. What do you guys recommend for a next step I was thinking a log splitter press mostly because I've heard good things about them online and they often fit in my 600 dollar budget but is there a better option? Thanks for any help:) PS What forum would I ask about where to find axe steel with out having to buy it new. Thanks. Nick

Hey people does anyone have any experience using a 20ton log splitter to make a forging press. Thanks for the help.

Will do Templehound

I've wanted to try to make the perfect bushcraft knife for myself and wanted to see what people think. My idea is to make a 1095 core with 1045 sides for strength and a scandal grind for edge retention with a handle design similar to the "Ka-Bar Becker BK2." I'd use "verawood" handle scales and 1/4in stainless pins for durability. Any suggestions, recommendations or tips? Thanks all, Nick

ok thanks

Thanks iron dragon any best supplier?

Heyas folks, Any suggestions on what type of steel I should use for a 5.5" Scandinavian grind Bushcraft knife (simple heat treat)? Cheers! Nick

Hi, this is Nick. Thanks for all of the ideas for my forge. What would you think about replacing the hot face fire bricks with K26 bricks? Or K26 bricks with an IR coating? I'm using a 0-20 regulator. Should it be 0-30 for better heat? So far, I've been working on knives, hatchets, and some camping gear like tent stakes. Eventually I want to make my own tongs and other tools. Thanks again. Oh, and we are replacing the straps and the wood in the next couple of days.

Awesomeness. We'll get on all of these and then repost when we've got things a little more finely tuned. Thanks everyone, we love that you're all willing to share experience - we certainly need it. 1. Straps. Check. Good catch. 2. Soft Brick: Any recommendations? We're learning names and numbers, but it's always good to go to the pros with specs. It totally makes sense that the heat is sinking into those hot spots. We'll modify the floor and work some IR magic and see if we can get things a little warmer, too.) 3. More images of the burner - we'll get those and a link. 4. Burner. We'll move it up so it's not flush and see what happens. Cheers and thanks everyone! If you all think of anything more, don't hesitate to let us know. Troy and Nick

Heyas everyone! First off... thank you for all of your encouragement and information. Here's the result of our first go at building a gas forge a la 'cart'... you'll see what I did there. It gets hot, it makes things glow, and it makes the mother nervous... so we must be on the right track. Would you all take a peek and offer suggestions to our design? Ultimately, my son, Nick, wants the ability to forge weld, but it seems like we're just a little shy of that mark as of right now. In a couple of the images below I've placed a good ol' Coke can in frame for reference, but belatedly realized that most of you know the size and shape of every brick ever made and mumble them in your sleep. So... what could we do better? What are we doing wrong from the outset? And most importantly, what do you need to know to answer these questions - we're as new as new can be, but we'd like to do it right. Cheers! Troy and Nick

Thanks Binesman... you lead me to the place that I'd missed. The 101 Thread is most awesome indeed. (In fact, there's no reason to keep this thread around... I'll try to zap it if I can so things stay clean around the shop.) "Even when you get the best performance from your burner with the exhaust wide open, you are likely to be fighting a cold spot from doing so, try separating exhaust losses from radiant heat losses by putting up a movable barrier of brick or a drilled kiln shelf, at a small distance from the opening, to allow exhaust gases to move up and out, while bouncing radiation off of an ITC-100 coating, and back into your forge. Move the barrier closer and farther away from the forge opening, depending on how high you are running the burner, and otherwise keep the hole in the brick only as small as needed to move the parts through..." This kind of information is what I was hoping to find in general... that you guys have detailed it all out is pure bonus. Thank you... my son will think that I'm a super genius. Until he reads this post...then I'm in the dog house again. Cheers!

Good point! Location updated right in the middle of the States -- just a few hundred miles north of you, Thomas.

Heyas folks! We've been looking through what seems like a billion years worth of collective experience and now have a roughly equal number of nooblet questions. I'm posting on this side (as opposed to the solid side) as my son leans toward purchasing or building a gas forge. However, we're reading warnings about some of the manufacturers taking safety shortcuts (and we don't want to make mistakes of our own that we'll regret down the road), so we hope to nail down all of the details before we proceed one way or the other. In your experience, what are the things that we truly need to be forewarned on in building or purchasing a gas forge? Cheers! We really appreciate how you all have downloaded so much knowledge into one spot. Troy and Nick