Allan545

That makes a lot of sense.  I was on the fence about it, but I think I'll give it a shot.  Is there a guide on here on how to use it?  Is it the Forges 101 guide?

Thanks for the suggestions guys.  Yeah I have a propane tank I'm working on now.  Hard to find time to work on it now since I'm working nights.  I have one question about my forge.  Can I build it without using kaowool?  I'm concerned about using it.  Maybe I'm misinformed, but after reading some stuff about it, I'd rather build my forge without it.  Could I get to welding temps without it?

John thank you so much for letting me know about that event.  I learned a lot watching different smiths and got some ideas on how to construct my forge.  My favorite was the guy that did the decorative twisting, and the guy making nails.  I hate I didn't get to meet you in person, and thank you.

Thanks

Allan

I'm mainly interested in making knives right now.  I've been experimenting with a forge that I made, but after looking at some of the forges on here, I can see that I need to make a better one.

Some of the tools I have access to are a milling machine, lathe, and welder.  I'm no master fabricator, but I've been teaching myself to weld, and my dad is a machinist.  We made a burner that works pretty well, but it is only one burner and I feel that for the size I have it at now that I need a second burner.  I'm sorry I don't have the dimensions on my forge, but I will get them.  As to the construction of the forge it's just some fire bricks that I bought from my local Tractor Supply, that I stack into a rectangle.  Originally we used this to heat treat AK receivers, and it worked well.

I started skimming through the Burners 101 Section on here, and saw that Mikey recommended Gas Burners for Forges, Furnaces, & Kilns.  Where can I find this book?

We experimented with it last week and was able to get a rail road spike cherry red, and was able to work with it, however it seems to take a lot of fiddling to get it to that sweet spot.  Oh and my anvil is a rail road track that I have secured to a stump with lag bolts.  I think I have the height right.  I don't have to stoop down to work with it.  I did read that the height should be from the height of my knuckles.

My hammer is a 3lb cross peen from Harbor Freight.  It was the only one they had at the time.  After swinging it, I can tell that it is too heavy for me.  The hammer I used in class was much lighter, but I could control it and hit hard when I needed to.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  I can include pictures of my current setup, but I want to be sure to do it correctly per the guidelines.

Thanks

Hello,

My name is Allan Hoyle, and I'm a beginning blacksmith.

I took a beginner railroad spike knife class, and it has fueled me to learn, and start making things.

I am eager to learn, and will do my best to research before posting a new topic.

Thanks