kidsmither14 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 hey every one im looking into a forge sold by centuar forge.com they usually have evry thing i need but this forge seems good but im wondering if you might have it and can tell me if it is good or bad andthing i might need to know before i purchase it. here is the link http://www.centaurforge.com/Centaur-Portable-Coal-Forge-Eligible-for-Free-Shipping-See-Home-Page-for-full-details/productinfo/PORTFORGE/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harley Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I personally think it is way overpriced. I just purchase the cast iron firepot and make my own forge table. after all it is only plate with a hole cut in to fit the firepot and legs welded on. If you want you can weld on some sides to help contain the coal. Harley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Wow I've owned 3 powerhammers that cost less than that! If you are just getting started I would suggest going with a low cost system until you *know* what you need; nothing sadder than investing big bucks only to find out you would have preferred something else which you now cannot buy because your $$ is tied up in what you did buy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewed Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 Being that I live close to centuar, I've seen this forge in person. Infact if they ship from the Burlington store, it my have some of my drool marks on it ( sorry about that!) It is very nice and very sturdy. The blower and speed control are excellent, and the fire pot is very nice. However, it is pretty expensive. Not that you will find new for less. Look into buying the blower, speed control, and firepot separate and see how that works out price wise. Then again, I made my last fire pot out of a cast iron skillet ( cost me 9$ new!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidsmither14 Posted May 14, 2011 Author Share Posted May 14, 2011 alright thank all of you for the good imput Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajajoaquin Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 My opinion is a little different. It depends. How much metal fabrication skill and equipment do you have? Do you have any scrap steel lying around? If you find a steel supplier, can you get the drops home and build up a forge? If you don't have much skill (yet) or equipment, and you really don't know where to start, this isn't a bad deal. It's new, everything works together, so you don't have to fiddle, and it's available. It's a lot of money, yes. But if you are starting completely from scratch, you could easily spend that much or more on equipment and scrap parts to assemble your own, and have to put it together over several weeks. However, if you are a metalworking expert, live next door to an abandoned steel mill, and have a torch, welder, and grinder available, then you'd be stupid to spend $650 on this! I can guarantee you that, once you start smithing, you will find another forge for less money. You will be able to build yourself one for cheap. But you don't know when that will be, or how much forging you could have done before it comes along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I once put together a complete beginner's set up for under $US25 and the fanciest tool I used was a 1/4" drill! No welder needed, no scrap yard, I scrounged everything in inner city Columbus OH. (Including the anvil which was a broken knuckle from a RR car coupler!) Not a bad forge either; it was my main billet welding forge for several years even though I had several other forges already. What the new person lacks is the ability to see how what they find can be used and to know if it's "working right" or not. This is where getting in touch with your local smithing group can really help! Shoot I have a loaner forge and anvil I lend out to students who are starting to gather their own equipment together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajajoaquin Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 What the new person lacks is the ability to see how what they find can be used and to know if it's "working right" or not. You're exactly right; that's a really good way of summing it up. That's another thing I should have put in with "it depends." How much money do you have? Is $600 a financial strain? Just to put it in a personal perspective, I started smithing about a year and a half ago. I went and found a local group that offered lessons and has an excellent facility at very reasonable prices. I haven't spent $650 for all my smithing combined. (That's not strictly speaking true, because of the Hammerfest, Spring Conference, and some other stuff, but if you take what I've spent on the necessary tools, all my lessons, all my open forge time, it adds up to way less than $650). But, if you have more money than time, and you're starting out from absolutely nothing, then $650 is cheap. Kind of like the answer when people ask if an anvil is a good deal, people need to know more if they're going to offer meaningful advice. Thomas's comments and mine are like bookends on the range of possibility: help us narrow it down more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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