I'm upgrading from a brake drum forge to propane. I'm looking at a Chile Forge one burner (Tobasco). I'm just getting started in forging with general small stuff but I would like to forge small knives and do simple heating (1084). Maybe down the road try small damascus billet. Is a single burner going to do it or should I go with a two burner?  

A quality one burner is sufficient for a beginner knife maker, as you can only heat up the area that you can work before it cools. And yes, you can make small damascus billets in it. It will be much cheaper to run while you are in the 'learning the ropes' stage.

 

In a couple of years, if you outgrow this one, it will be time to upgrade, and make this one your portable demo unit. You will know when your skills outgrow the tools.

I'll agree with John, the single burner is more than addaquate for most knife making.  If you plan on doing anything else besides knives hang on to the other forge.  Those style forges are great for knives, for odd shaped objects they don't work too well.

Thanks guys. I think the single burner will do all I need it to do, but it would be much less expensive to go with the two burner now rather than buying a whole new forge in a couple of years. I've already got my order in with Chile Forge for a single burner Tabasco but I was having second thoughts. Would the two burner be way more expensive to run?

Look at the tutorial on my web-site at the Forge Supplies page.  Build your own and save a lot of money and get a forge that suits your needs.

My tutorial is for a guide and you can modify it as you desire.  Look into building a Frosty T burner.  Do a search on IFI for Frosty's T Burner.  There is a lot of info there.

The biggest thing about a propane forge is the size of the mouth you're working out of.  My forge only has a 3x5 side entry, so I can't do large scroll work unless I open the front door and expose the entire inside of the forge.  That means a tremendous loss of heat, which means more propane used.

 

You can always block up a large opening, but you can't open a small opening.

 

A 1-burner forge is all you'll need for 90% of the forging you'll want to do while learning.  You'll be working on small stock, doing small projects, and a 1-burner is great for that stuff.  Even after you become a pro, you'll often find yourself turning to that 1-burner for small jobs because there's no sense in feeding the 2-burner just to make a dozen nails for a commission.  

To update this thread.......... I ignored every ones good advice :o and bought the two burner forge. Very nice piece of kit. Yes it is overkill for me now but I can grow into it. I have forged a few small pieces and even a small billet of cable damascus and the forge is a joy to use. Thanks go to Stacie and David at Chile Forge - great product and service.

 

Bill

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Bill,

  I have the exact same forge!

Going on 6 months now since I got it.

Have absolutely no interest in building one - more power to those that do - but not interested.

Have found my 2 burner Habanero to be an excellent piece of equipment and when I don't need 2 burners, well, I just turn one of them off!

Your going to be very happy with it - and YES - those folks at Chili are the best to deal with, treated me like family and answered every question I had, and there were plenty.

The quality, fit and finish on this is amazing - and as a new guy I like that it's about as easy to use and get good even and HOT temps (if needed) with ease.

I am building my first forge, I am going with ID of 6” x13” with one forced air burner, any advice and can I forge weld with the one forced air burner?

 

 

When I first looked into forges and their burners back in 1999, there was a loud debate going on about fan-blown versus naturally aspirated burners. These days we know that the only thing that matters is doing a good job of building whatever type you choose.

Welcome from the Ozark mountains. To answer with any reasonable certainty, we will need more information like insulation, refractory, shape, what it's made from. Pictures would also help and where it's located.

17 minutes ago, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said:

nd where it's located.

It being the burner.

That and where the forge is located. Would make a difference if it's in the Alps at 15,000 feet or Florida at sea level.

OR if the forge were in the Alps and the burner in Florida.

If you've done a good job of building the forge itself, there are a number of proven designs in the propane forge section of Iforge. Your plans are pretty much typical and for once not WAY too large. Good for you. 

Anyway given a good forge the ONLY thing that determines how hot a forge will get is how many cubic feet or propane and air in the correct ratio you can burn per second in the forge chamber. Period, Gun (blown) or NA (Naturally Aspirated) makes very little difference. That difference is back pressure NA burners are more sensitive than guns.

You shouldn't have any trouble at all getting welding heat in your forge with a blown burner. Adjusting it for a neutral or SLIGHTLY reducing flame is easy with a gun. When you start your build give a shout we'll be more than happy to help.

Frosty The Lucky.