Hello,

 I'm building a forge from a brake drum I got from a friend at my local auto shop, and I was hoping you guys could give me some advice on where on earth to get started. I want to forge some knives (starting with railroad spikes. And I was thinking about forge welding some Damascus or Japanese blue steel into the blade for a "real" edge). What are some things I should know?

 My favorite style blade is a long slender/curved kind of blade, what are techniques to achieving this? How the heck do I heat treat anything? Do I need a heat treat oven? How do I temper the blade? How do I quench it without making the metal warp or crack?

 I don't know anything, so any knowledge y'all can impart will be greatly appreciated. 

i did something similar to this  http://www.instructables.com/id/Brake-drum-blacksmithing-forge/ mounted flush on small steel table that i stack soft fire-bricks around to hold fuel and manipulate heat. careful & good luck. 

Before you are beset on all sides by the curmudgeons let me give you a little advice.  First of all welcome to the forums and the world of blacksmithing/bladesmithing.  Secondly, resist the urge to rush into some of these areas.  You posted this in the knife making section, so hopefully you noticed the stickies at the top.  Take some time to read through the knife making classes 101 for starters.  There is a dedicated heat treating section.  If you want to use solid fuels like coal then head to the solid fuel forges section.  The bottom line is you have a fair amount of material to read on this site that already addresses the questions you've asked in detail.  You're asking for advice on how to swim in the ocean before learning how to tread water in a fairly shallow pool. 

It's a satisfying hobby, but if you don't take the time to absorb the information available on this site and learn some basics you are setting yourself up for failure.  Spend a few hours on here reading about the topics that interest you the most and if at all possible find someone in your area that already does what you want to learn to do.  If you will go to your profile and add your location you may find someone on this forum who is within a reasonable distance to you who can help.

Forge,

You might also list where you are, that will let people know if you are close to a given group or class. .

That is the basic idea I'm using for my forge, and I was thinking about cutting some firebricks into shape to fit inside the inner edge of the forge to refract more heat, would that help at all?

Welcome aboard. Most of your questions have been covered very well as the folks have said. For your forge questions check in the solid fuel forges section. There is more information there than you can possibly need. As to building knives, start very basic then move to more complex tasks. Forge welding is not beginner stuff. Get very good with a hammer and reading your metal. Practice till your arm is worn out then read more. It is pretty cool to look back after a few months and see just how rough your old work was. 

 

Thanks y'all for your 'vice. I guess I better put my reading glasses on now.

Pack a lunch and a cold drink before you go to the archive. (grin)

I would add that you should probably call in sick to work for about a week, unless your job allows you to hang out on here and read for 14+ hours a day.... 

welcome to the Forum. as others have stated, read the knife making 101 classes, there is a TON of useful info for people just starting out.