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I Forge Iron

gas forge design


Ethan larson

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I am looking to build my first propane forge. I am pretty sure I want to build propane over coal. If anyone has a better idea please tell me. I am looking for a forge design that I would be able to do forge welding in. I am pretty sure I am going to do a forced air burner. I know I need to have 2 inches of insowool or kaowool and itc100. Any ideas on how large I should make it, what shape i should make it, and any good burner designs?

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what size forge do you need?

making tiny stuff or big stuff?

there are many experts here ( im no expert on gassers )

a big forge will use a lot more gas and will cost a lot more if you are only doing small stuff.

frosty or one of the others will probably be here soon with better questions and some help for you

which part of the world are you from as some help is location dependent ( it is no good telling you what you can buy in England if you are in Australia ( add your location to your profile will mean others dont have to ask, you can be as vague or specific as you want like continent / country / state etc ))

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Once you have a good gas forge you will probably not use a coal forge.  Propane is readily available, relatively inexpensive, and consistent.

I believe the only reason to use ITC-100 is if you want to spend about $75.00 per pint rather than $15.00 a pint for Plistix or $20.00 per pint for Metrikote.

If you will cast about 1/2" thick with Kast-0-Lite over 1" of Inswool you will get a good, strong, efficient, long lasting forge.  Check out the attachments on the Forge Supplies page of www.WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.com.

Let me know if I can help you.

Wayne

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Welcome aboard Ethan glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the Iforge gang live within visiting distance.

What I'm seeing from your questions is a young man who doesn't really know enough to make some basic decisions. My advice in this case is make the simplest easiest to use tool and start learning the craft. Check out Charles Stevens, "Forge in a box" posts and build one to get started. Don't make the mistake of thinking that just because it's a box of dirt with a trench scooped out of it, a piece of pipe and a blow drier that it isn't a REAL FORGE. A little experience and you can do just as sophisticated work with a hole in the ground as a multi thousand dollar factory made deluxe super forge.

Once you have some experience your above questions will answer themselves. Seriously you'll be making something and say to yourself, "Darn that's the third time my left handed wigit flicker has gotten too big to fit the forge! Drats time to build ANOTHER one! By time you've been smithing a few years you'll have a couple few forges collecting dust because you outgrew them. Not that your projects have gotten larger but your needs have changed.

It's the same for the rest of your tools, you'll collect a number of versions of most everything, hammers, tongs, bottom and top tools, a couple vises maybe  more than one basic shop anvil, a couple portables, etc. etc.

Forget about getting the BEST anything, there is no such thing. Sure you might have a hammer you feel is the BEST you have for say upsetting, drawing down, riveting, etc. but you'll have others that are better at different jobs. That's why I have about 10 hammers I keep close to the anvil with about 6 I keep on the at hand rack. Then there are tongs, oh BOY are there tongs, tongs everywhere! Once you learn to make tongs you'll find there is probably no more specialized smithing tool, being able to hold the work securely without having to take a death grip is more important than almost anything.

Again, start simple, learn the basics THEN start working up to more specialized equipment, honest a yard sale cast iron Hibachi makes a dandy charcoal or even coal forge with almost no modifying.

Frosty The Lucky.

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