Help with forge

[Dillion Brian Grant]

Hello everybody, first off I have been browsing this website for a long time now, but this is my first time posting anything, what I am trying to figure out is quite a few things so just stick with me please

First off can anybody tell me what the pros and cons are of a square body forge that has the burners going down vertically

And what are the pros and cons of a round/ cylinder forge that has the burner/burners set at an angel so that the flame swirls around the forge instead of being in just one spot on the forge.

what are the main importance differences of both of these forges when knife making is concerned.

How many burners is needed to be able to make Damascus or forge welding to be more sure fire instead of just a matter of luck.

And if I have multiple burners then is it better to have a single control set up so that all of the burners work together or is it better to have a multi control setup so that they work independently.

 Y'all all know how tight money is so really I would prefer only having one forge that can be used for 

Regular forging
Forge welding Damascus
metal casting

So can you give me some ideas please and thank u.

Dillion

 

 

[Mikey98118]

You asked "First off can anybody tell me what the pros and cons are of a square body forge that has the burners going down vertically"

Mostly, square gorges are dictated by material choice. Bricks are rectangles, and tend to leave to square spaces...beyond that I know exactly zero reason for building one.

You asked " First off can anybody tell me what the pros and cons are of a square body forge that has the burners going down vertically "

The main reason for a burner to be pointed vertically down, is that the first thing it should encounter that way is a tourgh high temperature high alumina kiln shelf, or cast refractory floor.

You asked "And what are the pros and cons of a round/ cylinder forge that has the burner/burners set at an angel so that the flame swirls around the forge instead of being in just one spot on the forge."

You understand that large interiors cost a lot more energy to heat than small ones. On the other hand it is nice to to absorb as much of the flame as possible within the forge. This is what all that swirling is meant to accomplish; a nice long spiraling flame path within a small space. Knife making has no need for large forges.

You asked "How many burners is needed to be able to make Damascus or forge welding to be more sure fire instead of just a matter of luck."

One good 1/2" burner in a two gallon Freon or helium cylinder forge is all that is needed. Two good 3/8" will do the same job more efficiently.

You asked "And if I have multiple burners then is it better to have a single control set up so that all of the burners work together or is it better to have a multi control setup so that they work independently."

Each burner should be controlled independently for maximum control of the forge.

Regular forging can be done is this forge for a long time before you ever need contemplate a larger forge; even if you build a large forge later on you will want to use this smaller one whenever you can to save fuel costs.
 

Forge welding Damascus only requires a hot burner in an efficient forge design, which these are.

Metal casting requires a hinged door on one end of the forge, a round kiln shelf in its other end, and legs on both the bottom of the forge, and its far end. Thus the forge can be turned on its end to become a casting furnace.