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Hello everyone, 

I just relocated to North Central Kansas from Seattle and I happened to be in the right place at the right time to score a smallish 70 pound anvil. I’ve always wanted to make some knives and I feel like this is the universe telling me that it’s time. So I’m here checking out the forms, doing some lurking and looking to build a forge next. The house I bought has natural gas service but I haven’t hooked it up to anything yet and I’m considering building a natural gas forge.

-Scott

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Scott, welcome aboard from 7500' in Wyoming.  You will find this a very interesting group.  There are folk active hear from their early teens to their 70s, education from probably drop outs to advanced degrees, and plenty of opinions on just about everything.  But we do avoid controversial subjects like politics and religion to keep the tome cordial.

If you are going to go with a non-solid fuel forge consider the pluses and minuses of propane vs. natural gas.  There are issues with heat value per cubic foot and the pressure at which domestic natural gas is supplied.  From what I understand, domestic NG service is supplied at too low a pressure for a high heat source like a forge.  If you could tap into industrial service that would be another case but that is probably improbable for most folk.  That is not to say there aren't successful NG forges out there but you need to look into the details and feasibility before making a decision.

Again, glad to have you here.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

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George,


Thanks for the welcome and the information. I have family that moved from Laramie to Cheyenne a few years ago, when I visit I get winded just climbing the stairs and can’t imagine swinging a hammer up there!

-Scott

”snazzy quote TBD”

Thanks!

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Welcome aboard, a good way to figure out if smithing is for you without spending a ton of money is to build a JABOD. You probably can build one for little to no expense and have a fire in your first afternoon. 

Once again welcome aboard, be safe, and remember it's supposed to be fun. 

Pnut

 

 

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Scott, once the covids have gone away and you are visiting your family in Cheyenne drop me an IFI private message and maybe we can get together.  Soon, I will have a full 2d forging station in my shop.

Also, when using the quote function on IFI just highlight the relevant part of the posting, not the whole thing.  Quoting the whole thing takes up unnecessary band width and that can be a problem for some of our folks who are in places with very slow internet speeds.  We have members all over the world, some in 3d and 4th world countries.

I am about the only one who uses a "snazzy quote."  It has become a habit.  FYI, it is the chorus of the song of the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths of London and dates from the early 19th century.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

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Welcome! Glad to have you here.

Definitely check out the LPG/NG thread linked above. Mikey98118 is one of our resident burner experts, and Latticino is an HVAC engineer with a LOT of experience with NG burners. They will definitely steer you in the right direction. In the mean time, a JABOD solid fuel forge is a great way to get started quickly and inexpensively.

9 hours ago, George N. M. said:

I am about the only one who uses a "snazzy quote."  It has become a habit. 

There are worse habits.

"Ars longa, vita brevis."

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Howdy, currently in Seattle; but living in Central NM.  I expect my Daughter's family living just above sea level in Okinawa for a couple of years will need to acclimate to mile high Albuquerque---not to mention driving over the continental divide on the way back from Seattle to NM!

70 pounds is a bit on the light side---take a look at the improvised anvil thread for ideas on what you can use when you need to do som *hammering*!

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Welcome aboard Scott, glad to have you. There are thousands of posts in the gas forge section and sub sections to peruse when you get ready to build one. It'll help you narrow down what you want to make and you'll get a handle on terms and who to listen to and who are just good folk trying to help. 

A JABOD is an excellent way to get started and help decide if you wish to learn the craft and give you a good idea of what you'll need/want in a gas forge.

Frosty The Lucky.

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Thanks Frosty,

After scanning the gas forge section I have decided to switch gears to propane for my first forge and transition to natural gas if I want to go long term. I have 4 soft fire bricks on order (will hunt down some Morgan Ceramics k-26’s via the telephone in the near future) and I’m going to build a single naturally aspirated burner.

-Scott 

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