Reasonably priced Induction Forge for Hobbyist to purchase?

[Scarlet Viking]

Hello everyone, new here and first time poster.  I couldn’t find a similar question asked on here from recently.  I am totally new to forging and a complete hobbyist, primarily looking to forge smaller items out of iron and hopefully steel, mostly Viking inspired items. Possibly looking to make small blades dow the road.   
 

I am wondering if there are decent priced induction forges to purchase specifically for what I’d like to forge.  I saw some threads about induction forges, but I couldn’t gather whether they would be a good fit for my needs.  Also, I am not a very handy guy, so making my own I think would not be easy for me at all, I’d rather put out a some money for something I ( or you guys ) are confident would work.  
 

Just a little more background - I bought a Vevor portable propane forge in January, and through constant bad luck and problems, I have not had it set up at all.  I font want to use propane if I don’t have to, I thought that was the only option.  Currently, I’m waiting on the manufacturer to email me because they sent me the wrong regulator, and that’s what is holding me up now. The regulator they sent me only fits on a 100 gallon propane tank, and while I did find one for a good price, I didn’t realize that they couldn’t be transported And somebody had to come to me to fill it up. I planned on buying the typical 15 gallon propane tanks you find at any store, but as I mentioned, they did not send me the right connection and customer support very poor.  I’ve seen the giant induction forges on Forged by Fire, and while I would never be able to afford one for my basement, I’d love to know if there is a smaller version that would work for me.   Thank you everyone who has time to post and help.  

[Buzzkill]

Do a search for "15KW induction forge" using your favorite search engine.  That should bring up a number of options for you to start exploring.

[George N. M.]

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming.  Glad to have you.

If you put your general location in your profile it will help us figure out where you are and give better answers.  This is a world wide forum and we don't know if you are in Iceland, Tierra del Fuego, or Kansas.

While not about cost you might look at Black Bear Forge's videos on induction forges on You Tube if you haven't already.  I'll be interested to see if you can find a decent one under a couple of thousand dollars which was about the floor the last time I looked.

I'd be very cautious about using a propane forge in an enclosed basement because of ventilation issues and the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.  At a dead minimum, you MUST have a CO detector fairly near the forge.  Also, the basement is usually the source area for air for the furnace and AC and you are risking getting CO into the rest of the house and poisoning your family and pets.

I had a friend who was knocked out by CO from a propane forge in a garage and had to spend time in a hyperbaric chamber (high pressure oxygen) to flush it out of his system.  He reported that it was not a fun experience.  The only reason he didn't die is that his wife found him in time.

If you have a good fresh air source in the basement you are probably OK but a CO alarm is still an excellent idea.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[Latticino]

Coal Ironworks recently came out with a 15 and 25 kW units.  Might be a little more support, at least, than buying a cheaper overseas version.

[Scarlet Viking]

1 hour ago, Buzzkill said:

Do a search for "15KW induction forge" using your favorite search engine.  That should bring up a number of options for you to start exploring.thank you, I’ve done that, and I’m not quite sure what would work for my projects.   That’s why I came here, for more information. 

[Scarlet Viking]

1 hour ago, George N. M. said:

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming.  Glad to have you.

If you put your general location in your profile it will help us figure out where you are and give better answers.  This is a world wide forum and we don't know if you are in Iceland, Tierra del Fuego, or Kansas.

While not about cost you might look at Black Bear Forge's videos on induction forges on You Tube if you haven't already.  I'll be interested to see if you can find a decent one under a couple of thousand dollars which was about the floor the last time I looked.

I'd be very cautious about using a propane forge in an enclosed basement because of ventilation issues and the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.  At a dead minimum, you MUST have a CO detector fairly near the forge.  Also, the basement is usually the source area for air for the furnace and AC and you are risking getting CO into the rest of the house and poisoning your family and pets.

I had a friend who was knocked out by CO from a propane forge in a garage and had to spend time in a hyperbaric chamber (high pressure oxygen) to flush it out of his system.  He reported that it was not a fun experience.  The only reason he didn't die is that his wife found him in time.

If you have a good fresh air source in the basement you are probably OK but a CO alarm is still an excellent idea.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Thank you for the welcome!  I am in eastern Ohio, USA, on the Ohio river, right across from Wheeling, WV.  Thanks for the suggestion about Black Bear Forge, I believe I have watched a few of his videos, but not about an Induction Forge.  I’ll definitely check that out.
 

Thank you for the advice about my basement.  I did make an exhaust system, and the propane tank would have been in a separate room, which is underneath my front porch with additional ventilation.  I didn’t think about the fact that the air in the basement tends to circulate the house.   I do have 2 carbon monoxide detectors ready to go, for opposite sides of the basement including the stairs up.  I’ve been really nervous about the propane aspect, and that one thing I was really interested in about the induction forge.  
 

I saw some may be sold on eBay for around 60.-80p, but I just don’t know if that’s trustworthy, or would do what I want to do.  

[Scarlet Viking]

1 hour ago, Latticino said:

Coal Ironworks recently came out with a 15 and 25 kW units.  Might be a little more support, at least, than buying a cheaper overseas version.

Thank you for that suggestion, I’ll look them up this evening!

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Welcome from the Ozark Mountains.

The others have pretty much covered all I was going to say. So I'll post later, if I think of anything new.

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.
Semper Paratus

 

[BillyBones]

Welcome from... well... Ohio. There are a few of us worthless nuts here. 

All i know about induction forges are they are some kind of dark magic that heats the metal with no fire. 

[Latticino]

I honestly don't remember seeing induction forges on FIF, let alone large ones.  I know they have sizable propane forges as well as electric heat treat ovens, but I don't recall them using induction.

I well know the lure of purchasing new equipment for a new hobby, but you might be getting a little ahead of yourself.  I recommend you hookup with some of the Ohio smiths and see if there is a group near you, or a class that you can take.  You can learn a whole lot more from in person direction than from watching Youtube or FIF.  If I recall correctly, there is a pretty large contingent of smiths in Ohio, and even though it is a large state I suspect there will be a branch of ABANA nearby (or near Pittsburgh as you appear to be close to there).  Now that I think of it, the annual ABANA conference is just outside Pittsburgh in June.  If you want to see some fantastic work, tailgating and comradery you might want to look into that as well.

[Frosty]

Some of the finalists on FIF had induction units in their home shops.

Well said as usual Latticino. Sometimes I'm afraid I have a reputation as a wet blanket with the newcomers to the craft. But as said already it's normal for someone breaking into a craft, any craft to want to buy the best tools and equipment available. I highly vouch for the advice given above, the BEST way to learn the craft is from an experienced mentor and blacksmiths seem to be more than happy to help new folk.

Unfortunately the best tools in the world are nothing more than highly refined dirt without the mind and hands of a human to make them do their stuff. Without knowing how to use a tool you could well be endangering yourself and those around you. 

You can do top notch blacksmithing and bladesmithing with nothing more than you can carry in a bindle or what's available where you build a fire. I used to have a field job and rather than drink a half rack of beer in my off time I played with scrounged materials in the fire. My only tools were a 32oz. drill hammer, a couple chisels, file, brush and hack saw. Typically I cut scrounged stock long enough I didn't need tongs but you can split a green stick for short lived tongs.

The minimum tool list for a blacksmith is surprisingly short. Anvil, hammer, something to cut with (chisels are give away cheap at yard/garage sales) and something to hold hot stock. The rest is icing, NOT necessary to the craft. 

More importantly is PPE, eye protection is a MUST and no, your reading glasses aren't good enough. I have poly carb protective glasses with side shields as my daily spectacles and use a face shield if my experience says the process MIGHT put debris in the air. I have over the glasses BUG goggles for really dirty things, sawdust is a dangerous eye irritant and should Always be avoided.

NO synthetics, on contact with anything 300f and above it melts and deep fries your hide, trying to scrape if off generally adds your hands to the menu! Even Nomex isn't good in a smithy it is for short term flame contact and does NOT stand up well to hot material contact except briefly. (read seconds)

High top leather shoes preferably without laces, hot pinch offs LOVE to find nooks and crannies to fall into, shoe laces and pants cuffs are favorites. Hmmmm?

Same for your work area, NO flammables that aren't going into the forge! Places like under shelves, behind things, etc. collect dust, leaves and litter so that is exactly where pinch offs are headed!

Keep your work triangle/circle clear of trip hazards, stumbling when you have a piece of 2,000f bar in your hand or tongs can be disastrous, on the upside 4th degree burns don't hurt but they can make it tough putting out a fire before the shop, house or yard is involved. If you're going to wrk in the yard, rake up leaves and litter, then give it a good wetting down with a hose for a minimum 30' radius. 30' is minimum, when you cut something with a chisel the bit you cut off (Pinch off) can fly that far easily. With experience you'll learn to chisel cut stock without letting any fly but until you do, don't take chances, please. Yes?

I'm starting to ramble aimlessly . . . AGAIN this morning! 

We hang out here on the forum largely to answer questions, solve problems and help folk get started.

Give us a shout out when something comes up.

Frosty The Lucky.

[dkaschner]

Just another option.  I have a 15KW US Solid induction forge.  The forge and a TIG cooler ran just over $1,600 when I purchased it a year ago in February.  A good unit, never had any problems.  Came well packed and in a very reasonable time frame and tech support through a US company.

Here is the description of the IF and TIG cooler.

• U.S. Solid 15 KW High Frequency Induction Heater 30-80 KHz
• U.S. Solid Tig Water Cooler 25L TIG MIG Welder Torch Water Cooling Machine, 370W, 0.33MPA

That said,  the Coal Iron offering was not available when I purchased my unit. It was introduced a few months after I bought this unit.  The Coal Iron unit is more expensive but it comes with:

• 100% tech support from a US company
• pre-assembled and tested (just add water and plug it in)
• although I have not had any problems with my cooler (some owners have reported water-fail alarms), I do like the Coal Iron cooler.
• IMHO the whole unit comes as a neatly assembled package with Coal Iron support standing by to help should any problems arise.

As you  might be able to tell, I am a fan of Coal Iron.  I have one of their double-sided 25 ton presses.  They are always there to help.

It's your choice.  Both good options. Your choice.  Good luck...

Dan