Has anyone here tried making crucible steel in a propane forge? I’ve seen many videos of using coal set ups and even one guy on YouTube (shake the earth, his videos are cool) using a microwave casting set up. I’m making my forge to be able to take the heat and will try it anyway but if anyone else has I’d like to hear their side of it.

Thanks

Apologies for missing this post until now - I think it very likely that you would have trouble getting your forge to an appropriate heat and holding it there. Forges generally make poor furnaces, and furnaces generally make poor forges; the designs require fundamentally different approaches.

Most of the time, a coal or charcoal set up is easier, certainly going to be less damaging to your refractory or meant to be expendable. I would also advise you to be highly considerate of the crucibles that you used - what works for casting won't work for aluminum, and some crucibles react poorly to some fuel choices. They also may require pre-heating of the stock to be used and the crucible to avoid breaks and steam explosions.

Depending on the type of crucible steel you were considering, they often require long soak times, whether you're talking about something approaching wootz, or the soaks involving blister steel originally used for watch springs and the like. I would also recommend letting it cool in place if possible. Aside from the extreme heat and risk of breaking a crucible, a lot of the traditional processes call for letting the steel harden in the crucible, then breaking it and working the steel afterwards.

My apologies as well for not seeing this sooner. I agree with Nobody Special that using a gas forge may present a challenge, since forges are designed for ease of putting workpieces in and taking them out again. On the other hand, if your forge is very well insulated and has doors that can close up reasonably tightly, you might be able to work it.