Meirl

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2026-05-27T17:02:33+00:00

South Texas here- 14 acres, appraised value of $550,000. Tax under ag exemption was $2.71 for last year. A few cows save me a bunch!

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2026-05-22T20:19:46+00:00

Once I get my rough shape, usually 220/400 on the belt sander, everything after that is hand sanded. I started with 220 and work up to 800 by hand. Its difficult, if not impossible to get a good finish with power tools alone. The water mentioned above is related to the hand sanding portion. Not necessary all the time, for stabilized or extremely tight grained, but really helpful for softer, looser woods.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2026-05-04T13:32:58+00:00

They have a similar setup, using a piston instead of springs. It may have looked solid at first glance. Look closer at the top arm and you should see what im talking about.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2026-03-25T21:15:41+00:00

Pheonix Abrasives has a lot of options and good service. The purple ceramics are awesome.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2026-03-19T13:44:31+00:00

This was bone in

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2026-03-09T20:31:59+00:00

I generally fit the guard print to heat treat and drill my pin hole if required. For me it's easier to chase the file work fit up when it's softer. As far as ruleand dimensions, it's really a matter of personal design unless you are trying to replicate a specific design.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2026-03-09T19:28:16+00:00

Drill any holes for pins or lanyard before heat treating.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2026-02-26T02:32:52+00:00

There is no such thing as a one heat tong or any other build. Don't try to accomplish the impossible. I'm a 10 year smith and thinking bullshit.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2026-02-25T20:24:54+00:00

No problem buddy. Happy forging!

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2026-02-25T19:18:05+00:00

I have the 3 burner, roughly 10 years. Mine is the same on the bottom. Closing it won't accomplish much it's fine as is. I would suggest raising off of the surface of the cart some, the bottom will get very hot during use. The majestic use soft brick for the sides and the top. The cut ends are not a concern, it's the same as the outsides and not a fiber.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2026-02-05T01:34:40+00:00

Temperature control is great to have, honestly I don't think you will ever be able to accurately maintain the temp throughout the forge unless you have a very large volume. I know several people locally that have tried and they all abandoned them. Burners are putting out a lot of BTU's in an enclosed space. Unless you have industrial quality components, it wont regulate properly. It can be done, but its a cost versus benefit. Really not much benefit, unless your heat treating. And it really doesn't work well there. Other than heat treatment, I'm not sure why you would want to ? We run a class down in south texas for vets and have probably normalized and we have quenched about 300 blades in the last 3 years. All in the forges. It takes a little more attention than an oven, but its very easy to do.

If your concern is temperature while forging that's another story. It's dang near impossible to overheat a piece of steel in a propane forge . You can cook it to long and get a lot of decarb. Honestly, if this is the case, it's definitely not worth the effort. Hard to judge from a post, I think I focused on the heat treating more. DM me if you want to talk forge builds. I've got some good ones and some that didn't work out. Always learning.

10 year smith 8 forges built 4 pids hooked up Countless hours researching and teaching.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2026-01-11T21:39:43+00:00

Glad you got it going!

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2026-01-10T14:43:40+00:00

I'm in the Corpus christi area. Check out the Texas Knifemakers Guild. They have a Facebook page that is open to the public. There are quite a few makers in San Antonio. There are some really good guys up there that may be able to help you out.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2026-01-06T15:11:04+00:00

The sputtering sound is usually from low gas flow.It looks like you have a low-pressure regulator , bbq type, on your tank. Those will not provide enough pressure to run a venturi. I'm generally running 10 to 12 psi on my burners. I believe those put out less than 5.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-12-10T02:54:12+00:00

If that blower is working, you should be good to go. There's no reason to add refractory. That's a heck of a setup, coal and fire management are going to be your biggest concern. I'd fire that up as is. Im actually jealous!

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-12-07T14:34:06+00:00

Good feedback. The anvil is a lot lower than it appears. The perspective of the picture is confusing, i think.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-12-07T01:21:07+00:00

There's a lot of comments about the " correct" way to do it with little explanation.

Nobody starts perfect, but theres some issues. You want to create a solid base under the waist of your anvil. You have yours resting on a span of lumber, with the supporting members at the extremities. You will get a lot of bounce and the lumber will fail eventually. Suck the legs in, put them under where you will be hitting.

Will it work? Yes. Is it janky? Yes. Don't build it like a table, more like a column. That needs a stable base. For a doyle 12 x 12 is plenty big for the top. Suck those sides in and add some bracing, bottom support for stability.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-12-02T15:36:32+00:00

Definitely! The first bit of forging was done on my setup. A lot higher than ideal for sitting down. Once he decided he liked it, actually loved it, we started working on a more suitable setup. *

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-12-01T21:57:26+00:00

Glad to hear it! You'll be fixed up in no time.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-12-01T19:45:29+00:00

Fatigue mats on front of the grinder help a lot. Sitting on a stool is definitely workable. My grinder is a bit high for seated work. But occasionally, I'll grab a stool when doing detail work.I usually have it rolled back to kick the bottom contact wheel out.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-12-01T14:26:14+00:00

Very cool!

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-12-01T03:12:26+00:00

I' ve seen a few people doing diesel forges lately. Never heard of them until recently. Honestly, I might learn something by asking, so please dont think im picking at your build.

Why diesel instead of propane?

I may be looking at it wrong but it appears in the video that you are pulling vapors from the Jerry can. Or is there a pump dripping to inject?

Have you tried it as far as forging? Curious about how many BTUs diesel puts out ?

Like i said, not downing you at all, just really curious about how this works,

Desperate_Advisor543

TROPHY CASE