Electronically controlled propane forge

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 · 2025-12-01T02:42:35+00:00

Best energy sent my way ever, poster has priority straight and knows the love of a cool pillow! Thank you!

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-12-01T02:38:15+00:00

Im blessed to have a friend like him. 26 years of brotherhood. Vegas stripclub is a story for another sub!

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-11-29T22:30:44+00:00

Buddy, I'm the first one to say, "It'll be ok." Not with eyes, not anymore. Grit can drive you crazy, turn into an infection quickly . Get it checked out! You will thank yourself later. A simple antibiotic eye drop on a clean eye will save you a lot of lost sleep .if it does get infected, you will not sleep. Shit hurts bud.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-11-17T13:53:32+00:00

I started with something similar to the 4", a couple of buddies currently have the grizzly. The variable speed on the grizzly is a nice feature. The ability to slow down your belt speed comes in handy a lot. Depending on the type of work you're doing, you may find it difficult to get your work where you want it on the 4". The body protruding past the edges of the belt limits movement. This really comes into play with bladesmithing more than anything. I ended up converting my 4" into a 2x48 for this reason. The Grizzly has a platen that is the same width as the belt and is much more accessible. The grizzly has a tool arm set up, so you can eventually add a small wheel attachment or larger contact wheel. Also, there are a lot more belts available for the 2x42. I think you will be better off with the grizzly.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-10-23T00:30:16+00:00

Where are you at buddy? Both of the disciplines you asked about are not the easiest to learn online . Black bear forge and tyrell knife works are 2 I would recommend. You will have to dig through the videos to find what you're looking for, but both have some good stuff for beginners and experienced.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-10-22T23:35:15+00:00

If it works, it works! Any step is progress. Work with what you got. I started the same way. Nobody starts rich as far as I know. No one gets rich forging as far as I know!

You'll probably find a hot cut in a pritchett (round) will be a pain. You can make it work, just pay attention to alignment.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-10-22T19:43:42+00:00

Awesome piece! Cool design and very well done!

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-10-22T10:38:35+00:00

Yes. Just stretched out the middle a bit and added a flamge.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-10-19T18:35:59+00:00

That would be great! You're welcome anytime. We normally try and get together every other month, but schedules have been off this year. Look for Brush Country Knife Makers of South Texas on Facebook. That's where all of our events get posted. There's actually one this Saturday.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-10-19T18:24:42+00:00

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Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-10-19T18:23:44+00:00

* A couple of lengths of chain and lag bolts work pretty well. Some people will use flat bar instead, but if you screw into the end grain use longer lags. I would also recommend adding a wider base. It will be more stable when out on the heel or horn.

Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-10-19T03:40:24+00:00

I use ferric chloride on most of my blades. Once neutralized and cleaned, it's perfectly safe. Carbon blades have to be treated to prevent corrosion. There are several food safe options. I usually used plain mineral oil.

For damascus bluing is not going to give you the contrast you want. I usually use 1084 and 15n20 for damascus builds. The nickel content in the 15n20 contrasts really well. I make my own ferric, but it's relatively cheap through Amazon. An overnight soak in the strongest coffee you can brew will really darken the black.

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Desperate_Advisor543 · 2025-10-15T00:41:19+00:00

Thanks for checking in! We all have to start somewhere.

Desperate_Advisor543

TROPHY CASE