Propane Forge

After our earlier experiments with charcoal fire pits and blacksmiths bellows, the next step was to build a proper forge. After looking at our options we decided to build a propane rather than charcoal or coke forge. Given our location and the limited time we have to devote to Iron Wolf, propane was the cleanest and most efficient fuel for us to use. Rather than spending hundreds of pounds buying a ready made forge and burner, we decided to make our own.

Having looked at the materials we could easily buy, we designed a beehive style forge that we could easily move about and place on a stand outside the workshop. We started with a wood former over which we bent some 1.2mm mild steel sheet to form the main body of the forge and the frame for the door.

Former

A simple wood former built from plywood and timber

Initial Shaping

The main body was bent over the wood former with a mixture of brute force and hammer blows to get the initial rough shape.

Smoothing out

The main body was clamped to the former and repeatedly heated with a blow torch and allowed to air cool. This relaxed the stresses in the steel and smoothed out the shape.

Ready for welding

With the body of the forge and the door shaped, the next step was to weld it all together.

Are our next challenge was that neither of us had any experience with welding at this point. We had acquired an old stick welding kit from a friend and so having done our research on YouTube we dived in and started to weld the main parts of the forge together. The results are, to be honest, not pretty to say the least but we got the job done which was all that mattered at this point. This experience also led us to wanting to get a lot better at welding and after more research we ended up replacing the stick welder with decent mig welding kit that suits our needs better.

Forge Door

Given our inexperience with welding and the thin steel we were working with we decided to use tabs on the front and back plates rather than try to weld the seams.

Main body welded

Again, rather than trying to weld seams, we left a large overlap under the forge and ran a continuous weld along it to secure the base of the forge.

Forge Door

After cleaning up the welds on the forge door, we cut a an opening at floor level.

Back Plate

With the back plate of the forge welded on and cleaned up we were ready for the next part of the build.

The door to the forge was welded on with a modified door hinge, with a pair of bolts and a welded on simple hook to allow us to add a handle and catch. The base of the forge was lined with refractory bricks and the door, back and sides lined with a double layer of 25mm ceramic fibre blanket. A hold was drilled for the torch assembly with a bracket welded on for support. The outside of the forge was spray painted with heat resistant paint to stop it rusting however this will probably require regular re-coating as the paint is not designed to deal with kind of temperatures we are producing.

The torch design was something we found on a YouTube site by KingofRandom. We modified it slightly as we were working with UK available parts and after a few false starts we had to change the torch barrel for a longer version than shown here to give us a better more consistent flame.

To make the forge very much an Iron Wolf project we took the time to cast some aluminium wolf claw feet for the forge. Using our 3D printer we made two wolf feet patterns, with these we were able to make some green sand moulds and spent a very enjoyable Saturday melting down around 80 Aluminium beer cans in our foundry and casting the feet. While the design of our forge is not particularly unique, it is probably the only forge in the world with wolf claw feet.

Door Hinge

For simplicity we welded on a shop bought steel door hinge rather than wasting time making our own.

Torch Support

Again as a time saver, a shelf bracket we had in our stores was bent to shape and welded onto the side of the forge.

Door Catch

We fashioned a door hook from a piece of 1.2mm mild steel left over from the build and welded it to the door. A bolt and nuts provide the catch to allow us to close and secure the door during operation.

Door Handle

We shaped a handle from some hardwood and threaded it down onto a bolt to give us a safe low heat conducting handle for the door.

Forge Lining

The refractory bricks were cemented into place with fire cement so we could safely move the forge without the bricks moving.

Finished Project

The finished forge was a great achievement for us. The effort we put in along with the new skills we learned along the way made this a very satisfying project.

Capacity

As our main focus is on knifemaking we have kept this forge small. with a single burner, we have the ability to keep two small billets or in progress knives at temperature at once, but we are not looking to forge Excalibur in here.

Ready for Action

Here is the forge ready for action, with the torch attached and hooked up to the propane tank. Time to forge some steel.