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How To Make A Bladesmiths Forge

by trf on March 19, 2009 Table of Contents How To Make A Bladesmiths Forge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intro: How To Make A Bladesmiths Forge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 1: Clean that crap up! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 2: Constructing the tuyere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 3: Adding the tuyere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 4: Adding refractory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 5: Get fancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 6: LOAD AND FIRE! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 5

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-A-Bladesmiths-Forge/

Intro: How To Make A Bladesmiths Forge

In this Instructable I will be explaining how to convert that old barbecue grill sitting in your yard next to all that junk into a furnace capable of heating up steel to forge long items such as knives,daggers,and small swords. Before we begin I would like to say I am not responsible for any injury or damage caused by reading and/or following the instructions in this Instructable and working with hot items will always have associated risks. I would like to give credit to Tim Lively as I watched his movie called Knifemaking Unplugged and have based 1 of my refractory mixtures and the design of the forge off of what he uses. Great movie. I ordered it off of Amazon Unbox.

Step 1: Clean that crap up!

First we will want remove all the internal components such as the rack and burners. Strip it down to the bare grill body. Remove all knobs and such so that all you have is the metal grill. Remove and throw out the handle, if it is plastic. Now we will use a blowtorch to heat up the grease that has accumulated from you chowing down. We will heat up a section of the grill with the torch and scrape the the heated section with a metal scraper. Now we will heat it again and this time we will wipe it down with a paper tower. Once your satisfied that it is nice and clean proceed to spray it with oven cleaner, just to make sure. Let this sit for a while and then spray off with a hose. Let the grill dry.

Image Notes 1. Nice and clean!

Step 2: Constructing the tuyere

Now we will construct the tuyere. The tuyere is a pipe that delivers an air blast from a blower to the fire that allows the charcoal to heat faster. We will need black iron pipe 1 1/2" diameter that is just a little longer than the length of your grill. We will also need a 1 foot section of 2" black iron, a 2 - 1 1/2 reducer coupling, and a 1 1/2 end cap. Now we will put the 2 inch pipe into the reducer and screw it on. Now we will screw in our 1 1/2 inch pipe into the reduce. Now we losely screw the cap on. The cap is to allow for easy clean out. Now we drill holes in the pipe every inch about 1/4 inch or a little less. Remember the more holes you have, the more oxygen to fuel the fire but, also the bigger a blower you need.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-A-Bladesmiths-Forge/

Image Notes 1. Tuyere. Holes drilled 1 inch apart

Step 3: Adding the tuyere

Now that the grill is dry, we will use a circular hole saw and cut as close to the bottom off the grill n the center on both sides. Make sure the hole is just large enough to accomodate the tuyere. Slide the tuyere in and screw the end cap on.

Image Notes 1. Side table 2. Storage 3. Tuyere end where cap goes on

Step 4: Adding refractory

Of course, to keep the forge body cool enough so it is not damaged, we need a layer in between the fire and the grill. I will use Mt Savage refractory cement, although you may use 1 of the following recipies, a 1 part furnace cement and 4 part perlite or 50/50 of sand and clay. We will want to fill the forge right to the tuyere and have a 70 degree angle upwards to provide a trough to hold our fuel and blade. Let dry.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-A-Bladesmiths-Forge/

Image Notes 1. Good cement made for heat.

Image Notes 1. cement packed in there...this cement has cured for a little over 12 hours...i perfer to do it in layers

Step 5: Get fancy

If you haven't noticed, I have been fancy with my grill and added a plywood shelf underneath to hold my charcoal and tools and I have added a small plywood table where 1 of the plastic ones used to be. I will be adding sheetmetal to the plywood surface to keep it cool.

Image Notes 1. Side table 2. Storage 3. Tuyere end where cap goes on

Step 6: LOAD AND FIRE!

Now we will load it with charcoal and light it up for use. We will begin by adding some newspaper at the bottom and then placing small dry wood kindling on top of it. Next we will top that with charcoal. Preferably homemade charcoal as it burns better, doesn't stick to your blade, and it has less flying debris. Light the news paper and wait for some of it to catch fire and then turn on a blower device connected to the 2 inch pipe. I personally use a shopvac. Enjoy. Be careful. If you now have a forge but no idea how to make anything, stop by livelyknives.com or amazon.com and buy Knifemaking Unplugged. And im sorry but i have no photo as all this was taken while i was waiting for the cement to cure.

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Making a Simple Heat Treating Make a Small and Easy Knives by Blacksmith's Charcoal/ Coal makingcustomknives Forge by Forge by acer73 Vendigroth

Sword-hilted Broken-back Seax by ben potter

MY FIRST INSTRUCTABLE!!!!!!! Improvised Coal/Charcoal

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-A-Bladesmiths-Forge/

Forge by shtoocl

Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 70 comments

TimmyMiller says:
why is it red???

Jan 20, 2011. 3:34 PM REPLY

trf says:
My camera sucked at the time....plus the window behind me was dirty lol

Jan 20, 2011. 5:58 PM REPLY

Gksarmy says:
so, to get that straight, you could just line the inside with cat litter? instead of paying $100 a bag?

Apr 16, 2010. 10:22 AM REPLY

Dark Solar says:

Dec 6, 2010. 11:57 AM REPLY Be cautious--not all cat litters are created equal. I had a very bad experience with cat litter involving evolution of chlorine gas upon heating. For safety's sake, heat-test a small sample first. Apr 16, 2010. 8:40 PM REPLY In theory yes... i have heard of clay cat litter mixed with water to form a slurry which is then evaporated to leave u with a regular consistency clay which is then placed in there. In practice..i would not...the work of making a slurry and drying it and then placing it in there to have it crack after a few uses and then buy a new bag is the downside. id imagine with the labor and and price of litter eventualy ull add up to the same price at the stuff that basically never needs repair.

trf says:

Gksarmy says:

Apr 16, 2010. 9:43 PM REPLY ahh, well, i really only want to make one thing with the forge: a straight edge knife/razor for hair shaving. do you think i'd be able to make it after just one attempt? or...not? haha

trf says:

Apr 17, 2010. 7:41 AM REPLY Well all i can say is you can try. The tough part wont be shaping it. The toughest part will be making it go from looks to function. You would need a very fine edge and would need great sharpening equipment ranging from course to honing gear... out of the 5-10 ive made i havent acheived that sharpness...but ive acheived decent blades that dont dull easily..all im lacking is handle making. lol

Gksarmy says:

Apr 17, 2010. 8:47 AM REPLY I've got a bench grinder (don't remember the specs right now :/ ) and a dremel, do you think i'll be able to make it work? because i can get the railroad spike(s) i plan to use for free, and the forge i could make easily i believe. (the strop too i can make) and the sharpening stone(s) i believe my dad might have ATM would probably work... do you think i could take it to a local sharpening store and have them put an edge on it? because even if they charge $20-$50 to put an edge on it, i still think that it would be at least equal or even better to/than what i could buy with the same amount of money.

trf says:

Apr 18, 2010. 6:16 AM REPLY well its possible... but its gonna be pretty difficult...i would not reccomend starting with a rail spike. Some of the spikes MAY be high carbon steel but getting it to the thickness is alot of work especialy if you have never forged before. My advice would be to either get some basic stock like round stock and hammer it flat (dont get it very thick) OR get flat stock the thickness you desire and cut it out with a hacksaw or other tool. Straight razors are one of the finest edged tools that a common person would use on a daily basis. They require a great first sharpening and then great maintence following it. I have taken a qoute from another article on this to share with you. 'Sharpening is the final stage in the process. At first the blade is sharpened on a grinding wheel. Following that the blade can be honed by holding the blades against the flat side of rotating round stones, or by drawing the blade across stationary flat stones. The cutting edge is finished using a strop." So the idea behind it would be to go from a quick edge using a somewhat fine grinding wheel on your grinder or a stationary stone. Be carefule in doing this cause excessive heat that can turn the steel colors is bad for the integrity of the blade. The you would move up to different courseness of arkansas stones until you get it pretty fine. Then from there you would use a strop possibly with polishing compound on it to finish the edge. You may be able to get a shop to do it for you but make sure to discuss the use of the blade with them before having them do it so you know what they are able to make the blade do. I have a railroad spike knife myself and let me tell ya..with a good amount of work its still pretty thick..id call it more of a chopping knife due to the thickness.

Gksarmy says:

Apr 18, 2010. 8:08 AM REPLY hmmm ok, sounds like i might have to put out a little more money than i was expecting. oh well. so: to clarify, i'll need a piece of: high carbon flat stock, and then forge it? or just use a hacksaw on it? (i'll be making my own strop btw haha) sorry to repeat but i'll need to buy: 1 piece of high carbon flat stock STEEL? or IRON? and then: FORGE it, or just CUT it out? also, there's a barber that uses a straight razor on campus. he's been there for 50+ years. im betting he'd be able to hone a fairly dull razor.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-A-Bladesmiths-Forge/

btw, how much do you think a piece of stock will run me? (in USD)

trf says:

Apr 18, 2010. 3:02 PM REPLY Basically...you can get thin round stock and hammer it flat and to shape OR get a sheet of flat stock and cut it out in shape...then you would want to sharpen it to the best of your abilities...these razors come sharp and they r only maintained sharp..they are not really resharpened by a barber..he keeps them sharp with the strop. If you get it to a pretty good edge he may be able to do it for you OR tell you how to sharpen as you want it. Ive never really bought steel...all my stuff is recycled. You want a flat stock as thick as the BACK UNSHARPENED edge of your razor will be and from there u grind the edge you want and do all the sharpening tricks to it. You either want 1 peice flat STEEL stock or 1 peice round steel stock and forge it flat and work with it

Gksarmy says:

Apr 18, 2010. 3:15 PM REPLY i think i'll just get a sheet of thin flat stock. I'll let you know how this all works out in a couple of weeks when i get back home to my tools! oh, and i saw on youtube a video of a guy making wedges from wood for a straight razor...do you know what those are? just curious haha

trf says:
sunds good! you will have to post a pic! and i have no clue on that 1 lol

Apr 18, 2010. 4:59 PM REPLY

Gksarmy says:
Oh, i'll DEFINITELY be posting a picture :)

Apr 18, 2010. 6:54 PM REPLY

but, i might be using a differant forge :S sorry! i don't have this readily available...probably going to bury a piece of pipe in the ground and then drill holes in it, dig out the dirt around it, then line the sides around it with red brick. ;D

trf says:

Apr 19, 2010. 7:16 AM REPLY ive seen that done but it is unsighly...my last design was a large steel cake tin lined with clay with a pipe drilled into the side and just blowing it in from a hair dryer..no holes.... just straight out the end... it was able to heat up a peice of rail spike..not the most efficent for a large knife so i made that new 1.... ive also seen small steel utility tubs u can buy em at homedepot..its just basically a rubbermade container but its steel instead... line em with clay and put a pipe through

Gksarmy says:

Apr 19, 2010. 10:15 AM REPLY haha, im just not wanting to pay the $100+ for the razor :P i still LOVE the idea of smithing, but i just don't have the time/space to get into it as much as i want to right now :/

big trav says:

Jun 12, 2010. 5:59 PM REPLY Honestly I am a bladesmith and there is no way you will get it at the first attempt it is not just about the grinding or forging to shape there is hardening and tempering and honestly with a bench grinder and a dremel you will be pushing pooh up hill right from the start. You would be better off buying a good quality straight razor. Usually these are ICE hardened and are made in such a fashion that they work!!!

Gksarmy says:
good thing this site's not about trying to do stuff yourself or anything....

Jun 14, 2010. 4:21 AM REPLY

trf says:

Apr 19, 2010. 5:00 PM REPLY I doubt it would be that much... if u just wanna start off... fine a peice of scrap steel,a cake tin at walmart for a few bucks,a regular hammer which im sure u have acess to,a hard peice of steel (in my case it was a railroad plate on a tree stump),a small peice of pipe,a hair dryer,a pair of good pliars to grip the metal,some work gloves...drill a hole through the tin and put the pipe through,clay around the bowl and pipe to make a clay liner,put the blow dryer on the outside end of the pipe and duct tape it on and duct tape it to cold. add charcoal and light it and turn on the hair dryer. let it get hot. drop steel in. pick out with pliars. hammer on tree stump steel. reheat. its a very simple and cheap set up..it works on SMALL stuff

Gksarmy says:

Apr 19, 2010. 7:46 PM REPLY A good dovo razor introductory price is $99.99 :S and i think im going to find a good picture of a razor online and cut it out, then spray paint that onto my piece of steel. then bench grind it down.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-A-Bladesmiths-Forge/

ajn142 says:

Aug 7, 2010. 3:20 PM REPLY Scrap steel from saw blades or files is best. It's high carbon and made for cutting and what not. You would probably be best off using a file, grinding off the teeth as otherwise they will hold dirt and rust and other things that will keep you from properly forging it, then heating it up and drawing it out (making it thinner). If it is going to be heated up between marking and grinding it, then you will have to use soapstone and not spraypaint. This should be availiable at any welding supply store, and you can probably find one where you buy your metal or at the local hardware store.

jtobako says:

Mar 23, 2009. 6:23 AM REPLY A few practical hints : ) Have a way to cut down on the amount of air going in or you are going to go threw WAY to much charcoal and get way to hot. Don't restrict the outlet of the vacuum or you can burn out the motor (the air going threw the vacuum cools the motor-no air, no cooling and the motor overheats). A hairdryer has plenty (to much) of airflow for charcoal : ) Have a way to cut down on how much of the tuyere is open. Tim Lively uses mud to make the fire smaller-one of the few times you will need a fire that long is when you are hardening or tempering a blade. The rest of the time, you are wasting charcoal : ) I would recommend using the center area rather than the end so you can heat longer pieces in stages. Tim Lively may be able to work a knife up from one end, but that takes lots of practice : ) I've found a fire pit that deep can be difficult to use-I keep burning my hand trying to get iron in and out and readjusted in the tongs... How about a shot down inside the forge so we can see how much of the tuyere you left out of the refractory? Looks good. Try and post pics of first fire : )

trf says:

Mar 23, 2009. 7:24 AM REPLY Ahhh i see...a fellow knifemaker =) Despite the fact the hair dryer is just perfect...i can hear that jet noise in the fire which is recomended. But yes i will post more pics as i am finishing up a practice knife today. And on the fact of air regulator i have an adjustable speed blow dryer...a very nice amenity...at least until i aqcuire 1 of the hand crank blowers.

ajn142 says:

Aug 7, 2010. 3:37 PM REPLY If you have an air compressor you could use that as well, you would just use the 1.5 inch pipe for the whole length of rather than using it for part of the length with a piece of 2 inch at the end. You then put an air pressure regulator (usually are a thumbscrew like cap on top of a glass bulb) on, followed by a ball valve (emergency shut-off), and then a male quick connect to attatch your hose to. I'm hopefully building one in a week or 2, i'll post an ible with the details and how it works. Obviously yours is great if you don't have the fancier stuff, but if you do then you may as well use it. I'm fortunate enough to, so I will. Great ible by the way, it will make putting one of these together alot easier.

trf says:

Aug 8, 2010. 1:28 PM REPLY Great idea! Im workin on upping the air flow. im thinking of adding a shopvac instead of the hair dryer...that is until my oil furnace is up and urnning..still looking for a body,body insulation,and a fuel tank to attach... lol

winman2000 says:

Apr 2, 2009. 9:15 PM REPLY One quick thing; I have looked at a lot of tutorials, and have seen little in the way of what to blow air into the fire with. I am just getting into knifemaking, so anybody with good tips please pm me!

trf says:

Apr 4, 2009. 9:00 AM REPLY I use an old hair dryer on low for small objects and high for large objects =) If u have any specific questions dont be afraid to ask

winman2000 says:
Here's one other question. Do I have to use charcoal or gas? Could I get by with plain old wood and newspaper?

Apr 4, 2009. 10:20 AM REPLY

Firebang says:

Apr 12, 2009. 11:01 AM REPLY Charcoal is essentially wood, but I'm sure it would take longer to get the heat that you'd need for proper forging. Charcoal bricks are not expensive, so you could just stop by any store like Home Hardware, Home Depot, Costco, and I'm sure grocery stores would have them as well. They may not, but it wouldn't make sense for them not to have it.

big trav says:

Jun 12, 2010. 6:11 PM REPLY Charcoal is not wood!!! wood contains many vaporous elements that will contaminate your steel and these need to be burned off before you can use it. Wood in its raw form will not burn hot enough for welding and all of the tar/vaporous elements will make it impossible to forge weld damascus. Also do not use the briquettes as they also contain many polutants/contaminants and are not suitable for forging. The best way to make charcoal is to fill a drum with wood punch a couple of holes in the bottom light a small fire on top and once this is established put the lid on the drum after a couple of hours (depending on how big your drum is) you will find that it no longer smokes when it has reached this point empty the drum out and spray the charcoal with a very fine mist of water from the garden hose. This last step is very important. I would recommend using hardwood timbers and would advise against things like pine. Good charcoal will have a burning temperature higher than any coke or coal and will burn much cleaner.

winman2000 says:
But those are for BBQ purposes are they not? I heard that BBQ bricks don't work, or was I misinformed?

Apr 12, 2009. 1:16 PM REPLY

Radioactive_-Chemist101- says:

Apr 19, 2009. 8:37 AM REPLY BBQ brickets work but they have lots of properties that will screw up your work. It has lots of impurities and other things as binding agents. I would only reccomend brickets if you are melting things not forging. I personally use coal and coke in my forge. (i just upgraded). if u do buy charcoal then make sure it is real charcoal. You can find the real thing in trader joes or other places you might even find it in menards. Look for the brown bad with stripes that says hardwood charcoal. That is pure hardwood charcoal. If you don't feel like buying it it's easy to make.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-A-Bladesmiths-Forge/

qwertyman10 says:
How do you make it? Because i am looking into knifemaking, it looks really cool.

Dec 8, 2009. 8:57 PM REPLY

trf says:

Dec 11, 2009. 6:51 AM REPLY Hardwood charcoal? Theres multiple ways..theres high tech ways and low tech ways..for the higher tech way look up charcoal retort on here..for a low tech way,they use to make make piles of wood cover in dirt with only a vent hole or 2 and let it burn slowly which ends up making charcoal..the higher tech way is alot more efficient in my opopinion plus doesnt require digging up ur lawn lol

WhiteTigerTails says:
Try making an intructable on this.

Dec 14, 2009. 5:14 AM REPLY

SilentBlade44 says:
So hardwood charcoal is the fuel to use?

Jun 11, 2009. 2:10 AM REPLY

Firebang says:

Apr 12, 2009. 6:29 PM REPLY Barbecue bricks are coal, ceramic, bits of charcoal, and some binding agents. They are much more readily available than actual charcoal, and I believe that they cost less than buying a bag of coal, but with the same effect. But, the problem with coal is that it has lots of contaminants, so you do NOT want to forge with it directly, but to make coke with it, we need to heat it. When we heat coal, we are reducing it down to the basic carbon by using up the hydrocarbons in the combustion and hopefully boiling off all of the sulfur in the process. One should never forge in a faire that is still belching out all that yellow smoke. If you have globs of black crusty tar sticking to your work piece you are only half way through making coke and not doing the steel any favors, let it cook a little longer. A proper forging fire should have reducing coal around its perimeter with clean coke in its center giving off a pure blue flame. Yellow flame is a dirty flame.

WhiteTigerTails says:

Dec 14, 2009. 5:16 AM REPLY Make an intructable. This has some promise as one, and you could probably do better with explanitive pictures.

Radioactive_-Chemist101- says:

Apr 19, 2009. 8:41 AM REPLY You are right with the cost and the harmfull effects firebang. The thing is with coal it burns up much much slower than charcoal. I think it's something like 50 pounds of charcoal to 1 pound of coal. (im not sure but it is something like that.) Coal does have harmfull vapours. In the right condition's the sulfur dioxide fumes coming off of the coal while it is being burnt might form small droplets of sulfuric acid on the top of your skin. That is the reason while blacksmith's have hoods over their forges to vent the unwanted fumes away from them and expell them from the enclosure. Apr 12, 2009. 7:36 PM REPLY So do I heat it before forging and store it for later use, or can I cook it, and then forge directly after cooking? How long should I cook it for, and at what temperature? Over a direct flame? P.S. Thanks for all the good tips!

winman2000 says:

Firebang says:

Apr 12, 2009. 8:28 PM REPLY You can go right into forging when you have the coke ready. Remember- BLUE FLAME is clean. You need to get it hot enough to get the coal-gas, coal-tar, and water out of the coal, which can take temperatures up to 1000 degrees celsius, which is the industrial temperature. I would say that you should get it hot, if you have an infrared thermometer, use that to guage the temperature, and if you can't get it raised enough to burn off the water, gas, and tar. I believe you don't use an open flame, but have as little oxygen contact as possible so you don't ignite the coal. Sorry, it's not much, but try trolling the internet and I'm sure you can find something more satisfying.

trf says:

Apr 14, 2009. 9:03 AM REPLY Ok ill clear this up a little. Yes you can use briquettes but i dont recommend it. Ive been there and i want go back. They are messy and they burn far to slow. They are meant to burn at a slow pace. Another issue is that the impurities often melt and fuse making rocks inside of your furnace. Just use good old fashion charcoal from a campfire or what not. Coke is basically coal with no impurities. In essence pure carbon.

Firebang says:
Thanks, reading that over, I found it kind of hard to follow =)

Apr 14, 2009. 1:20 PM REPLY

trf says:

Apr 8, 2009. 2:57 PM REPLY Well i use natural charcoal... im sure the design could be modified to use gas/propane/oil/etc but yeah the gas could work. And you can get by with wood and newspaper but its gonna be alot tougher to work with,very smokey,and lots of ash. I will be making an oil powered furnace soon...ill fill you guys in once i make it.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-A-Bladesmiths-Forge/

Vreth says:
what kind of clay would you recommend? earthenware, stoneware, ceramic? i'm not sure what type should be used

Mar 30, 2010. 5:46 PM REPLY

tevers94 says:

Sep 26, 2009. 6:23 PM REPLY Thanks for making this. I just got an old grill from my grandpa and im gonna buy some refractory tomorrow. Looking forward to using it. Thanks again. -Evan

trf says:
You are very welcome Evan. Let me know how it turns out!

Sep 26, 2009. 10:47 PM REPLY

tevers94 says:
will do

Sep 27, 2009. 7:08 AM REPLY

tevers94 says:
is it casting refractory...

Sep 27, 2009. 8:33 PM REPLY

trf says:

Sep 28, 2009. 9:16 AM REPLY Yes it is. For a link to veiw some of the products that i have looked at, search Mt Savage refractory. Generally select the material you want by the heat and expansion chart. If your melting anything like alum then get 2000 degrees plus..this is overkill but allows for the user to make small mistakes.

view all 70 comments

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-A-Bladesmiths-Forge/