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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

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  #1  
Old 02-08-2007, 12:35 PM
J Tunney J Tunney is offline
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Getting a fire hot without a dedicated forge

I am looking to make just a couple knives...one for me and each of my sons. I intend to use 01 tool steel after reading about the different steels. Heating to just past non-magnetic is fine for me and I have a torch to anneal the spines. I intend to use the stock removal method with files.

I know this is all very primitive to you folks but I dont have the extra cash right now to buy a good belt sander. I do have a good grinder in the shop as well as a drill oress, etc.

Is it possible to get a fire hot enough to achieve this? I have read yes but has anyone here done it?

Many thanks
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Old 02-08-2007, 01:14 PM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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If you have a torch to draw the spine with then you have enough heat. If it's an acetylene torch then you're good to go as it is assuming the knives are not too huge.

If it is a propane plumber's type torch then you'll probably want to build a one-brick (or a couple of brick) forge, again assuming your blades are small enough to fit in such a forge. You've probably read about these - they are nothing more than a fire brick or two used to concentrate the heat of a low temperature torch.

Nothing wrong with what you plan to do. Many makers prefer to work with the limited tools you have. WARNING: knife making is highly addictive! You just THINK you're only going to make three knives!


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Old 02-08-2007, 01:36 PM
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Ditto what Ray said. I tried to heat treat a blade with a small cannister torch and couldn't maintain the heat. Got some $2 fire bricks from the local brick yard and it made a huge differance. The one brick forge is probably your cheapest bet.


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Old 02-08-2007, 03:08 PM
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"only three knives" Ha! That's what you think for now. Just wait until friends and such see what you made. You start getting suggestions and ideas...then you find yourself making sketches while sitting at home...then you start sketching while at work...then come the knife magazines...then comes that first show...then the collection of steels, materials and tools begins. You have now become assimilated into the knifemaking borg!


A large campfire can get steel plenty hot if you arrange the coals right and have a good breeze. I've never really checked to see if it's above critical temp, though. I'll have to try that out.


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Old 02-08-2007, 03:23 PM
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Check this out:

http://hossom.com/tutorial/jonesy/
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Old 02-08-2007, 06:58 PM
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Don any fire you biuld is usually above critical,if it does not explode!


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Old 02-08-2007, 10:28 PM
J Tunney J Tunney is offline
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Thanks guys

Probably a stupid question but where is the info for the one and two brick forge, etc.?

I am just trained to USE knives...reading the suggested info though
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Old 02-09-2007, 06:36 AM
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Look up "one brick forge" or "micro forge" in the Search page here, or Google it.

Here's an example at the top of this site: http://www.anvilfire.com/21centbs/forges/microfrg.htm

If you can get a copy of Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop, he explains them in further detail.

Basically, you hollow out an insulating soft fire brick as your forge, then use a small hand held torch as the heat source. A popular torch is the Bernzomatic JTH-7.
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Old 02-09-2007, 10:09 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SBuzek
Don any fire you biuld is usually above critical,if it does not explode!
A pile of dry cedar gets darn hot, darn fast. Of course, a blower driven trash burning barrel takes a while to heat up, but melts glass, aluminum and brass. I figure a combination of the two ought to be about right.

Next hammer-in topic.......redneck heat treating and trash inceneration.


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Old 02-09-2007, 11:24 PM
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As far as "redneck Engineered" forges go, I had a 1'x3' x1'deep trench with a pipe attatched to to the blow side of my shop vac. Made several "Knifelike objects" but once I got a handle on how it was done, I had fairly good success. Had no problems at all getting steel to critical heats. Ive found that most fuels, wood, coal, charcoal, as long as there is an air source, and a way to contain the coals will get hot enough to HT a carbon steel blade.

Good Luck, and God Bless

Mike


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Old 02-10-2007, 12:52 AM
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Do you have access to a firepit? If you attach some sort of blower (a hair dryer works) to a piece of black pipe (duct tape works for that) and stick the other end of the pipe into the base of the fire, you have a primitive forge.


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Old 02-10-2007, 04:38 AM
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i have heat trewated with a fire of pine scraps and a hairdryer blowing on the top of them, itr works. and its even better if you get a metal pipe(not galvanised and run it in to the bottom middle of the fire and blow the hair dryer down the pipe.
brett


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Old 02-10-2007, 08:31 PM
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You could also get an old brake drum and attach a pipe flange to the bottom. Two 6" pieces of 2" pipe and a 2" 90 deg elbow along with a blow dryer and your in business. A couple pieces of 1/4" expanded grate on the inside bottom will keep your fuel from falling down into the pipe. The drum can placed on two construction bricks. The blowdryer does not need to attached to the pipe, just hold it so most of the flow goes into the pipe. The only tools you will need is a wrench, hand drill and pair of nippers or tin snipes to cut the expanded grate.

A $5 bag of wood stove pellets is enough to HT many knives. I forged with pellets for almost a year. They are cheap, available in many stores and small enough to provide very even heat. They do not stink as bad as coal when the air is off.

Ray is dead on in that you will probably be making many more knives and the above set up is very small and will work for years. All of the parts should be less then $20.

Last edited by B.Finnigan; 02-10-2007 at 08:38 PM.
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