Hi all,

So I'm getting close to ready to set up a small forge, and I'd like some feedback and recommendation on the stuff I should get. I'm especially interested in hearing from people who set up their shop a certain way that seemed to make sense at the time, and now regret not having done it differently - i.e., painful learning experiences... ;-)

The nice thing is that I'm basically renting space at another bladesmith's shop, who is a fully equiped professional. So I don't have to buy stuff I would only use exceptionally.

I'm planning on focusing on small and medium size monosteel blades first, before graduating to larger pieces. I may make small damascus billets, but it's not a priority for me at that time.

The forge I want is something like Don Fogg's:
http://www.dfoggknives.com/images/forgecomplete.jpg

And I'm seriously also considering this bladesmithing anvil:
http://www.dfoggknives.com/images/anvil2.jpg

The one thing that worries me with this anvil is that it doesn't have a hardy hole or curved surfaces. I can buy a a shop saw to separate forged billets from handles, and god knows I know that you don't need a curved surface to give a curve to a blade. But still, I'm a little bit more hesitant here.

In addition to that, I'm planning to set up a bench with a leg vice, tongues, hammers, a bunch of files, etc.

Reg. safety, I recently read of gold coated didymium glasses, like those here (http://www.glassschell.com/products.htm) . What do people think? What else should I buy?

Thanks all for your help,

JD

Hey Joss-

I got my start with a D.Fogg style forge as well. I used a 60 CFM blower from Grainger. I lined it with inswool and Satanite. This works great for blade forging, but for the damascus work the maintenance on the mortar and lining can be a pain in the butt. I plan on moving to inswool / castable refractory. One disadvantage with the D.Fogg is that you can only heat-treat small pieces in it. A horizontal forge would let you go bigger. I made my forge about two feet deep, thinking that the extra length would help keep a reducing atmosphere and that I could possibly cut a hole in the top and drop in long pieces for heat-treating. Alas, the difference in temps from top to bottomis too great... However- in the process of building large salt pots it occured to me that I could do the same thing and drop in a stainless tube for a small salt pot. It should be enought o even things out a bit. I think D.Fogg even has a pic of his small salt pot on his site and it basically is what I have just described...

On the subject of attaching the burner to the forge I drilled a 1/2" hole right above the burner port and bolted in a threaded rod. You can have a nut on the inside as long as you insulate things well... I welded a tube on top of the burner that slides onto the threaded rod. I can then use a nut to secure the burner but easily remove it. I plan on having a 'clean,' forge for blades and I will be able to use the same burner for both conveniently.

On the anvil I do occasionally find the horn to be useful, for example bending a blade prior to forging bevels. No reason you couldn't grind one into the type of anvil you are looking at. Adjustable height would be helpful.

You don't -need- a post vise... I have a heavy machinist vise with a rotating x and y axis. $75 from Harbor freight. I use it often for filing, grinding and bending but hardly ever do I need to forge on it.

I use my treadle hammer to draw out tangs, to flatten and face as well as for damascus work. I love my treadle hammer but the really nice option would be a hydraulic press...

I use kevlar gloves... they insulate very well, have good grip and at $6 you can replace them instead of burning that one finger over and over. I get 'em from MSC. I'm very curious about this whole didymium / gold plated debate. I have been wearing didymium for over a year now working full-time and have only had itchy eyes during extreme marathon damascus bouts... I'm talking 10 hours a day for three or four days in a row. I try not to look into the forge, but with damascus you have to. At the least get the didymium, but consider the gold ones... I'm going to call them and do some research, but you should too... they're the only eyes you got. Get a respirator mask too. The kind with changeable cartidges. Make sure it fits your face by covering the intakes and sucking in. There should be no air coming in. Wear it when grinding, especially the higher grits.

That's just me though-

Good Luck!

Good feedback Jonothan. I agree with everything you said. The horizontal forge is great in my opinion because of the length of blades it can handle.

I e-mailed several foundry places and OSHA asking for informaion abour eye protection. No feedback yet.

Josh, you have the best help available to you, the person that is renting you space for your shop. Look at how that shop is all layed out. Most likely is has been rearranged several times to get to how it is now. Ask if you can spend a day in that shop and see how it fits your style, modify as necessary. Jonothan is correct about not needing a post vise but I have one and if you have one, you'll use it. I make other things than just knives also so if you plan on making other things you may want to get one.

There is quite a bit ofdebate on the didyun glasses on the S R Johnson forum.

You can but your hot cuts in a post vise, however there are times when I find a horn quite useful, for example forging rings in the end of tangs or other work of this type. If you are going to make your own anvil like the one pictured, why not weld a hardy hole on the side of the block of steel ?

Good tongs are a must. Kayne and Sons carry the offcenter forge brand tongs. The best as far as I'm concerned, they are light and handy.

There was a good article about gold covered didydium glasses in ABANA's magizine "Anvil's Ring" a few years ago. Maybe they can link you up on their web site.

Three hammers, a heavy piece of steel to hammer on and some type of blower is all you need to buy new. The rest you can recycle by buying from scrapheaps or raiding friend's backyards. Well, my blower, all three my forges as well as my hammers and anvil were bought or made from stuff found at scrap metal dealers....

Oh yes, you need to get a slack tub- not made of plastic, set to the same height as your anvil. To cool tongs, hands and pieces of steel. A 20 liter drum filled with vermiculite to anneal blades and stuff.

The tongs you can make yourself, and is an excellent exercise in working to size. Go to the iForge page at anvilfire.com

I do 99% of my forging in a coal fire. I only use gas for damascus and for Heat Treat.

(You can have a look at my smithy on the shop tour page of my website: www.anvil.co.za (http://www.anvil.co.za)

Best of luck in working that red steel

Tiaan