[TheForge] Crowdsourcing Question

[Bruce .]

Randy McDaniel's "Primer" was published too late for me -- I'd already
reached the stage in skill (?) and book collecting (!) that I didn't
need it, so didn't buy it.  He's a good, sound worker and
demonstrator, so I have no doubt that his book is a good choice.

I would guess, however, (without benefit of being able to look through
the book) that his would be a more-or-less classic approach to setting
up a smithy and learning smithing.  That's fine, but Weyger's book
comes at it from a different angle.  Look for it in a library if
you're not ready to buy it.  Also look for Jack Andrews' "New Edge of
the Anvil".

Propane is a good choice, though prices on the fuel are high now.
Learn to operate your forge efficiently and that might not prove a
problem.

Here's an info/safety sheet I put together after one of our gas forge workshops:
http://njba.abana-chapter.com/pfs/pfs.htm  (Please forgive a few
spelling and punctuation errors.)

Understand and respect propane and  you'll have years of trouble-free
forging.  But know what is meant by "BLEVE" so you never set yourself
up for disaster:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl-JgyQA7u0

A much more likely scenario, burning yourself through ignition of
accumulated propane, is reported here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhSa38NzYnA

Re: points 14 & 15 in that document:  Your forge is built of some sort
of refractory material, probably fairly porous, so while point 14 may
be irrelevant to you, point 15 definitely applies.  Unless you know
otherwise (how???), assume there's excess water in the refractory the
first time you fire up the forge, lest you ruin your forge.

On Mon, Jul 8, 2013 at 10:09 PM,  <mazrim at comcast.net> wrote:
> That book is actually on my list on Amazon, I plan on getting it soon. I managed to find a great deal on craigslist for a propane forge and anvil together along with a hammer and 3 sets of tongs. As soon as the weather cooperates I am going to work on getting it setup.The book I am using for starting is "A Blacksmithing Primer"
>
>
> Lloyd W. Giddinge
> mazrim at comcast.net
>

-- 
Bruce
NJ