Mini Forge

The one-brick forge is a common starting point for aspiring knife makers who are limited in their forge funds. Since my designated forge funds were right around zero dollars, I figured that this method, explained in The $50 Knife Shop, was the way to go. It's definitely starting small!

The brick is a single soft insulated fire brick with a chamber bored down the middle and a small gas hole drilled in the side for the heat source to come through. With the round chamber, the heat is supposed to "swirl" around in there, giving an even heat treat. Pretty even, anyway.

The brick is super soft and boring out the center was simple with a paddle bit and drill. It is so soft that most folks recommend wiring the outside of the brick to lend some support to the outside structure. Apparently, they can crack and break quite easily.

Firing it up!

So I did get a chance to try it out tonight. It seemed to work just fine, though I think another hole for a second heat source would be key to a really even heat treat. But it brought both blades to critical in a matter of minutes and should work just fine for the small knives I am making.