If you are planning on forging your own knives, then you need to get the right equipment. One of the most vital pieces will be the forge that you use. So, what is the best one? That is what we want to take a look at on this page when we discuss the best gas forges for knife making.
Best Gas Forges for Knife Making: Summary
- Hell’s Forge Portable Propane Gas Forge
- Hell’s Forge MAX Propane Forge Double Burner
- Portable Propane Gas Forge Single Burner
- Hell’s Forge Portable Propane Single Burner
- USA Cast Portable Propane Blacksmith Forge
If You are in a hurry and want to get the Best Gas Forges For Knife Making, I’d recommend the Double Burner Hell’s Forge Gas Forge.
Last update on 2024-09-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Buying Guide: What you Should know before Buying Your Gas Forge
Before we dive into your reviews for the best gas forges for knife making, we have a few other things to cover. We want to tell you why a gas forge is the best route to go down and, perhaps more importantly, how you can choose the right gas forge for your knife making.
The Benefits of a Gas Forge for Knife Making
If you are making knives, then you need a forge. It is pretty much impossible to do without one. However, you don’t need one of the massive forges that you would often find at a traditional blacksmith. Instead, you need something nice and small. This way you can forge your knives properly without taking up huge amounts of space in your home.
The reason why you want a gas forge is that they tend to burn a bit cleaner than your traditional forge. They are also going to be a lot cheaper to fuel. Some people even find that gas forges are easier to use too.
How Do You Choose a Gas Forge for Knife Making?
As you go through this page, you will notice that we introduce you to five of the best gas forges for knife making on the market. In this section, we want to look at some of the criteria that we used to select these forges. This way, you can use the same criteria to determine which purchase is best for you.
1. Size
You want a forge that is going to be large enough to deal with the type of knives that you are making, plus what your future ambitions are. For example; you may be planning on forging knives now, but later on, you may want to explore the world of sword crafting too. So, think about what your needs are right now, plus what you feel your needs may be going forward.
2. Multiple Fuel Types
All of the forges mentioned on this page are gas-powered forges. However, some of them accept different types of gas to burn. This is ideal because it ensures that you can use whatever is available. This will normally be propane or natural gas.
3. Heat Distribution
Heat distribution on the gas forge needs to be perfect. This way you can ensure that your metal is being heated up evenly. This will make your metal forging a whole lot easier. Heat distribution is why we recommend that you steer clear of some of the cheaper gas forges on the market. They are woeful, and they can leave some parts of the metal rather cold. This can make it exceedingly difficult to shape them properly.
4. Heat Control
All gas forges will have some sort of way to control the heat on them. In fact, almost all forges will (outside of traditional forges, where you have to do things yourself). So, you will see this on the cheaper gas forges too. The question isn’t whether it is there, it is going to be whether it actually works.
When you are forging knives, it is important that you get everything to the right temperature. The controls need to work for you here. They need to be simple to use too. Again, all of the gas forges that we do discuss on this page are going to be dead simple to use. This is because we anticipate that the bulk of people that are looking to pick up their first gas forge are completely new to the hobby, so they really do not want something that would take hours and hours to decipher.
5. Ceramic Lining
Almost all of the best gas forges for knife making will have a ceramic lining in them. This is because the ceramic lining will not only help when it comes to keeping that heat locked in and evenly distributed, but it can also help to increase the lifespan of the gas forge. While we are not saying that gas forges without a ceramic lining are terrible, we are saying that there is an option that we prefer.
6. Construction
You want a gas forge that has been solidly built. Stick to picking up a gas forge from the best manufacturers. While it may cost you a little bit more in the short term, it will cause you far fewer headaches in the long term.
8. Read reviews
Gas forges can be pretty expensive. It is important that you read reviews just like this one before you make your final purchase decision. This way you will know that the bit of kit that you end up with has been highly rated by the people that use it.
Reviews For The Best Gas Forge for Knife Making
So, without that out of the way, let’s jump into what we believe are the five best gas forges on the market.
1. Hell’s Forge Portable Propane Gas Forge
Let’s start with this brilliant portable propane gas furnace from Hell’s Forge.
Last update on 2024-09-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This piece of kit utilizes a double burner. This means that it can deal with larger projects (more on that in a short while). The interior of the gas forge can reach up to 2300F, which means that it is more than suitable for all knife forging. Of course, you have easy control over the temperature if that is a touch too hot for your project.
One of the main perks of this particular forge is that it is so roomy inside of it. It measures 19″ x 6.75″ x 3.5″. This means that you can either use it for larger items that you are forging, or you can ensure that the smaller knives get as close to the source flame as possible.
The interior of the forge has been lined with a ceramic blanket. This helps with temperature regulation, while also ensuring that the forge can last as long as possible.
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2. Hell’s Forge MAX Propane Forge Double Burner
This offering isn’t that much different than the previous Hell’s Forge double burner. The main differences will be the Hell’s Fore Max and The Hell’s Fore double is dimensions and shape. While the previous option had an oval shape, this one is rectangular. It measures 6″ x 4.75″ x 19″. For knife making, these size differences probably won’t matter too much. You should be able to easily forge knives in both pieces of equipment.
Last update on 2024-09-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This forge can heat up to 2300F. The pressure regulator on the MAX is a little bit better than the previous unit. This means that you are going to have a lot more control over how you use it. Although, once again, if you are only forging knives this is probably not something that will matter that much. It will matter a lot more once you start diving into other types of forging, though.
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3. Portable Propane Gas Forge Single Burner
If you are looking for something a bit cheaper and smaller, then this particular gas forge may be ideal for you.
Last update on 2024-09-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This propane gas forge is considerably smaller than the other options, with the internal dimensions measuring 2.75-inch x 4-inch, 10-inch. It also uses a single burner in comparison to the other two utilizing a double burner. However, to be honest with you, if all you are forging is knives and smaller tools then you really don’t need anything bigger than this.
Despite the smaller size, it is able to pump out a lot more heat. It caps out at 2600F, and you have a decent amount of regulation over this heat too. The entire unit has been designed to help keep the heat locked in (ceramic blanket) even if it does not have any doors on it.
Everything that you need to get your gas forge up and running is included inside of the box. The only thing that you really need to purchase extra will be your propane tank. Any standard BBQ propane tank should work with this.
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4. Hell’s Forge Portable Propane Single Burner
We are going back to the Hell’s Forge options for this one. Unlike the other two, this particular model makes use of a single burner as opposed to two. This means that it is an all-around smaller unit. This means that you probably won’t be able to do much outside of forging knives and small tools.
Last update on 2024-09-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The oval design for this unit is an absolute Godsend. It will ensure that it is easier to move your metal into place so it can hit the ‘sweet spot’ for the frame. However, do bear in mind that the maximum temperature for this one is 2300F, so a lot lower than the previous smaller model. However, some will claim that Hell’s Forge gas forges are just better built anyway. That 300F probably isn’t going to matter all that much when it comes to forging knives anyway.
This unit isn’t that much different to the other Hell’s Forge models outside of size. It is still simple to use. It still has fire bricks included. It still has that insulating ceramic blanket.
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5. USA Cast Portable Propane Blacksmith Forge
This is the cheapest option on this list. While it is not the best-performing gas forge, it is still well-suited to those that may be on a budget.
Last update on 2024-09-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This is a smaller unit that will only use a single burner. However, it is still able to achieve a heat of 2400F. For the price, you have a surprising amount of control over the heat too. This means that you can use it for a variety of projects. In fact, not only is this bit of kit marketed for knife making, but it supposedly works very well when it comes to jewelry too.
While it has been made outside of the USA, it is a USA-designed product, and if you buy it, you will be able to enjoy support from a USA-based company.
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Conclusion
If you pick up any one of these five gas forges, then you are going to end up with something brilliant. However, we highly recommend that you pick up the first option on this list. The oval double burner Hell’s Forge gas forge provides the best heating for small projects. It is incredibly portable too while offering a ton of space just in case you wish to forge something a bit heavier than a knife.