anyone heard of Skull-Forge? looking for a reasonable priced propane forge newbie hear

chancifer22

Member
hello everyone. I have seen someone selling a propane Skull forge on Facebook market place, only used three times one burner, I'm interested in buying it at $250. Would anyone help me in knowing anything about it? Really interested in making my first knife. Any or all help would be appreciated for this fresh newb. Tips, tricks, videos, books, mistakes I need not to do that beginners usually do or knowledge yall have gained over the years. Thanks in advance!! 1531272554145.png
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I just started making knives about a year in a half ago. Most of my knives until recently were material removal. If you want to really forge a knife I would reccomend a book called The $50 Dollar Knife Shop, great book!! It has a lot of inexpensive alternatives to high dollar equipment. I'm not trying to talk you out of buying anything but if this is your first knife you may want to make sure you like doing it before you spend a lot of money on expensive equipment. I would also suggest YouTube, Aaron Gough and Walter Sorrells have great videos on making your first blade. There are lots more on there too but these 2 guys cut to the meat and potatoes! And if your like I was your wanting to make a knife NOW!!
 
I just started making knives about a year in a half ago. Most of my knives until recently were material removal. If you want to really forge a knife I would reccomend a book called The $50 Dollar Knife Shop, great book!! It has a lot of inexpensive alternatives to high dollar equipment. I'm not trying to talk you out of buying anything but if this is your first knife you may want to make sure you like doing it before you spend a lot of money on expensive equipment. I would also suggest YouTube, Aaron Gough and Walter Sorrells have great videos on making your first blade. There are lots more on there too but these 2 guys cut to the meat and potatoes! And if your like I was your wanting to make a knife NOW!!
Thank you buddy. Appreciate the advice. Just looking at options for now. I was thinking bout stock removal as well. I'll look into all that for sure. Was wondering if that was a good deal or brand. There's no stores or anything around me in north Louisiana for me to check any of this stuff out. Just online
 
Thank you buddy. Appreciate the advice. Just looking at options for now. I was thinking bout stock removal as well. I'll look into all that for sure. Was wondering if that was a good deal or brand. There's no stores or anything around me in north Louisiana for me to check any of this stuff out. Just online

Believe me I know. Amazon is your friend. As far as that forge, don't know never heard of the brand. You can build the 1 brick forge for 60-80 bucks. This will get your blade hot enough to heat treat. If you want to really forge you can buy a propane torch that will burn MAPP gas that should get it hot enough to forge.
 
I can't speak to the quality of that forge. Others here will be way more helpful in that regard. I know you didn't ask, but if I may...

Right now- before you buy anything- is when you really ought to make a decision on something. Do you want to be a knifemaker, or do you want to be a blacksmith?

Here's why I ask. You would be way ahead starting with a grinder. EVERY knife will require grinding. A lot of guys have the notion that you forge a knife to completion, and that is not at all true. That is a blacksmith's view of the world, namely that something is done as soon as you hit it with the hammer for the last time. There is absolutely nothing wrong with blacksmithing, but that is not close to what is required to make a finely finished knife. That is how you turn a piece of steel into a knife-shaped object. You then take it and grind it, drill it, grind it, heat treat it, finish grind it, hand sand it, put a handle on it (which you grind), sand the handle....

What you will notice about what I said is that nearly every single step involves grinding and sanding. So, even if you plan to forge every knife you ever make you will do a lot more grinding than pounding.

If you are starting out on a shoestring budget (every single person here did, for what it's worth) and your fascination is with forging, then by all means you can start there. Then you can use files or whatever. I'm just here to warn you that path is a long row to hoe.

I'm sure you've checked out YouTube. Ed Caffrey, a member here, has wonderful instructional videos. Also, a really good source of step-by-step tutorials on YouTube is Walter Sorrells: Tips For The Knifemaker series. Everything from which tools to buy to get started (and what order) to which kinds of steel to try first, and various methods to go about all of it. I can't recommend his videos highly enough.

Most of all, Welcome!
 
I would not recommend that forge. Check out the Build a Gas Forge and other attachments on the Forge Supplies page of www.WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.com. It is much easier to build your own forge than you would think. You could build a far better forge than that for about the same amount of money.
Let me know if I can help you. I prefer e-mails.
 
I would not recommend that forge. Check out the Build a Gas Forge and other attachments on the Forge Supplies page of www.WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.com. It is much easier to build your own forge than you would think. You could build a far better forge than that for about the same amount of money.
Let me know if I can help you. I prefer e-mails.
Thank you. I’m just looking at my options at the moment and was wondering about that brand because he wanted to sell it to me and local. I’m going to try stock removal for now and then see from there but will definitely email when it comes time
 
I can't speak to the quality of that forge. Others here will be way more helpful in that regard. I know you didn't ask, but if I may...

Right now- before you buy anything- is when you really ought to make a decision on something. Do you want to be a knifemaker, or do you want to be a blacksmith?

Here's why I ask. You would be way ahead starting with a grinder. EVERY knife will require grinding. A lot of guys have the notion that you forge a knife to completion, and that is not at all true. That is a blacksmith's view of the world, namely that something is done as soon as you hit it with the hammer for the last time. There is absolutely nothing wrong with blacksmithing, but that is not close to what is required to make a finely finished knife. That is how you turn a piece of steel into a knife-shaped object. You then take it and grind it, drill it, grind it, heat treat it, finish grind it, hand sand it, put a handle on it (which you grind), sand the handle....

What you will notice about what I said is that nearly every single step involves grinding and sanding. So, even if you plan to forge every knife you ever make you will do a lot more grinding than pounding.

If you are starting out on a shoestring budget (every single person here did, for what it's worth) and your fascination is with forging, then by all means you can start there. Then you can use files or whatever. I'm just here to warn you that path is a long row to hoe.

I'm sure you've checked out YouTube. Ed Caffrey, a member here, has wonderful instructional videos. Also, a really good source of step-by-step tutorials on YouTube is Walter Sorrells: Tips For The Knifemaker series. Everything from which tools to buy to get started (and what order) to which kinds of steel to try first, and various methods to go about all of it. I can't recommend his videos highly enough.

Most of all, Welcome!
I like both the art of blacksmithing and the style of knife making. I’m going to start with stock removal and go from there and see how it all goes. Appreciate all the help. It’s gonna be fun and prolly a pain to do haha
 
Personally, I would pass on that forge, particularly for blade steels. IMO, that forge is poorly though out and built, and basically and accident waiting to happen.

Why? Burner directed at the work, fuel line directly over the forge, where the most heat emanates...... and just overall poorly thought out and executed. Honestly, my thought is that it was conceived/executed by someone who has minimal or no knowledge of forging, trying to cash in on the current popularity of forging.
 
Personally, I would pass on that forge, particularly for blade steels. IMO, that forge is poorly though out and built, and basically and accident waiting to happen.

Why? Burner directed at the work, fuel line directly over the forge, where the most heat emanates...... and just overall poorly thought out and executed. Honestly, my thought is that it was conceived/executed by someone who has minimal or no knowledge of forging, trying to cash in on the current popularity of forging.
Thank you. I was thinking the same thing. Ill do my homework and eventually build one
 
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