Making a knife is one of the most rewarding acts in the history of the planet. If you think that buying a sweet knife off of Amazon is rewarding, this is even more rewarding. You can create a quality tool that will last for generations. Plus, knowing a trade like knife making can also be quite profitable. There is plenty of demand for custom knives, as well as for knife repair and alterations. To do this kind of work, having a propane forge burner is a must-have for any craftsman.
In this article, we’re talking about five different propane forge burners. In addition, this article covers what kinds of pros and cons you might consider when you’re looking for a propane forge burner of your own.
What to Look For in a Propane Forge Burner
There are three main things that I look for when purchasing a forge burner. First, I think about how many burners I’m realistically going to need. Second, you want to make sure that’s the propane burner you choose is going to fit with your setup. Finally, I think about the build quality of the propane forge burner.
Number of Burners
For most people, a single burner is going to do the trick. However, those of you who are intending to be working with a forge burner frequently may want an option that has, for example, two burners.
A device with more burners is generally going to be a little more expensive than a single-burner setup. Of course, it also gives you extra burners, which can be cheaper than buying multiple separate single-burner forge burners.
If you want more than two burners, you’re generally going to need to build a custom propane burner. I’ve done this in the past, and if you know what you’re doing, it’s fairly straightforward. However, it does also take a bit of research. You may be suited just as well or better by simply buying multiple single or double burner setups and using them at the same time.
Part Compatibility
When using a propane burner, you’ll be attaching it to, well, propane. Your propane tanks may be a number of different sizes. 20 pound propane tanks are common for more casual use; many professionals use 100 pound tanks. Make sure that your forge burner will connect correctly to the tank size that you’re using.
While it may be possible to modify your propane burner to connect to a different type of tank than is supported out of the box, you should be aware of this in advance. This can be a headache and if possible, it’s ideal to avoid needing to purchase extra parts and to perform extra labor.
Product Build Quality
Propane forge burners are a product you might keep for a long time, so getting something that’s going to last is a decent idea. In contrast, if you intend to use the product for more casual use, something more basic may do.
One thing to look for is the country in which the product was manufactured. I generally find the products manufactured in the United States or other Western countries tend to be higher quality than those manufactured in countries like India, Pakistan, and China.
Propane Forge Burner Reviews
With these things in mind, let’s get into the reviews. There are five products that I reviewed and tested, which are covered below. Some of these products are higher end; some of these are a great value; and some of these are decent products for shoppers on a budget. Whether you’re a professional or a novice, you’ll find the best propane forge burner for you in the reviews written below.
Goede G-4 Forge/Foundry Burner System
These burners are great. My forge gets heated up within only a few minutes. These were very easy to set up, and they’re intuitive even if you’re somewhat of a novice. You might note that this regulator works with a 20 pound propane tank, so if you are using something of a different size, you will want to keep that in mind. It’s possible to make a few modifications to get this to work with a larger tank, but out-of-the-box you’ll have to make a few adjustments.
One thing that I like about this design is that the end of the product stays reasonably cool. Some other burners lack this quality, which can potentially cause you to accidentally burn yourself. You can tell that the manufacturers took the time to assemble a well-thought-out product that keeps in mind not only quality, but also safety.
Before I purchased this product, I had primarily worked with single burner forges. But, after working with this for a while, I’m reluctant to go back. It’s quite nice to have an extra burner that you can use. This has made my workflow more efficient and, as they say, time is money. Getting one forge with two burners is a bit cheaper than getting two single burner forges, which makes the extra cost worth it.
This was my favorite set of propane burners. The second burner is excellent if you are a professional. If you’re more of a novice, the easy setup is a huge plus. This is the best pick in terms of pure quality; the price is worth every penny.
Goede G-2-90 Stainless Steel Forge
When I first received this product, the thing I noticed immediately is how simple it is. The device was easy to assemble and get up and running; I was forging knives in no time at all. One limitation of this system is that the hose is a little bit short. It would have been nice to have a little more length, but this wasn’t a huge issue. Once I had it up and running in a good position, it was easy to use.
Using this system feels quite similar to the Goede G-4 Forge/Foundry Burner System. Essentially, you can think of this burner as the single-burner equivalent of the G-4. For a lot of use cases, a single burner is plenty. This has the same great quality as the G-4, while keeping a bit more money in your bank account with the single burner setup.
Knife Forge Furnace Foundry Raku Kiln
While the Goede products are a little higher end, this will do the job. The build quality could be sturdier, but I didn’t find this to be a huge issue once I got things set up. Setup was simple, and you can definitely forge knives with this. The fact that this was made in India does mean that the price is a bit lower than many of the options made in the USA. While the American-made products were better in terms of build quality, the sturdiness of this forge was certainly adequate.
All-in-all, this is a decent product. I’d recommend it either as a starter product, or as a backup/alternative for a more experienced knife maker.
Propane Burner For Propane Forge
Note that the gas pressure regulator is designed to fit for the United States, Australia, Canada, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, Finland, and Israel; you may want to double check your setup to make sure that this tool will be compatible with your hardware. Of course, you can always make adjustments to the system if you have the knowledge and are willing to spend a bit of time working on it. But, there’s nothing worse than getting an incompatible product, so make sure that you do take a minute to double check everything when deciding which product you want to purchase.
I found this product to be a little bit trickier to set up and some of the other alternatives. But, once I got it going, it was working great. For that reason, I might lean towards the others that had a little bit easier set up. But this is a totally solid product.
Propane Single Burner
This product works totally fine. I like some of the other products on this list a little bit better, but this certainly did the job. It does feel a little less sturdy than some of the other products, but this is reflected in the price. You might consider this option if it works better for your budget, or if the other products happen to be out of stock.
If you’re a hobby knife maker and you’re currently running a old battered burner or a coal forge this would be an upgrade. While it’s not our number 1 pick it’s still a good option for those looking for a budget option or something that will see infrequent use.
Conclusion
Even if you are a pyromaniac or a hardcore propane enthusiastic, such as Hank Hill, you might want to narrow this list down to a few final picks. There are three that I would be looking at;
In terms of purely the best product on the market, the Goede G-4 Forge/Foundry Burner System was my favorite. It’s one of fairly few forge burners on the market that have more than one burner, and it works great with easy setup. I would recommend this product highly. Even if you usually only need one burner, every now and then you’ll have a need for a second, so the flexibility is great.
The Goede G-2-90 Stainless Steel Forge is also a great product. As mentioned, this is essentially a single-burner version of the G-4. Going for the single burner keeps things a little simpler, and will save you a fair amount of money. A lot of the time, you only need one burner at a time, anyway. This is a great value for the money and I would definitely recommend this option as a solid, well-made choice.
The Knife Forge Furnace Foundry Raku Kiln is a decent product as well. It came in at a lower price point than the others, and still performed quite well. You could tell that the quality was a little lower than the US-made burners, but it did the trick. This is a decent option to choose for more casual or infrequent use.
Do you have any recommendations for DIY plans to build a forge?
I copied this design for my DIY propane forge, you only really need a very insulated enclosed area to keep heat in.
Firebricks are cheap, easy to find and work perfectly. You might want to use a couple for the door also.