CAST Master Elite USA Portable Single Burner Propane Blacksmith Farrier Caster Kit Jewelry Knife and Tool Making Propane Forge SS

Excellent little single burner forge for beginners and small projects. I had to purchase a different hose because i use larger propane tanks and a regulator, but included hose should be fine for smaller tanks.

First, give yourself a week for full preparation. The refractory cement and rigidizer is not included.Expect a few rust specs but no big deal. I recommend adding a gas ball valve for quick shut off. The forge is small but works perfect with no issues. Keep in mind that if you use it on a windy day, you got to adjust the venturi system to work proper. It doesn't take long to heat (faster with fire bricks covering the rear opening) and you got plenty of space even after the cement and brick. I use it for small projects and have not forge welded on it so I don't know if it will work.Overall, it is a decent forge that will get you into the blacksmithing game without spending too much money.

Thin metal. Sent it back

The CMF-100 is my first forge, but I have put over 40 hours work and many propane tanks through my new forge, so I'm starting to get a good feel for the product I think.General opinion:It is solidly made and has worked very well as an introduction to forging. The design of the burner and controls is simple but mostly effective. I have had a few annoyances with the air adjustment screw letting the air controls open up, but I've gotten a better sense of how tight I need to make it now. I know some people recommend upgrading to a braided hose as soon as possible, but I haven't felt in any danger of the provided hose melting or even getting slightly warm.I have been able to get a very good heat for working steel and for heat treating knives. When properly tuned this has not taken a very high gas PSI, so it is reasonably efficient. So far I have been unable to get a welding heat out of this forge, but the low outdoor temperatures I have been working with may have affected that. I am going to try again after I make a few more upgrades and the weather clears up.The package includes tongs (which I did not realize!) but they are very light and mostly useful for pickup tongs. I bought one pair immediately and have made myself several others now.The included instructions are minimal but sufficient get going. There are a few things they do not mention, though, that new buyers should know.Kaowool insulation is not safe to leave exposed in a forge. You will need to also buy rigidizer and a refractory to coat the insulation, or heavy use can cause real long term lung issues. These will take a couple days to apply & dry, and will add a cost of $40-60 to your new forge project. You should order them at the same time you order the forge.The burner on this forge is a venturi design and works very effectively for how simple it is. However, it is important to realize that part of that design includes the length of the mounting tube into the forge. The burner will not heat properly at all if you stick the tube in too far - e.g., so that it is going through the insulation. The insulation and mounting tube provide the "flare" that allows the gas to expand and properly burn. The instructions included with the forge make no mention of this aspect of the forge design, and I had to discover it myself when I re-assembled the forge and it suddenly didn't heat.Look up instructions on youtube for how to tune the gas and air mixture. The forge does not have detailed instructions on this, and it is important for not wasting a bunch of propane and getting a good heat.The forge is open on both ends to allow longer pieces to be worked on. This is great flexibility, but bad for heat efficiency. You will want to buy a few fire bricks to create make-shift doors on both ends if you aren't working on a long piece.So after a couple months using the forge, I have ended up on the overall final modifications:1. Fire bricks blocking both ends2. I purchased an extra layer of Kaowool to trade some interior space (which I haven't needed for my projects) for increased heat retention.3. Rigidizer on the kaowool4. Refractory cement on the whole thing.With these changes and some better weather I hope that I can meet welding heat. I hope to keep using this forge for quite some time.

I am very new to forging and wanted something small/simple to start with. I believe this was the perfect fit! This forge kit is great for the price!-Almost no assembly with clear and easy to follow instructions.-Great for new users or small projects-Kit has every piece you need to get started (aside from fuel and refractory cement)I have nothing more to add other than "I'm signing off and going back out to forge!"

Wife got this for me for my knife hobby. Straight forward setup, however I took the time to coat the inside with refractory cement. This thing gets HOT!I've used it 3 times now and I love it.. small enough to tuck away in the garage and it does what I need it to.

I bought this forge because I want to get into bladesmithing, and didn't want to spend too much right away. First of all, right out of the box it looks like a beast! It's built tough, with thick steel, good solid welds, and great craftsmanship. Everything in the box came as advertised, and kudos to CAST Master for keeping their packaging to a minimum.One thing that I would like to see (and the reason I gave it's "Easy to Use" score four stars instead of five) is that you really need to purchase this with some refractory cement, and apply it to the kaowool lining prior to its first use. The manufacturer doesn't tell you this, but this is very common among forges (very few of them come with the cement, and non appear to have it pre-installed). Amazon sells plenty of different types, from dry powder that you mix yourself to tubs of pre-mixed, ready-to-use cement (which is what I purchased). It's easy to apply, and will do a great deal to endure even heating and preservation of the kaowool lining.Overall, a great and robust little forge, perfect for bladesmithing!

Rusted throat for gas, rusty finger prints on chrome plate with name. Apart from that it is as described.