The GOM gas forge review (Jim Moenck design)

[Jim Ericksen]

Hi all

Now that I had a chance to give my new gas forge a good test run I figured I would share my feelings on it's performance

I'll start of by saying that I hadn't even started a gas forge prior to owning mine , and it's really a relief to see how simple it is to operate

The Venturi and hose system are well designed and neatly assembled , I like the safety shutoff that is on the tank side of the hose , great feature if something goes awry

The fire brick gate on the front , while Jim wasn't really happy with the aesthetics I have to say it makes adjusting the bricks a breeze

The fire is hot and the heat appears to be even throughout the forge

With the great performance of the forge it would be easy to leave it at that , but the addition of the adjustable stock holder puts it over the top , it adjusts easily and works great on longer bars

So as far as a "review" goes I would say my expectations for the forge were exceeded and the cost of the workshop is a fantastic bargain

Now every honest review has to have at least a short list of complaints right ?? Well the only complaints I would have are things inherent to using a gas forge and have nothing to do with the design or quality of this product, that being said here's the short list

There are a few difficulties I noticed early using a gas forge vs coal , first was picking up and handling stock < to remedy that I found using a pick up tong to grab and move parts to the edge before using the desired tongs worked well << I also found putting a steel slug on the forge floor allowed me to pick up small things like mini cowboy hats with ease

The only other difficulty I encountered so far was isolating heats , I'll need a better designed slack tub then a depot pail in the near future ;-)

[Jim Ericksen]

I would also like to add how awesome it was to throw a half dozen things into the fire without fear of losing them

And I also forgot to personally address and thank Jim Moenck for all the work he's done improving the design over the years and his continued support with the guild workshop , I forgot the number of forges he said he's built with guild members but it's a very impressive one

Jim

[Jim Moenck]

Jim, I'm really happy your new forge is working out well for you. I think I'll stick to this design now, with a couple of minor modifications. You are right, the adjustable slide out support is a huge improvement. The one characteristic of this forge (or any venture forge for that matter) is the noise factor. They are loud. I'm going to build a ribbon burner forge later this year to try out. They are very hot, very quiet, and more expensive to build. But more on that later.
Enjoy your new forge.