Ed Huntress wrote...

What does a coffee-can forge look like? It sounds like something that's
right in my price range. g

I'm sure it would be. (G) It looks pretty much like what you'd toss in
the trash bin after the contents are consumed, but the ends have been
removed.

I thought sure I'd find a picture of one on the net for you, but Google
doesn't seem to stock any. (G) Maybe I'll add a little web page with some
pics and tips. They are so common, I can't believe someone hasn't already
put up a page on one. They're cheap, very easy to make, and surprisingly
handy. Mine gets nearly as much use as my mini propane-tank forge, which
runs a Reil propane burner.

The coffee can forge is cradled in a pair of legs bent from 1/8 x 3/4" or
1" mild steel strip. It's lined with 1" 6# ceramic wool blanket. A 1"
thin slice of soft firebrick provides the floor; it's slightly more
durable than the wool. A ceramic shelf would be better, but I didn't have
any. There's a 5/8" or so hole in the side about midway between the open
ends, around the 10 o'clock position. A swirly propane torch nozzle fits
through the hole. That's pretty much it.

A piece of the wool covers top half of the back opening. The front
opening is usually closed off a bit by the hearth, which is just a fire
brick sitting on its side in front of the opening. The atmosphere in the
is controlled by choking the front and back openings more or less with
scrap firebrick. I generally close off the back a little more than the
front, except when I want to limit the portion of the workpiece that's
brought to temperature.

And then there's the picoforge (TM), made by hollowing out a single
firebrick. (I just made that name up.) It is also powered by a propane
torch. I don't have one of these, but I've seen a couple over the years.

Jim