I have to comment on something I keep seeing in these pictures - mainly for the new folks.
I can't speak to charcoal and this doesn't work as well with coke, but a coal forge does best with a lot of fuel in the box. Although it may seem counterintuitive, piling a lot of coal up and around the fire will actually insulate it and use less fuel. In addition, it takes much less maintenance to add fresh fuel and makes the fire deep enough to weld effectively.
I have some lump coal from the Midwest and some slack coal (mostly fines) from Oklahoma that I use in my forge. I fill a 5 gallon bucket with the fines and wet it with about 2-3 quarts of water. After the fire gets going with a little coke from the previous session, I pack the wet coal around the fire so it will begin coking. On the outside of the wet stuff, I rake up whatever is dry and laying in the hearth. The mound at the firepot is at least 5-6 inches above the hearth so it is a nice deep fire. As the fire burns down, I pack it in from the sides with a poker. Most people work on bars of some sort so this method creates a trough in the fire.
I have seen newbies who tear down and practically destroy the fire with every heat or two trying to manage the heat, but effective fire control is more about regular and minimal maintenance to keep that hot glowing center, which will provide an efficient heat on the metal.
 |