Building the First Forge

[Zombie0hour]

Well gonna ask my folks to take me to the local junkyard is search of parts. As i remember to build a basic forge i need a drum of some sort, like a brake drum or will some other part work? I also need that t shaped pipe so i can blow air through the side, and the bottom to get rid of the ashes and such from burning. I can decided on making it a coke powered forge since it would be the easiest for me. I am going to build it next weekend i hope if i can get the parts in time. Then all i need is an anvil and a hammer. Any cheap solutions on how to build a homemade anvil? Thanks guys, once i get the forge up ill post some pics of it.

[Glenn]

Go back to your first post HI and follow the links suggested.

[geofthesmith]

i useda brake drum from midas for the pot, put it on an old charcoal BBQ for suport, and i can still grill with it! but for anvil usualy just a big 'ol piece of steel from teh junkyard works, railroad *rail works good as well...aparently the ties are the wooden part.

[Sabre]

i use a brake routor for my firepot in a table madde o steel. my first anvil was a solid 20 pound piece of steel...
it worked.. so anything that is hard and solid should work..

[ThomasPowers]

RailRoad *tie* works terrible---all that creosote smoke as the wood burns.

A piece of RR rail can be a starter anvil but if you can find a more compact chunk of heavy steel at the fleamarket it will work better.

[Zombie0hour]

well i did some thinking and was wondering if you can build masonary forages like made of brick thought that would be a good idea.

[geofthesmith]

well i personaly think all that stone is unnesesary, i could be wrong but unless your forging realy big things i think a steel one would be more ecanomicle and work as well. check out blue print 133,

[Zombie0hour]

ok thanks, and how come i can not look at the blueprints like 200 and beyond? Steel one sounds great, should i just go to a junkyard and look for parts and stuff? What should i use for the air blowing?

[geofthesmith]

BP are casualtys of reacent updates, so they be back soon ya just go scraping, and for blower it realy depends on the size of your pot and how big the stuff you are forgeing, i personaly only do small stuff right now, like no bigger than one inch so i can use an industrial hairdryer and blow it into a dryer exaust tube then into some gas pipe from plumbing in home depot, and that get my stock to a nice light straw color. but realy anything that blows air will work, i think there is also a BP on making bellows...

[Frosty]

You can build your forge from nearly anything. The only part that must be fire resistant is the firepot, duck's nest, etc. itself.

The rest can be steel, wood, masonry or paper mache if you wish. Practical and economical are important, especially when you're figuring it all out.

A masonry forge can be a thing of functional beauty unless it doesn't fit your shop, the work you end up doing or you find yourself moving. Then it's a Big, HEAVY, fragile, blasted thing.

Keep your eye's open for any old piece of sheet metal a couple three feet square and something for legs, cinder blocks, saw horses, milk crates (one of my favorites), etc.

When You find the stuff, cut a hole in the sheet metal the brake drum will slip into and rest on it's rim. Ram damp clay around it till it's good and hard. Hook up your air and go back to workd.

I say "back to work" because I assume you'll be practicing with whatever you have while you look for what you want.

Frosty