JeepinJoe Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 I started building a forge about a month ago and I'm at the point I can use it. Since I will be using it outside I put it on wheels so I can move it in and out of the garage. Future plans are to build a side draft flue for it and maybe someday a shop. Here is a few photo's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 (edited) Nice looking forge! Looks to be well built. Yes, you WILL appreciate a hood & flue. Nice large table. One suggestion is that you add another cut-out on the other side from the current one for long pieces. If you want to block it off afterwards to keep your coal from spilling out, you can make a slide-on piece to cover the hole (or both holes for that matter with another one). If you need to move it around outside on gravel or dirt, you might need larger wheels.Happy forging! Edited November 2, 2015 by arkie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepinJoe Posted November 2, 2015 Author Share Posted November 2, 2015 I tried to clay the cast iron fire pot and when it dried it cracked and flaked off. I used some pottery clay and mixed some sand in. I tried two different mixtures. The first one I mixed with sand and made it kind of dry. That mixture I could not get to stick to the cast iron. I tried pounding it on with a piece of wood and hammer and it would not stick. The second mix I used less sand so it was wetter. It stuck to the cast iron and I was able to put on a nice layer all over the pot however, when it dried it cracked and flaked off. So my question is should I just use it without the clay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Olson Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 Make the hole in the plate fit the fire pot as tight as possible so it's harder for stuff to get around it and fall on the floor. Then forget about making it look all smooth and pretty with clay. Any small gaps will fill with ash ect. and it will work just fine. When I built mine I was doin the same as you trying to cement the gaps but when you really start using it and you pile on a bunch of coal and run a couple of fires you will see that you wasted time trying clay it. Fire that thing up and get pounding :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 Yep, even the brick is unnecisary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepinJoe Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share Posted November 14, 2015 First fire and first forged items. Fire poker and my first attempt at a bottle opener. Of course I did try out the bottle opener and I have to say it works mighty fine. I am enjoying one of my favorite beverages as I post this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 Nice work! how did the forge perform for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepinJoe Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share Posted November 14, 2015 Forge worked great. Worked even better when a couple of curios neighbor kids came over and liked cranking the blower. Blower is a champion 400 which really didn't take much effort to keep the fire hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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