Glenn

Julian you mean smoke like this?

Cooter build a fire with sticks from the yard, a good fire a boy scout would be proud to call his own. Then add coal and let it catch fire, them more coal, keeping a hole in the top for the smoke and flame to escape. As the sticks burn out, knock the crust down into the fire and add more coal. Keep the air sufficient to keep the fire going and getting larger. Before long you have a good bed of coals and can start forging.

Ad to the lumps, break them up with a hammer. a good size for a forge is about the size of a walnut or ping-pong ball. Others use coal dust or fines. Moisten it with a little water so it will clump together.

The following Blueprints were posted Monday and Tuesday of this week

BP0031 Scroll Design Ten Hammers aka Steve O'Grady
BP0030 Scroll Design Irnsrgn aka Jr Strasil
BP0029 Scroll Design Ricky of South Africa
BP0028 Scroll Jigs Irnsrgn aka Jr Strasil
BP0027 Scroll Design Jim Joyce
BP0026 Principles of Design Boyd Holtan
BP0053 Smithing Maggician Richard Hanson
BP0025 Scroll Design Tony Pewton (UK)
BP0024 Scroll Design Peter Fels
BP0023 Scroll Design Irnsrgn aka Jr Strasil
BP0022 Scroll Generator Irnsrgn aka Jr Strasil
BP0021 Twister Irnsrgn aka Jr Strasil

You can find them by going to the tip of the IForgeIron.com opening page and clicking on the "folder tab" at the top of the page labeled "Blueprints" then click on Blueprints 000-100 series.

The Blueprints in the BP1000 series are complete and current, and the Blueprints in the 400+ series are current but the delay post feature is used to make them post through out the week.

The new material is posted is now under the "blog" button on the opening page of the site.

Between the front page, the forum, and the gallery, there is almost always something new on the site every time you visit.

I built a smithing magician type tool (different design) and after a week had beat it to death, literally. I rebuilt the same design and used 1/2" stock materials everywhere. The 1-1/4 round bar I used for the hammer striking surface mushrooms like the top of a chisel does, so I keep it dressed on a regular basis. This is a consumable item and can be replaced if needed.

Attach the hardie post so the impact area is kept over the heavy part of the anvil.

It is neat the way he uses his feet to move and hold things. The second power hammer is huge, anyone care to guess at the head weight?

From the opening page of IForgeIron.com

You Might be a Machinist if - - -

001 If you automatically spit first & cuss later
003 If you think "mirror" is a finish.
015 If you use a sewing needle as a personal surgical tool on a regular basis.

030 If a

I would suggest that you try the 1" pipe you now have and see how it works on your forge. Raise the air pipe an 1 to 1-1/2" so from the bottom of the forge and the ash will insulate the metal bottom of the forge from the heat. The "T" in the air line is to allow air to come in through the branch while any ash falls straight down the pipe. The flap on the bottom is to easily cover and uncover the hole, and to clean the ash out as it builds up. You need to adjust the air prior to entering the "T", and there are many ways to do this, with a damper, covering the fan intake, etc

Don't think of this as a one time build, but think of it as a place to start, modify and make it better, till you develop the forge that works well for you and the size material you are forging.

Keep asking questions as many here have built forges, and have figured out what works for them. Gather a bunch of ideas and use what works for you.

Cooter

Attached is a photo of the grate on the 55 Forge (BP0133). It is a piece of 2" pipe with 2 pieces of 1/4" rod to keep the coal from falling through. It works very well for me. The forge works equally will using lump coal or coal fines (dust). Just dampen the fines and they clump together, when they coke up they become a solid mass.

I would suggest a larger air inlet, and a chimney for you forge. Please take lots of photos as I would like to use your idea for a Blueprint. But then I like solid fuel

If you want to use a gasser, there are several Blueprints on IForgeIron.com that will show you how to build your own.

Abana newsletter
President's Letter to the Affiliates February 2007

Presidents message
Updated President's Message - 2008 Conference

From an advertisment in an industry trade journal.

Hand held real time nondestructive chemical analysis

Up to 30 or more elements may be quantified simultaneously by measuring the characteristic fluorescence x-rays emitted by a sample. Thermo Scientific NITON x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzers quantify elements ranging from magnesium (element number 12 in the periodic table) through plutonium (element number 94), measuring fluorescent x-ray energies from twelve hundred fifty electron volts (1.25 keV) up to 100 keV. NITON Analyzers also measure the elastic (Raleigh) and inelastic (Compton) scatter x-rays emitted by the sample during each measurement to determine, among other things, the approximate density and percentage of the light elements in the sample.

This should so a long way toward identification of that piece of steel you have been concerned about. For more information click here. Tell them you heard about it on IForgeIron.com

Dav, spread the word about IForgeIron to your friends. We are an international site and invite folks from other countries to join in on the fun.

Torin, Welcome to IForgeIron. Good to hear from you again. Push some buttons and catch up. The site has 4 major sections, the opening page, the forum, the gallery and the chat. The chat is a LIVE chat that allows you to talk with blacksmiths from all over the world.

If you make Blackstone, please let me know.

In reading a magazine called Fuel Oil News, April 2006, I stumbled onto a article called Flue Pipe Design by George Lanthier, who thanks Tim Begoske and John Cotton of Field Controls for the chart. The following information relates to the fuel oil industry but may provide guide lines for forge chimneys.

Mr. Lanthier refers to a rule of thumb about “the chimney connector shall not be longer than 75% of the portion of the chimney above the chimney connector inlet.” If you have (as in his example) a 35 foot tall chimney and you deduct 5 feet for the height of where the flue pipe goes into the chimney, leaving an actual chimney height of 30 feet. Seventy five percent of that height leaves a working dimension for the flue pipe of no more than 22.5 feet.


Refer to the chart and follow along.

Using a Tee and a 90* elbow
If we come off the back of the heater with a short horizontal run of pipe (18”), a 90* elbow, a vertical rise (24”) into a Tee and a horizontal run (23”) into the chimney we have about 5.5 feet of pipe. Add to a 90* elbows with an equivalent of 11 feet, a Tee with an equivalent of 38 feet and we have a Total Equivalent Pipe Length in Feet of 54.5 feet. 54.5 feet is well beyond (almost 2.5 times) our target length of 22.5 feet

Using 90* elbows
If we come off the back of the heater with a short horizontal run of pipe (18”), a 90* elbow, a vertical rise (24”) into another 90* elbow and a horizontal run (23”) into the chimney we have about 5.5 feet of pipe. Add to that 2 of the 90* elbows with an equivalent of 11 feet each (22 feet for 2 elbows) and we have a Total Equivalent Pipe Length in Feet of 27.5 feet. This is still beyond out target length of 22.5 feet.

Using 45* elbows
If we come off the back of the heater with a short horizontal run of pipe (7”), a 45* elbow, a slant rise (48”) into another 45* elbow and a horizontal run (5”) into the chimney we have about 5 feet of pipe. Add to that 2 of the 45* elbows with an equivalent of 5 feet each (10 feet for 2 elbows) and we have a Total Equivalent Pipe Length in Feet of 15 feet.

I would like to better understand the whole process of chimneys and what makes them draw or not draw. If anyone has any additional material, please provide it with references if they are available so we can better study this matter.

http://www.firedragonent.com/flues1.pdf

The blueprints are being moved to the new system at the rate of several per day. All should be back on line shortly.

The Poll: Which way does the horn of your anvil face?
With 150 people responding we have the the following results:

Left = 102 or 68%
Right = 29 or 19.3%
Both = 17 or 11.3%
No horn = 2 or 1.3%

I agree with Hofi that the results are is greatly influenced by the user being left or right handed, and how they feel comfortable at the anvil. It would have been interesting to ask how many could not remember and had to go to the anvil and look.

Go to the front page IForgeIron.com and at the top left, click on the "Blueprints" box. Then select the series of Blueprints you want. This is a new system so BP1000 series is complete, and the BP000-100 series is being posted at 5 or more a day. The remainder of the BP's will follow until all are moved to the new system.

She is on the list Woody, as is the whole family.

Jean, it is us that wish to learn from you. Show us what you do with your craft and how you do it. We can then add it to the knowledge base for others to view.

rvcouteaux
Svp poteau dans le Français et l'anglais.

Please post in both French and English. We will then try to translate your post to English for the forum.

Go to the IFI Gallery and do a search for press or hydraulic press. Several ideas can be found there.

When making a biscuit cutter or other kitchen type utensil, is there a food grade tin? What type solder is used to stick it together?

John, look for Blueprint BP0411 which should post soon.

Find a blacksmithing organization and look at real anvils before you buy.

Go to IForgeIron.com > search the site > BP0184 and BP0244 for some ideas.

Any mass can be used as an anvil. For working small material like 1/8" or 1/4" go to a machine shop or welding shop or junk yard and look for cut-off or drops or ......well junk. Look for cylinders or heavy wall square tubing and ...junk. All nice shapes that can be used.

Don't be fooled into thinking that unless it looks like an anvil it won't work.

A pipe through the rafters is good for small quantities but you must be mindful of the total weight applied to the building. Look at some of the stock racks that the clothing stores use, a Z type frame at the bottom so they nest into each other when empty and a horizontal pole at the top hanging things. Add a 2nd or 3rd horizontal bar for more storage and some wheels for moving the whole thing easily. Leah's Blueprint on a stock rack could easily be converted into a stock rack for finished goods.

All this will involve hanging things so now is a good time to practice your "S" hook skills

Go to the opening page IForgeIron.com and "search the site" then enter BP0300. From there use the links or enter the Blueprints into the search engine.