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I Forge Iron

dancho

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Posts posted by dancho

  1. 10 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

    I used to have a large double lunged bellows I could pump with my smallest finger and get to welding temps for billets.  Kept repairing it and repairing it over the years and finally when I had to move 2400 km I gave it away to force myself to build a new one; 13 years so far without the new one...maybe when I retire...

    On the other hand I once inflated a very large air mattress with my hand crank blower; took almost no time at all and without the mosquito whine of the small 12 V pumps! (A friend had forgotten their pump on a week long campout...)

    But it is so nice to simply press the button and do nothing but watch the fire!

  2. On 6/30/2017 at 9:52 AM, littleblacksmith said:

    Here's a little dirt cheap portable forge I did.

                                                                                                                                  Littleblacksmith

    Wow!  This is great! 

  3. 5 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

    Lovely; but I'd like to see it with a bellows; solar panels are not light on the land to manufacture; but bellows can be made from recycled wood and vinyl.

    I am  absolutely with you Thomas!  Spend 10 years working solely on bellows at the museum forge in Kiev.  Have had  enough fun with it.I I deserve now some little electricity  )))))) 

  4. 8 hours ago, Tubalcain2 said:

    sweet. i could see pulling that rig with a segway...

    ha- ha!  You revelead my plans.  I was going to ride myself on that seway.  Just need a good battery bank to stick into anvil pipe.  I could also run my power grinder and drill from it

     

    7 hours ago, tkunkel said:

    Nice setup!  Well done.  The handles of the tripod pieces look like they would get hot and melt......am I seeing that correctly?  I like the simplicity of the whole setup!

    Thanks Tkunkel!   No problem with poles. The basin is filled with char coal (fines from the bottom of the bags)  and you just keep pouring a bit of water with mug  to keep the fire centered and prevent coal waste. The water evaporates and cools the coal below.  The basin gets only a bit warm

    6 hours ago, PVF Al said:

    Wonderful idea!! I hope a lot of people view this. We need more examples of creative thinking, and working with minimal equipment. Does the anvil travel in the tube or the bag?

    Al

    Thanks! It's in the bag.  You take off from bottom plate whenever need to get into the train or bus or manage the stairways.

  5.  

    Hello Everyone!

    I would like to share here with latest design of Rolling Anvil set up which I have developed in pursuit of ancient blacksmith spirit of freedom and common sense as well as modern concepts of sustainability and living lightly on the Earth.

    The Rolling Anvil evolved further and became more light, compact, mobile, efficient and sustainable! 

    The new set up has been combat tested month ago during my return trip from Ukraine to Switzerland  (buses and trains) where I did  a blacksmith demo at the old castle near Basel.

    The forge (stainless basin) has been put on trekking poles tripod.  The steel mesh hood topped with sieve was used for spark and wind protection.   During transportation it is rolled down and put into anvil stand pipe. 

    The blower I use now is cheap   12 DC air pump for blowing matrasses found anywhere on the net.  In this case it ran from 10 Amp/H power bank which itself was charged from solar panel.

    The anvil became a bit  lighter (24 kg).  The anvil  stand (and cart at the same time) can be disassembled into plate and pipe in case it needs to fit in some limited luggage space.  In case heavier works are involved a gabion is arranged around the anvil.

    The set up is highly efficient allowing to heat and  forge quite massive pieces like axe or hammer but mobile and compact at the same time.

    All is needed on place is char coal and this can be found in any supermarket or gas station.IMG_20170518_224736.jpg.1e466b3e5444992c7760f6848cfa94eb.jpgIMG_20170519_001703.jpg.631bb3873b9a9dac7f40e8d0016939d1.jpg5955f0b373740_HochzeitEyaMai20170137-Copy-Copy.thumb.JPG.e9f8898c0016dc03050e35060cc69e4b.JPG5955f0badff4f_HochzeitEyaMai20170248.thumb.JPG.ca3caf722a0694924c153a10b5c09b98.JPG

    5955f0b9672cf_HochzeitEyaMai20170231.thumb.JPG.94bfde1b3be86b039d3d389bcbef26d8.JPG

     

     

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  6. 2 hours ago, Charles R. Stevens said:

    I've enjoyed your posts, this is no different. Tho some high wheeled classic wood and steel wheels would look better ;-)

    The wheel base is interchangeable depending on the situation.  I just couldn't resist this nice blue-yellow combination which reminds me the the flag of Ukraine)))))

    1 hour ago, Mtnstream said:

    roll on!

    I will!

  7. Frosty, I do not cast myself.  I just carve the form  from rigid  foam and give to the foundry.   It's a huge anmount of equipment and huge amount of energy.  The whole factory.  They put the form in sand and then make what is called evaporative method of casting forcing the liquid metal under pressure.  One foam form -one anvil.  But as I said lot's of problems.  Wish I had access to some modern foundry somewhere in the developed world but they will probably charge a fortune.

    All the hardening and tempering  I do in my ordinary side blast char coal forge.  The only diffrence I arrange it right on the ground  level outside .  Lot's of charcoal, of course.  But fun! Especially when it close to the evening.    Like Guy Fawkes night

     

  8. Thanks Frosty and everyone! You may call me even a pot just don't put me in the oven !(russian saying):D

    Yes Frosty , as you mentioned absolutely correct heating this anvil is't that hard.  Firstly you heat only face  and not the rest to get the real zone hardening and proper qualities (one of them is that anvil is very silent while being really hard.).  The anvil is around 30 kilos so it is possible even for single person to handle around .  However assistant would be good.  

    The real problem is actually  how to temper the horns  afterword otherwise they fall off with the first hammer blows.   Another thing is the quality of casting itself  (pores and cracks or maybe something else) and here you can't really do anything but prey and maybe  bring a bottle of cognac  to the caster before. 

    The innovation will be really fun I tell you!

    Bogdan

  9. The Bogdan Popov’s anvil got its further development ! 

    Now becoming more and  more versatile tool.  A longer built-in hardie  with the alloy steel welded edge, deeper and wider notch and square horn on the other side of the notch.  This really worked well and proved its validity.

    However a lot more other very interesting and effective developments  came as well.   The  video coming soon!

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  10. Yeah, that's my compensation for no Gumby.  I grew up on soviet cartoons.  They were actually pretty OK ...

     Absolutely agree about flat heads outside.  It would be better with more massive heads. 

    I thought first about the mouth and even showed the sketch  to the customer, but then decided to omit it.  It is a wise firedog. She sees everything but doesn't say annything.  When the fire is riding her back you see him through her eyes

  11. The Fire Dog. Designed and forged by Bogdan Popov. Dimensions 380x500 mm. Original material – mild steel flat 40x12mm. Upsetting, splitting, punching, riveting.

     

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  12. I work  with char coal ONLY  for many years.  This is in my view definetely the best fuel for forge welding and working with steel and just as sustainable local resourse.

    My experince:

    1) Side blast is the best.  Bottom blast will work but not as good.

    2)Average size of char coal is wallnut.  Smaller sieve away (sieve diameter 5 mm). Bigger crack by hands in gloves..

    3) Not too much air.   Bring the to the heat slowly step by step.

    Good luck!

     

     

     

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