jayco

If you can build a wood fire in a 55 gal. barrel safely and legally where you live( in your back yard,etc) you can make charcoal.

Well, I found the other half of the broken punch. It had fell behind the anvil and the stump in one of those dusty little corners of my shop. I just happened to look from a certain angle, and the light was just right........and I found it. I guess I could say I was lucky, and no harm done. But, what if it had went a different way? What if my grandson had been standing nearby without safety glasses? What if something like this happened at a crowded demo? It also occurred to me that the flying tip could have lodged in the vent holes on my bench grinder motor, or any other power tool that might have been nearby. One more thing, in case anyone is wondering.........I ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GLASSES! I didn't used to wear them........but I had too many close calls with flying stuff. I put them on when I enter the shop. James Flannery

Capp, welcome to Iforgeiron. There's lots of metalworking information here, and friendly folks too. Enjoy!

Another title; Shrapnel, where does it go? A few nights ago, I was using a small punch to make holes in some leaf hooks, when suddenly the little 3/8 in. round by 7 in. long punch broke in half. So there I was, holding half a punch........and wondering where the rest of it went. I spent a half hour looking in all the usual places, but found nothing. ( I am stubborn or compulsive........when I lose something , I must look for it!) So now, I'm wondering when or if the business end of the punch will be found. I might find it....6 months from now.....it might be 50 ft. from the forge. Who knows........ Here's a question for everybody........How far have you had something fly from the anvil?.........And How long did it take you to find it? James Flannery

Dan, that's a great quote.........is that your's? I reuse everything, but I had a fairly unique experience recently. I had a pile of old barn and fence boards that I set afire and made charcoal from. The next day I was shoveling up the charcoal when I started noticing some crudely made square nails in the charcoal. It took me a minute, then I realized that I had made the nails 30 years ago! So what did I do? I picked up the nails and took them back to the forge....thought I might straighten 'em , reforge them a little........and USE THEM AGAIN! Iron lasts a long time........... James

Otter Bob, welcome to Iforgeiron. Knowing which end 'not to touch', is a lesson I myself have to re-learn from time to time. Enjoy your stay!

Swagedsoul, I was thinking of putting the clay around the outside of the rotor to fill in that trench, but I would not think it's necessary for the performance of the forge. Yeah, a piece of expanded metal should work to cover the 2 in. hole.The idea is to not constrict the airflow any more than necessary. The pics Glenn posted are good variations on the wheel forge as well.

You'll probably need to weld some kind of grate over the 2in. hole in the rotor, to keep your fire from falling down the air tube. One of the easiest ways I know is to weld one or two 1/4 in. bolts across the opening,.......creating slots that let plenty of air in and are easily cleaned out when they get clogged. Also, if you decide you don't like that deep slot around the edge of the rotor,(hooking rakes and pokers on it , etc) Mix up some 'mud pie' consistency clay and water and fill in the deep section. The clay will usually stay in place for quite some time, although at some point I always hook it with the poker and have to re-fix it. Hope this helps, James

This is my main blower set-up I use most often. A little handcrank champion with a 4 in. cooling fan hanging on the air intake. The electric fan is handy when first building a fire, since i don't have to stand there and crank it. The handcrank blower is the real workhorse, the electric keeps the fire going for small work.If I need more blast, I just crank a few times.

Ken, welcome to Iforgeiron! Glad to have you aboard. Please share some of what you have learned about metalworking with us........and we love pictures! Enjoy!

By all means, do post some pics of your work.........and maybe some "how to" tips if you want. We all learn from each other! James

jkerwin, welcome to Iforgeiron. You've probably already noticed: there's lots of information, and lots of friendly folks...............and lots of reading to do! Enjoy!

Welcome hicks! Making do with what you have is, in my opinion, the very spirit of blacksmithing. The ancient smiths, and today's smiths in some of the more isolated locations do a lot with very little. With a little money, you can buy a set of tongs, but once you've made a good set yourself,...........YOU KNOW TONGS! There's a difference. Enjoy the site! James

racer3j, there's no reason I can think of why your idea wouldn't work..........It reminds me of the 'Arkansas' blower I saw pictures of somewhere. It had a handcrank and a series of smaller and larger pulleys( conected with belts) to get the fan up to speed. Aaron, I had an idea similar to yours.........using a smooth walled barrel and a big dash, but I haven't tried it yet. One idea I tried, and could not make work.............was to make a bellows using a 33 gal. trash bag and 2 pieces of heavy cardboard as the top and bottom.....connecting it all together with duct tape! ( Sort of the 'Red Green' design strategy) But so far.........no trash bag bellows! James

Welcome to Iforgeiron, Richard. I bet you have a lot of stories and smithing information. Please share your experiences with us. James

Pepper, welcome to Iforgeiron! I'm too far from you to be of any help with locating blacksmithing supplies, but there are IFI members down your way who should be able to help. Welcome to the community! James