Whisperkiller

Looks like I will finally be making my forge sometime soon! A friend of mine managed to find me a 3x4 foot sheet of 3/8 plate for a forge tabletop, and was finally talking about helping me build my forge table! We are going to use 2 inch pipe for legs and some old bed frames for the table lip to hide the torch cut edges and make it a bit more smooth. The problem is still a firepot. He would like to custom make a firepot and blower system...he suggested a reverse blower on an 8 inch pipe with angles cut out the pipe to form a cone...i think just taking some 3/8 plate and cutting angles to make a sloped box firepot would be better and have a t with an ashgate and squirrel blower on the side would be better...his argument is for airflow control. My question is this, what would be a good way to control the air flow? my design is more traditional from what I can tell as it seems to be on every table forge I have seen and is indeed the design for several home made ones I have found as well...besides the brake drum (which I am in no way opposed to doing), what would be a good design for a custom made firepot for a table forge?

Hi, as the title says, I am new to blacksmithing, and I am trying to find resources to learn more. I have already done a great deal of reading and research, but I am seriously thinking of starting my own shop in my home town of Vicksburg, MS. We have a guild that meets in Jackson, MS, and they meet once a month. I am interested in blacksmithing, because I like the thought of connecting with my ancestors, and honoring those that have come before me. I would like to help carry on the tradition, and learn the teqniques of the tradition. I would also like to work with steel for the purposes of making traditional weapons and armor of reproduction quality for sale. I look forward to learning from the community and perhaps one day passing on that knowledge to people like me who want to learn how to be a blacksmith. Many thanks, M. Thompson