Smiths

That helps me a lot. You've answered a couple of really important questions for me.

Is 1" ID going to be a good diameter for this tywere? If I ever open up the holes for a long fire, it will be pretty long. Do I need a larger diameter pipe, or progressively larger "jets" as I move farther from the bellows?

Was that pulley welded onto the stock?

Great ideas. Thanks! Hopefully I can use the two circles we cut from the ends of the barrel and sandwich them together on some all-thread rod with some locking nuts. I don't know. Will it get too hot? We plan to use a box bellows. Will it get too hot inside the tywere when we quit pumping the bellows? I know it probably wouldn't be a problem with constant, forced air, but if we stop pumping will my ram rod melt? I don't have any welding equipment right now.

I'm wondering what the best way is to build one. I haven't been to town to look in the hardware stores yet, but thought I would ask you guys before I go looking. Per some great advice I received here at the forum, I want to make a "ram rod" or plunger type air restrictor for the tywere I am building. I'm pretty sure the tywere pipe will be 1" ID set in a v-trough fire "bowl". I want to be able to use the plunger or ram-rod to shut off air jets for making smaller fires, while leaving me the ability to have longer, larger fires on occasion. So what would be the best way to make this plunger? Is there anything ready-made that is round, and the right size to make the plunger head out of? Will I need to fab something?

I read the whole thing and bookmarked it too. That is a really good resource.

Thanks for that link. I think it's going to help a lot. I've been on anvilfire a few times and had trouble finding my way around. Time to have another look, because that is some great info you sent me!

GRiley904, Thanks for the info. I really appreciate it. I was thinking about it being hard to fit both forges in the same setup. ThomasPowers suggested the long trough with a "ram rod" in the far end of the tywere pipe to shut off holes when needing a smaller fire. Right now I'm leaning that direction. Your input has certainly helped me in figuring this out. Thanks again.

Fantastic advice! I can't believe my son and I didn't think of needing to operate the bellows with our left hands. I was still stuck thinking about air flow from the bellows to the pot. Goes to show we haven't actually worked any metal yet! Thanks for the "ram rod" tip. I had read about that before, but did not understand exactly what people meant. The light just came on in my head when I read it the way you worded it. It makes perfect sense now. You guys are being a great help to us. Thanks! I'll be putting up more pics on the build soon. Oh, and last night my brother dug a piece of RR track from his garage. So, I guess we'll figure out a way to mount that on end for a temporary anvil. Any ideas on the best way to set up the rail? In sand, cement, etc?

That forge looks like a great start! I used to spend a lot of time in Joplin before I moved back up to Kansas.

I took a closer look at all of your pics and reread your posts. Now I see exactly what you mean. Thanks, man. Let us know soon if it's working the way you had hoped.

You've given me a new perspective: Your chimney is my forge! Gotta start somewhere though, right? And man, would I love to find an $18 blower!

If I use the Box Bellows, and a smaller, round fire bowl, should I blast from the side or bottom? Also, does anyone know the best orientation of the bellows to the forge?

Thanks Sweany, I have been looking at that page lately. It's good to put it in this thread though!

Thanks for tip! So, you prefer more of a bowl over a trough. I can make a bowl any size right now. If I go for a bowl for what I'm planning is 12" diameter best? Is 12" too big or too small?