Greetings from Salem Oregon and the Leslie Middle School's Shop program.
I am creating a new program in my middle school shop where the advanced students can create some basic iron work/blacksmith projects. I currently offer an intro to welding/metal craft where the kids can make a sculpture out of scrap iron that I salvage from local fabricators dumpsters. My advanced 8th graders can also come in after school and work on projects. We have a plasma cutter and a MIG welder, a 200+ lbs Trenton anvil and some other basic hand tools for sheet metal projects. However, to get the blacksmithing program up and running, we need to make a forge that can be wheeled outside and fired up. I have been researching and looking over several YouTube postings on brake drum forges and other homemade variations. I am seeking your seasoned mentorship on what you would advise for a basic and inexpensive forge we could build and use with safety in our school's shop. I would love the forge to be able to be made by individual students who want to make one for themselves as a project.
I recently had an at risk kid, who has not been doing well on anything in school, just light up like a Christmas tree when I wheeled in the Trenton anvil last week and gave him the wire brush and air grinder with a Scotch bright pad to clean it up. He looked like the Peanut's character "Pig Pen" in a cloud of dust. He worked on that thing for an hour and then I gave him the 3lb hammer and a chunk of ½” round rod to bang away on it outside. It was like he was full of lightning and I told him maybe he was a blacksmith in a previous lifetime. He said it was better than a video game. I told him that the feeling he was having was his internal voice that was letting him know his passion. He really wants to make a project with fire and steel. What kid wouldn’t want to do this?
So we need to build a forge. I don't want to use gas (LPG) due to our district's and fire marshal's issues with the fuels. Charcoal or Coal is what I would like to start with. Lord knows we have enough wood scrap to start the forge up with and even to use as fuel if that's possible.
Also, if there are any Willamette Valley smiths out there who are willing to come in and present their knowledge or help that would be greatly appreciated. I am a highly creative guy who can figure things out quickly, but a good lesson on the basics will be a wonderful boost to getting the program up and running.
Bryan "Shop Teacher"