SReynolds

This is the Ohio Historical Society blacksmith shop in ZOAR. I operate this shop on weekends. I use soft coal and coke. I don't know who made this sheet steel smoke collector, but that is really worthless. It causes the cinders and smoke to "collect" around your head. In short, it retains the smoke and fly ash at head level. Really dumb idea. It has no vent to expell the smoke. Just holds it there. Never seen anything like it. If this forge is like what the blacksmiths used back in the 1800's, it is little wonder they died at an early age. All the forges I have seen have a shroud to collect the smoke and fly ash and direct it up the pipe and OUT of the building. Did the original blacksmiths want to trap and retain the smoke/fumes??????? I do own my own forge which I will be happy to post up some pictures when I paint it. It is a portable unit made by Champion.

I do exactly as above. It depends upon the style of forge you have. I **could** simply walk away from it and seperate the next day, but I prefer to take the fire apart at days end and clean out the trash in fire pot the following day prior to laying a new fire.

What I was explaining was the fact you don't need one. Leave it alone. Pull the fan then the REAR bearings. Pull the shaft out the FRONT and you won't need to mess with that 3 1/2 deep socket you can't find. That works well, unless I missed something in your description.

I get mice in my slack tub. Smells pretty bad. :blink:

From my findings, these gear case blowers (400) are 8,10,12 and 14 inch. There is a CD repoduction of the original catalog from Champion.

Hi guys! I just completed a blower clean and adjust project. It is the small one like pictured in the top post (eight inch fan on a 401 forge) I could not remove the fan from the shaft! I pulled the locking nut off (impact gun and 1" deep-well.... right handed threads) but no way to remove the fan. The fan hub is threaded onto the shaft. I made a socket that will fit over the hub of the fan and I used an impact gun to knock it loose. Worked perfect. I really need to patent these!!!! Once you have the fan off, the dust cover comes off, then there is a backing nut behind that. It locates the fan/dust cover on the shaft. Then the threaded cap is removed from the gear case to expose the bearing balls and the adj cone. Don't mess with tryuing to remove that cone and it's locking nut. It's really simple............remove the REAR bearing locking nut and cone. Drop out the bearings here (eleven of them) and then pull the shaft from the front. The front bearings (thirteen balls) will follow. To get a damaged part, one would have to buy another gear case. I HAVE seem them on e-bay (gear case only) and all the 400 gear cases are the same for the most part. Some very slight differences. The fan shaft willnot hold oil. if you look at the shaft, one would soon discover why............. That shaft is THREADED and, it has a key-way groove cut into it. Little wonder it won't seal oil. Here is a link to a guy who rebuilds these. I dissassemble them differently than he does. He fights with that fron bearing locking nut and cone while inside the case. I don't like to. I remove the rear most bearing as it is much easier to do so. http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-history/help-please-champion-blower-113740/

Most re-enactors don't wear a baseball cap like I like to either as you can see from the picture. I **do** have the proper hat. It was costly. Made by Stetson. I hated to get it dirty at first, but now it is sweat stained and dirty from cinder/flyash and coal dust. When I took over the shop, it was stocked with hard coal. It got hot, but this soft (coaking grade)coal is easier to work with. I am told, they mined their own (Ohio) coal (and iron ore). I can't imagin what it would be like to forge with a low grade coal that is high in sulfer/shale. They really had their work cut-out. Thanks for looking!

Most of my visitors don't even want to be there. Many will not. They are there to see the gardens and walk through the homes. The staff must coax the folks to walk across the large parking lot (where an old hotel once stood) and take in the sights and sounds of the blacksmith shop in operation. I get many who hear the anvil ring and walk across the road from the old pub, after they have enjoyed a lunch. Folks who are NOT on the paid tour of the town. They are the ones who want to talk about smithing. The town;

The shop is a reproduction of the original. We are "supposed" to interpret the village as if it were prior to the Civil War. I intend to use the Champion steel forge for the smithing class, NOT in the operation of the shop. For that I have the large stone hearth forge. The bigger anvil is a well worn ferrier anvil. I generally use it. But the smaller one is handy as well. The farriers anvil has the flat spot on top the horn and the other is simply a london pattern with the familiar round horn. This shop is just the blacksmith shop. We have an entire town, so all I do is smithing. The wagon shop is next door. There is a blacksmith supply store very near ZOAR and they have everything!! I'm told anvils/forges and tools are difficult to locate. They have everything. Old and NEW! They sell a quality smithing grade coal in bulk and bag. Their showroom/store room is FILLED with hammers, anvils etc.etc.etc.

I just picked up one last wekend for $175. I have taken the forge apart to the last screw and have cleaned it. I will repaint and reassemble. The blower is in perfect shape. Shows no wear at all. The bearings are like new. I cleaned out the old oil and put it back together. I have it soaking up fresh oil now. No cracked casting! I have never seen anything like it. This one has a fan of eight inches. Smallest I have seen. They generally are 12 or 14 inches dia. The Champion advertisement lists this as the "Government Portable 401" There is some literature I have read about this set-up, but it shows it setting on a crate, which you pack the assembly into to transport it. The Champion advertisements are now available on CD as the original book would be rather costly. I intend to use this unit as opposed to setting it in the corner. I hope it works well enough to forge some horse shoes and small stuff like hooks etc.

Hi Guys...............( and girls too!) I have taken over the operations for the Ohio Historical Society in ZOAR Ohio. I will begin to conduct classes (for local residents) this summer. I generally make small decorative items and horse shoes. I have to interpret the trade AND make something at the same time. I just picked up an old Champion 401 portable forge and the (eight inch) 400 forge blower. Don't know if it is rare or not, but I am restoring it to like new and intend to use it at home and at the blacksmith shop. Just wanted to say "Hey" We are in Northern Ohio. >>>>>Scott