flat lander

That looks realy cool and I agree the guys here are awesome. Good luck to ya

I just tried using my charcoal forge pot last week and I installed a brand new 146 cfm blower from dayton and when I open the air gate all the way on a 3" dia. pipe it blows the charcoal out of the pot. coal is heavier and burns hotter that charcoal (I think) and my air gate was only open about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way and I was melting 1/2 sq. bars in no time. Good luck

An up date on my forge pot. I tried the pot today and I could not keep up with it I put about 10 1/2" bars in it to make tent stakes . 3/4" radius bend at one end and pointed at the other end. it took me about 1 hour and 45 min. to make 28 complete and another 11 with just the bend and I am worn out. I burned about 12 lbs. of charcoal. I do not think that that is to bad for my first time on the forge. Thanks guys for all of your help I realy Appreciate all that you have biven me and the other nubee's on the site

Well after reading this I think I will start building me one. I am finished with building my charcoal forge with the exception of the blower . I may have that completed by the end of the week end (may be) and the propane forge will keep the AQMD and CARB off of my back. Thanks for the teaching lessons

Thank you I have been looking every where here on the forum and have found a few things but this helps a lot

I have been reading about all of your projects and a got a wild hair today and started building a forge pot for my self. And I have a question for the experts. I made the pot out of 5/8" mild steel plate at the top it is 11 1/2" X 12 1/2 and the bottom is 5 1/2" sq. and right now it is 4 1/2" deep. All dimensions are inside dimensions I am planning of using the forge for probably not more than 1/2" sq. stock I may go bigger but right now that is the largest material and I will be useing charcoal for the fuel and if I get that down I may add coke no coal I do not want the smoke. My 1st question is. Is 4 1/2" to deep , to shallow or just right I have not made the top flange yet and I can trim it down if I need to at this point. My 2nd question is since I am building the pot I can build the air intake and ash dump. Should I go with 3" , 3 1/2" or 4 " Diameter. My 3rd question is.I have not decided if I am going with the coke at this point so should I install a clinker breaker or just use a grate. Thanks for all of the advice that you have given me on other topics. You have helped me out a lot in such a short time.

I have been blacksmithing on and off for years but like I said up top I am self tought and I also have a long long way to go. I look forward to meeting you some day.

That would be real cool. I have only watched from a distance never actualy worked with a real forge. I probably made a mistake in calling AQMD and CARB but since I want to take things on the road I tought I had better look into what the laws are. AQMD does not seem to be the problem it is with CARB. The guy was real nice to talk to but the underlying threats were pretty harsh. PM me some time and may be we could talk

That is one of the reasons that I like the Diamondback 2 burner. All three sides come up on it so that it is almost totaly open. I do not think that I need the three burner unit for what I am doing. If I grow into big items then at least I will have a pattern to build a bigger forge latter

The California Air Resoorces Board guy told me yesterday that if I get 1 call in about me from anyone not just a neighbor that he would fine me $1000.00 for the first offence. The AQMD guy was a lot more friendly. I live in the out skirts of San Bernardino at the bottom of the mountains below Big Bear. Actually just up from you Private Entrance Hence my name Flatlander pretty much an insult name at the camps

My girl friend will mind the store and I already know about the show and tell I was trying to build a blunderbuss shoulder gun 15 years ago and gave up on it at camp. I plan on doing most of my work at home when I do not have much else to do and I do not really want to have 15 different tools to do 1 job. I all ready have that at home now and I know that blacksmithing requires a lot of tooling everthing that I get must be pretty portable

I am planning on forgeing 1/2" sq. stock for fire irons and display racks that will probably be the largest stuff that I forge at a camp. most of my work will probably be 1/4" material for S hooks and hangers. some file and damascus steel knife blades as well. As for forgeing axe heads I think that I am far from that at least at this point. I have been useing Oxy/Act for all of my blacksmithing but it is getting expensive. I have made about 9 knifes out of old files and 1 out of a lock shank with my torch and the people I have talked to say that a forge is much easier to use . I do not know of any blacksmiths in my area I am pretty much self taught over 10 years ago I made quite a bit of stuff for my wifes trade shop and the other 2 blacksmiths at camp were not happy and I promissed them that I would not sale my stuff. Well one of them passed away last year and no one has heard from the other one for over 5 years. So I kept my promiss to them. Thanks for all of the advice. it is helping me with some tough and hard decisions. I do not like to waste money on tools that are too small for what I need. Thanks agian for all of your time

Well I just got off of the phone with the California AQMD and they told me that If I wanted to put a nuclier power plant in my back yard that they could not do anythging about it but as soon as I leave my property and go on the road I am not allowed to burn any solid fuels this includes coal ,coke and charcoal. The California Air Resorces Board told me that I could not burn any coal or coke the charcoal question did not come up . AQMD also told we that I could cook with coal ,coke and or charcoal but that was it in California. I can forge with gases ( natral gas , propaine and oxy/act.) as long as I use less that 2,000,000 BTU's . So it looks like propaine it is . Anyone out there have a favorite small propaine forge that they use. I have looked at the Majestic and the Diamondback 2 burner units are there any others out there and which one would you guys pick to use. I am leening towards the diamondback unit that all three sides lift up on. Any opinions on what may be my best buy

I do not mean to take away from the talk but this topic is about Charcoal. How bad does the charcoal smoke at start up and how bad does it spark while the blower is on. I have been reading about the sparking and that and the smoke may stop me from useing it where I live. can anyone explain how much there is thanks

The fire usualy is not the problem here it is the smoke. We have a camp up by big bear and when I was camping years ago at the rendezvous we had a sign that said No Open Fires and about 5 feet from the sign someone always had a fire pit it drove the forest service guys nuts. Every year they would come through camp and tell the people next to that sign that they could at least move the fire about 10 feet from the sign. Rondezvous at least in So. Cal get special privileges unless the fire danger is real high.

I was going to make a box bellows and I have not made my fire pot yet should I make it deep 6to 7 inchs . is deeper better. I have a lot of rem plate around my yard so making the pot should not be to hard if I can get some advise on how deep and how big around. Thanks to all of you for your help.

From what I have seen with induction forging you need electricity and at the camps there is no way they will alow the sound of a generator everything is suppose to look like pre1840 era and nothing but coal does that . That is my delema how to hide the forge and still be able to do the work? The oil furnace looks good but someone mentioned bad smoke and that is what California will not allow. How bad does Charcoal smoke when it is burned in the forge?

First of all Hello this is my 1st post I have been reading the forum and wow what information you guys are great. My situation is I live in California and the EPA laws here kill everything that anyone wants to do. They will not let me burn coal here so that is out. I have been useing Oxy/Acet. for my blacksmithing for quite some time (just a hobby) but now a door has been open for me to do some blacksmithing at the mountain man rendezvous in my area, they have not had a blacksmith for about five years and asked me if I would start at the camps. and since California will not let me burn coal what do you guys suggest ? Is Propaine cheaper that the Oxy/Acet. What ever I do I will need to be able to hide the way I heat the material. A Propaine forge I can probably hide inside of the forge chimney a torch is going to be harder to hide I think. I have looked at the Majestik knife forge and the diamondback 2 burner metal smith forge. Any suggestions on how I should go about starting. Any advice will be Appreciated