Heelerau

I would use some of the traditional stove polish, the black lead stops the cast iron from rusting. Is your forge outside?

Hot iron !! The mozzies here in the west need clearance from Perth airport to take off, I have seen them pick up a young lamb, and it looks like a rice crisp when sucked dry ! The carry red hot pokers to jab you with, and these are only the small ones .

Gentlemen, thanks for the interest and advice, the mesh is a good idea, and I can knock the bung out in the mid section to drain enough out to shift it to clean it out on occasion. It was one of the War Offices barrels, from out stoop, I did mollify her by saying I can always drain it and tip it up if we need it for a party. We can get them pretty cheap, for about $50 from a local place. Cheers Heelerau

Gents, finally got around to sorting out a proper quenching drum. I knocked the head our of an old 55 gal wine oak wine barrel, used the timbers from the head to make a lid. The barrel has nice galvanised hoops so won't rust in a hurry. It took up nicely and does not even seep. The good thing about a barrel is it won't rust and will probably see me out. We had the same thing in the blacksmith shop on the sheep station that I grew up on. Cheers Heelerau

I have a pair of old two wheeled cart springs and fitting follow me home the other day, they have been through a fire, but will see if I can make any edged tools out of them.

Gents, had a new fire pot made of bis alloy at work, cost me a carton of cider !! Boiler makers bless them ! this is an old Buffalo forge I acquired 30 years ago with some tools, for the moment it is in the front of my workshop, I will convert a lean to a proper blacksmith shop some time in the near future. Cheers Heelerau

I have a rivet forge I clayed using stuff just dug out of the garden, you just have to reclay as it breaks up. I don't think you have to get to technical, just a good inch or so and let it dry a few days, fill in any cracks, let them dry.Then light a fire and let it get up to temp slowly for the first time. I just repair the lining from time to time as needed. Cheers Gordon

Thanks you blokes, a pity the wife did not get a shot of my mate and I sorting out the hook, I had to weld another handle section onto the old tongs I was using for the job. The smoke did clear as the coke got to temp and a nice soft heat. cheers Gordon

This arvo fired up there buff for the first time ever, as only just fitted the new fire pot and tuyere iron. Mate Gary both a farrier and blacksmith and his wife Shelley and my wife Wendy who took a couple of photos. The forge is set up in the front of the main workshop, as a temporary affair. Just cut a new block for the anvil. We did a couple of quick jobs, a poker for the forge and closed up a bent wrought iron hook which is on a chain I dug up out of a dam on the farm next door to the sheep station I was born on. It is a hand made wrought iron hook and ring set I use for snigging logs and the like. Looking forward now to setting up the new smithy. Cheers Heelerau

I have seen pictures of Jake Pownings work, amazing !!

Nice little forge, I have a similar one, and it had the words cast into it, "clay Line", so I just dug some clay out of the horse paddock and clay lined it. The refractory you mention would be fine. Cheers and good luck

The first one is used to hold a bovine by the nose.

Gents, here is my current but temporary smithy. I am not sure of the make of the rivet forge, came of a friend of the families farm in the mid north of South Australia it is clay lined. The anvil, unknown make and about 120 Lbs, 1 legged blacksmiths vice set on a post, and a buffalo forge post drill got from another mates farm dump. It is missing the arm and pawl that automatically feeds the drill down, if anyone knows where to get such? The big forge has just had a 6mm basally plate fire pot and tuyerre iron made at work, for a carton of cider!! The hand blower is a Buffalo forge 200, the forge itself is a Buffalo forge no 650. I got it at a farm clearing sale 30 yrs ago in South Australia, off a farm with a bunch of blacksmithing tools. I make a few hoof picks as you cannot buy a decent one now days. They are great gifts for fellow cowboys and other horse people. I knock them up from 3/4 of an old horse shoe. Cheers Heelerau

Gents here is my new fire pot, made of 6mm bisalloy at my place of work. The original clinker breaker had its shaft repaired, the whole thing was duplicated well. I have bolted it into the pan of the Buffalo Forge No 650 forge, but into over size holes in the pan and there is a small gap around the pot to allow for expansion. Cheers Heelerau

Andrew, thanks for the reply, I have been using charcoal from the stoves and open fires we have, mostly wandoo and jarrah, but may have to consider a retort to make it in quantity. I am going to approach Griffin Coal down south and see if coke can be bought from them in any quantity. I find coke better than charcoal, a softer heat. Cheers gordon

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have been messing around with forges off and on for some years, mostly minor stuff, making sets of horseshoes, odd brackets, sharpening the odd crowbar, pick and the like. I have a small clay lined riveting forge, and a recently repaired Buffalo with a 200 series hand blower. We have a small hobby farm, so plenty of sheds, one of which we will convert to a smithy, with a stoop so horses will be shaded whilst shoeing. I plan to make a knife or two and any other thing that takes my fancy. Mostly small projects as I learn how to go about things. This forum looks like an excellent place to learn. Not sure how many other smiths from down under may be lurking here. Kind regards to you all not to mention Tubal Cain and Weyland Smith !! Gordon

Gentlemen, I have just had a new firepot made for my buffalo forge (200) hand blower. The fire pot is pretty close to the original dimensions of the fragmented cast iron pot. The pot has been made from 6mm bisalloy. The boilermakers at work did sterling work for a slab of dry cider !! Should I consider clay lining the pot? The forge will be under cover and will only get light use in the near future. I will be using either charcoal, or some coke when I can get it. I have an old riveting forge which had clay line cast into it so I did oblige. If any are interested I can post a picture or two, Kind regards Gordon