Bad Creek Blacksmith

Welcome to iforgeiron, alot of good stuff here, if you don't mind telling where your located at in SE Michigan I would like to know. I'm from NW Ohio, if you don't thats fine or you can send a message to my mail box. If your not to far across the state line I would like to invite you to the North West Ohio Blacksmiths meetings and open forges. We do have some members from Michigan.

If it is something you want bid on it, but if you have the feeling of jumping from the frying pan into the fire I would hold off and wait for another anvil. I like to go to a live auctions where you can see what your buying and the price isn't drove up so high.

I saw where Tractor Supply has some Kawasaki angle grinders (5.8 Amp) on sale for $29.99.

Anybody ever used any Kawasaki tools? I had one of their '73 model trail bikes, still got it, as a matter of fact, but I'm not sure about their power tools.

Don

Bought one ......didn't last but two hours, finally bought a metabo just need to get a couple more.

Happy Birtday Frosty, stay warm!!!

I have concrete but was already there.

I went to a Heating and Air condition company and bought single wall duct work.

I know I posted these pictures before but must of got lost in the change. Built out of one half of garage.

Go to www.dclaville.com real nice guillotine tool, I'm making one now and what I like about it is the top fuller returns to the open postion. very well thought out plans and its free.

.25 cents a pound unless it went up.

Made out of 1/8"x1 1/4"x1 1/4" angle iron and 16ga. sheet metal, fire pot is home made out of 3/8" plate. Drafts really good until someone slams the door shut then I get a big puff of smoke in my face. Forge is made to be portable, I can remove a piece of metal from around chimney and roll forge out.

I beleive centaur forge has tredal hammer plans for sale they are low in cost. Just looked it up click on books and video scroll down until you see building shop equipment, $21.00 for plans ask if they will mail it instead of UPS might be cheaper.

Thank you all for your help! Thats the one Richard! ctp13- thanks for the link, I missed it the first go round

Sorry FE should have explained a little better and found it for you. Have a good time making them. Your wife will surely enjoy them.

No, they fought it for over a year.

The only pattern I've seen is on anvilfire.

Made for a Bed and Breakfast was suppose to have the bigger sign on it. The town would not allow them to hang it something to do with them not being a commercial business.
Sorry the pictures are so big.

These are the pictures of my forge. Where the chimney comes through the roof I made the opening big enough that the flashing would cover about 2" all the way around it. I also used sheet metal along the rafters with a 1" air space to keep any heat away from them. There is no pictures of this I didn't feel like crawling in the attic. If you don't understand what I'm explaining I'll get my son to crawl up there.

my insurance company is requiring me to have the building inspected by the fire department prior to using it. will that system pass that type of inspection?

I had to have my forge inspected by the fire department also, it passed. One thing people don't realize the chimney only gets super hot when you are cranking on the blower and cools the farther it goes up the chimney. The box I built for between the joist doesn't even get hot and the chimney touches the box. Now I'm going out to take pictures to post.

as I am finishing designs for this hood I am running into a quandary. Do most smoke pipes use triple wall lining as they pass through the wood of the roof or do they use another system for heat insulation? A friend suggested using single wall and then blocking around around the pipe, but that does not seem very feasible to me. Any suggestions? thanks.

I framed a 2'x2' rough opening and had a sheet metal box made about 10" deep, this covers the ceiling joist and hangs below the drywall by about 2"s. We have our meeting today but this afternoon I'll try to get some pictures posted. I used 10" duct for my flue (single wall) so far no problems, I inspect it twice a year.

Go out to the shop with thoughts of whats got to get done and go for it, don't stop or thats it for me.

David, Welcome you mentioned about learning from us but I think its the other way around. You do beutiful work really like the fire screen. Paul

How about taking a picture of your blower and forge so someone can see exactly what you have. Hold the blower up to the forge so we can give suggestions. With out looking at it couldn't you take some plate stock and make a bracket to bolt the blower to the forge?

Can you repost pictures?

This is what I have done in the past and don't know how many people know this. Alot of areas have Vocational High Schools. Call the school and talk to the welding teacher to see if they have a CNC,if they do ask if they are willing to cut what you need. This is good practice for the students and all you have to supply is the metal. Make those tax dollars work for you.

I agree with JNewman, lay your work off to the side and let it cool, work on some thing else. This is why in a blacksmith shop every piece of metal should be treated as though it is hot. You learn quick that way and have less burns. Set a side an area for hot metal and always set your hot stuff there.

Your concern about height is not an issue since on side draft forges the flames also gets sucked into the smoke box. My ceiling height is 8' and I have a side draft works great with a 10" dia. flue.