FieryFurnace

Sabre, I liked the idea of a weighted ash dump and I happened to stumble (literally) across that pipe in the coal basement where I get my coal from. Got all the right elbows and everything for free.
Frosty, Not sue I caught all that, but I think I know what your talking about generally. Good idea, but I think it's a wee pit late to do it! We looked at where the vice will be and we are going to weld two pieces of channel in to mount the vice. I'll post close up pics when we do that.
Here are some pics of us painting it. The primer is the gray and we are painting it black. I finished painting it today and I'll put the boards, boxes, etc. on tomorrow. I'll be sure to get pics. then too!

Yes, I am wearing a homemade Rev. War tricorn hat in that picture!
Yes, I know that makes me weird!
No, I don't care!

I'm no gasser, but I would think you need some of the insulation that goes inside of gassers. It's some sort of fabric or something. I've used gas forges before and all the ones I've seen have the insulation/cloth stuff inside of em. I'm sure someone on here can give you the tech. name for the stuff!? I would think of you got some of that it would help keep the heat in. You might do an internet search for "gas forge insulation" or something to that effect.
Anyway welcome aboard!
Dave

OK I'm the only one posting on this thread!
Anyway, we put the primer on today and also a coat of paint. Boy was that air powered paint gun a trick to clean! And I have about a gallon of paint, thinner, and hardener on my hands and arms. You know, if I ever move to California I'm gona have cancer! (Back of all of those cans it says "known in the state of Cal. to cause cancer!) I hope to put coat number two on tomorrow, and after it dries, put the boards on. After that I have to mount the vice and I'll be DONE! I'll upload pics tomorrow evening!
Dave

Is that a Champion number 40 blower you have? I have a number 40 and it works great. If you fix that ash dump lid then you should be able to bring your heat up high. I'm working on a forge that will run off of my number 40 and it has a fire pot depth of 3 1/2 inches +-. I tend to like shallow pots! Blow easy at first. When I was using my number 40 blower I'd blow too hard and little red pieces of coal would land on my hands and dig wells! Don't wear sandles! Nice forge; Hammer away

I finished the paint prep. today. After I finished the prep. work, I wiped everything down with mineral spirits twice. I took the tires back off to make it easier to paint. If the weather man is correct we will prime and put one coat of paint on tomorrow. Wednesday or Thursday we will put the final coat on, then finish cutting the planking boards, and bolt them to the floor when the paint drys. The vice will be mounted on a 4x4 post and the post will bolt to the side of the trailer when in use. I'll post pics of painting, tomorrow or Wednesday. Can't wait to fire it up!:D

I have hand held one made out of mild but it's real thick! And I don't use it real often so it's held up pretty well. I think it's 5/8 or a little bigger! I'm gona try to pick up some thicker mild and make one of those; it's a real trick to hold the steel, fuller, and hammer all at the same time. Like most hummans I only have 2 hands! ;)

Not much doin'. We are having another spell of bad weather so I can't get the trailer out of the barn. I have another wire wheel but more wires have come out of one side than the other! The result is a realy rough working wheel!!! I'm going to try to hit a couple of open spots with it and then it will be all small wheels and hand brushes. Fortunately I don't have hardly any of that though. I hope to finish the prep stuff tomorrow if I can get the generator to the barn to run the power tools. This weekend/early next week is supposed to warm back up and painting is schedualed for then. I still have to dismount my vice from my current table and figure out how to mount it on my trailer. The picture on the website that Mr. Eddie said to go on gave me at least some ideas on an easier way to mount the vice. I'll just post pics. of how I end up mounting it when I'm done; instead of trying to explane it!!! Anybody have any thoughts on mounting it please share them!
Thoughts??? Thanks!!!
Dave

I did a lot of paint prep. today after we welded the brackets onto the boxes and touched a space on the tongue we had forgotten. (The brackets on the boxes are inside on the bottom. They are angle iron and screws will run through the angle into the wooden trailer boards to hold the boxes on.)
My goal of being finished by the 21st should with the Lord's help be easily attained! I'm hoping to finish the paint prep. tomorrow, but we have company so I don't how that will work. Updates soon!

Here is the right side of the trailer. This is how it will look when finished, except that it will be painted!

This is the left side of the trailer. The vice will be mounted on the back of the trailer after it is painted.

Back view! The vice will be on the left. You might notice I'm missing a board in the middle; I have to rip that board so I don't have it up yet.

As you can see I picked up some (used) tires/rims today! I think I mentioned it sometime, but the tire/rims, new, would've cost $120 A PIECE! NO! Not both, A PIECE!
Well, I went to the junk yard and got the set, YES THE SET, for $60.oo TOTAL! The tires themselves are in fine shape with no dry rot or anything and the rims simply need a little TLC/P! The P meaning paint!

I was kinda down under because I was rejected as a demonstrator at our biggest fest. this year; Bear on the Square, Dalonaga Ga. Somebody from John C Camble folk school has the blacksmith slot filled in already. I can still sell my work, just can't demo.
However, my spirit was restored when I called an event I did last year and said I was the blacksmith, and the lady gave a sigh of releaf. Said she didn't know how to get in touch with me, but they were doing.............this year and she realy wants me there!

What did you think of Eddie's shop?
I've been to one OBG meeting (shortly before we moved) at his place. He demonstrated making rasp snakes and made me demo leaves! No pressure!
Tell em I said hey next time you seem em!
Dave

Here is the weighted ashe dump. The weight is about two foot of 1 x 1/4 flat bar rolled up into a lolly pop! A handle is also welded on as you can see.

Here it is again opened!

Here is the future tail light bracket.

Happy welder (DAD) who is going to sleep well tonight.

I was fortunate enough to be able to weld the air piping to where I don't need any rubber conectors or rigging. as of now the forge is READY to be fired up!
I started cleaning the steel today and we hope to be able to get tires and move it into the barn Monday Lord willing.
I'll finish steel prep and begin painting next week!
I think the end of the following week is a reasonable goal to be done! I'm starting to get REALY excited now! As if I wasn't excited before!!!
Sabre/Brandon, That's the way I am. I'll talk about a plan for a good while before I get to work doing it. Then it seems that after I get the "stuff" to do said project it's another good while before I actually start building or doing! Don't know that it' a realy good trait to have!
I got to go clean the kitchen, finalize tomorrow's Sunday school lesson, and feed the dog! Not to mention sleep!!!

OK Picture time!

We braced the axle off with some angle. Notice how we had to turn the trailer on it's side to weld. That was a trick!

Ths is the completed tongue. We had to lower the tongue/tow point so that the trailer will tow level when hooked to the truck.

In accordance with some advice given on chat and also a local trailer builder I braced the tongue with 1 1/4" angle iron.

Here is the forge again with the "gates" that close the spaces left in the rim steel that goes around the forge. I welded some forged handles on the gates too. The back "gate" has a handle that is bent forward so I won't have to reach OVER the firepot to open and close it!

Pictures are being uploaded now! We got quite a bit of work done today, and I think all of the welding is done.:D

Interesting idea! I'll have to try that out. I'd be nice if it'd be that simple!

That can't be made out of a mild steel block can it? And be expected to last?
Good idea though! Thanks!

Forge from the other side. You can see I got the blower mounted finally.

Almost embarassed to post that one! Aint pretty but they work! Does go against my shop motto though! "Everything practical must also be pretty"!

There is the inside of one of the boxes. I welded a piece of angle in the inside (on the lid side) to help keep the water out. All the rest of the edges have the angle on the outside overlapping the sides of the box when the lid is closed. Was that too confusing???
I started drilling the holes for the bolts that will attach the wood floor. I've got about 8-10 done out of aprox 70 total so I still have a little of drilling to do.
I'm getting close to the long hours of grinding and wire wheeling (Like four wheeling with a screw gun and wire wheel!!!) that is needfull as paint prep. Not lookin' forward to that part.
Thoughts??? Thanks!!!

This is the tongue! The I-beam pieces are there to lower the actually hook up system to the hight of the truck hitch. A piece of 3x1 1/2 channel will be welded to the bottom (flat side down) with a hole to except the tow pin.
The I-beam pieces are 4" tall x 3" wide x 1/8th" thick. (Actually I think it may be a tad bigger)

This is the firepot! I welded the 2 x 1/8th flat bar aroudnd the edges of the forge today. I left an ample space open for longer pieces of steel. (I will have a sort of sliding door to close that gap when working with smaller pieces or towing)

Forge! As in the picture, 3 feet long x 2 feet wide. I could have made it slightly longer but I figured that was plenty.

Hey, and I wasn't even in reenactment! That was just drill time!
I have another picture similar to that one on another computer, pretty much the same pose but in the middle of an actually reenactment charge. The picture was taken at just the right moment because we were charging up a wet creek bank and the second after she (my sister) took it I was eating dirt! I went from the hed of the charge to the back of the charge REALY quick!
Where did chat go? Can't seem to find it. All I have is a bunch of google adds.
Trailer pixs comin' right up.

I FINALLY figured out how to put me an avatar picture on my name thing!!!!
That's "Charge Bayonets" by the way!

How do you texture your branches? I was thinking of making a couple for our house.
Our living room is kind of divided in two by a post/beam that runs through the middle. (Where we added on) This forms four corners, one on each end of the room, and one on either side of the post. I was thinking a branch for either side of the post and some scrolls on the ends.
Anyway, I don't realy have a "texturing" tool. The only tool I have is a chizel and a splitter. Would it look textured enough with just the hammer, leaving the tapers less rounded than normall?
Thoughts??? Thanks!!!

Don't know how much those are but the 2 lb flux core .35 is about
$19.oo=Napa, and $21.oo=Ace.
I'll check that sight over Mr Eddie.
Supposed to work on the trailer some tomorrow but Friday we are going to put down one of our hogs so I won't do any work then most likely.
Thanks!!!

Or how about just putting the orginal rubber safety tips on the broken end, (After it's filed smooth) surrounding that with, say tire tube rubber, and duck tape the hole thing on the end? I taped the original safety tips on the ends before because they kept slipping off and I was afraid that one time I wouldn't notice untill too late. It seemed to hold up well. I only suggested putting the extra rubber on the end since the shorter blade would be a little stiffer. This would exclude any welding or whatever to retip! Once again I'm not going to be slamming them into my buddies boddy. Even in the coriographed fights I'll keep it slower now.

Today we welded the second lid together and also welded the hinges onto the lids/boxes. They work tolerably well and they look ok too. Got the fire pot welded in too. Supposed to head to the junk yard tomorrow to try to get some tires. New tires cost ~$120.oo for the tire/rim!!!
Pics tomorrow!

Thanks! sounds like something I could!
Supposed to head to the junk yard tomorrow sometime.

Alfred McClure would be worth a four hour drive!!! A more jolly fellow is not to be found!
The first time I met him he was wearing his Scottish "utility kilt." (He's scottish through & through.) Being the nut I am,, I stepped up upon being introduced and said something like, "How air ye todey me laddie?" in as strong a Scottish accent as I could muster. He didn't miss a beat, but with his normal beaming grin said something like, "Right dandy I am, and thanke fer askin me ladd." In just as strong of an accent!
Tell him I said hi!:D