FieryFurnace

I agree sabre! The only problem is I like to have a ringing anvil at demo's, It's like being on a loud speaker. It gets people looking! Another stroke of good fortune, I have a friend down in Ga., and last time I spoke to her, she said that she new someone who would give me an old anvil. The next time we go down thataway I'll be checking into that as well. Idealy it would be bigger so I could use it as a shop piece. Anyway I hope that pulls through as well. The kidsmith, Dave Custer

I have never lit anything with a forge fire, excepting grass from coal falling out of the forge or a hot cut piece. I did manage to light a 30 ft. tall rotten oak tree with a brush pile fire. 400 ft from the nearest water supply. We spent 5 hrs putting that one out! Another time someone put an old PVC cement can (half full) in our burn pile. It blew a pin sized hole in the side of the can, shooting a 2 ft. flame out of the side. Unfortunately, the pressure inside the can built up faster than the flame released it. The result...boooooooooooooooooof! It blew little pieces of burning cement all over the yard, including the trampoline. The trampoline is now retired. Now that I said I have never burned anything with a forge fire, I will probably burn the barn down tomorrow. Untill then I will remain, The kidsmith, Dave Custer

I tested the anvil, and it has absolutly no ring. It does have a good rebound though. The kidsmith, Dave Custer

I don't know much about cast iron but I can tell you a little about fire pots. I use mostly 3/8 and 1/2 inch steel, and I find that 3-4 inches deep works good. As for the grate in the bottom of the forge, I have always left the bottom solid and drilled holes through it. It works fine! I have only had one problem with that, and that was a clinker melted into one of the holes. It only has happened once in a year and a half, and all you have to do is punch it out. Support, anyone? The kidsmith, Dave Custer

I gave $57.00 to get my 1/2 inch plate steel fire pot cut and welded. For the price your talking about I would act like cast iron didn't exsist. Mine is working great, just don't make it too deep! The kidsmith, Dave Custer

I could be mistaken, but I thought that cast anvils didn't have a top plate. I thought it was one solid piece. Also, I have heard from everyone that cast is bad, what is bad about it? The kidsmith, Dave Custer

Let me think, uh, No! The kidsmith, Dave Custer

I had a great demo time yesterday. There were not very many people present, but I got about $200 worth of special orders. No direct sales though. I had a large stroke of good fortune that would have made it worth it if I hadn't sold anything. The first spectator that came up had a young boy with him. After a few minutes I let the boy turn my blower for me, I was making a dinner bell. The man then asked me if I would like another anvil, to which I replied that I might, and that I was looking for one in the 300 lb. range. He said it wasn't "quite" that big. I asked how much he wanted, and he asked how much I would give for it, I said I wouldn't give over $1.00 per lb. depending on the condition of the anvil. He said that we had a deal, and I could tell him how much it weighed. (I.E. 10 lbs.) Then he told me I could have the anvil if he could have the dinner bell. I said I would have to think about it for a while, and about 1/10,000th of a second later aked him when would be a good time to pick it up. We went and got it that evening. It wasn't quite as big as I had hoped, about 50 lbs., but the price was SOOOOOOO right! It is in perfect condition as well. Great porta peice! I wasn't able to get any pictures because my family went to Bowling Green all day, but I do have a picture of the anvil. It also has a new top plate. The kidsmith, Dave Custer

Sabre, the wood was in there to harden the clay, I burn coal. Frosty, I do have an ash dump on my tuyere. The pipe is just an extension of the air duct. I can reach down in the pipe to clear anything that sticks in there. I don't dance! The kidmsith, Dave Custer

Sorry for the delay on the photos. The program that we use is back up so here they are. The one with the fire is hardening the clay. The others are pictures of the pipe that keeps the air vent clear. A 2x1/4 flat bar acts as a removable cover, keeping the pipe from getting clogged. The holes in the 2x1/4 are 1 size smaller than the holes in the pipe, that way anything that falls through the top will fall through the bottom. The other picture is my new toy. I plan to rig it up as a sailboat with a sprit rig. If anyone knows anything about how to rig a sailboat please send me a private message. Anyway the forge works great, and my first demo is Saturday. It's a reenactment of the Scottsville Ky. town raid. I will be in full uniform with the forge and I might play a little music too. I usually stick a hat out while I play, and sometimes we do pretty good. (My sister and I) The pictures! The kidsmith, Dave Custer

Our picture posting website has been "hacked by malicious people.":confused: Please tell me what you use to post pictures! The kidsmith, Dave Custer

I am a reenactor in The Tennessee Valley Battalion. I can't give you documented info because all my books are in storage.:mad: I can tell you that coal was used, but charcoal was PROBABLY used more often because of short supplies. (charcoal could be made as needed.) This would hold true with the portable wagon forges because of storage and weight. The artillery forge has a box to carry coal. Hand crank blowers were used. Once again no documented info, but I have seen photos of forges with hand crank blowers in them. Also I believe Champion and Buffalo blowers were being made at that time. Also belows would be harder to keep in shape, were as a hand crank could be left in the wheather and still last a while. Don't worry to much about authenticity! I did a living history program once and used a brake drum forge. 400 middle school students and not one questioned authenticity! I now have a better set up! The kidsmith, Dave Custer

Thanks for all the answers! I was going to try to post those pictures tonight, but we are having trouble with the "thing" that we use to post pictures.:mad: I'll try later and again tomorrow. The pot is about 2 inches deep now, and it works GREAT. The heat is elevated enough to have half of the fire above and half below the rim of the pot. It makes a compact VERY hot fire now. It works GREAT! I had coke started 2 minutes after lighting the match and was hammering 3/8" round, 5 minutes from lighting the match. That's an improvement from 30 minutes of constant blowing before I had a stable fire. Finally after a year and a half of working with a bad set up (you can't imagine how bad) I have something that is portable and runs like a well oiled machine.:D:D You folks that are trying to start out: You will probably spend a while with frustrating forges, blowers, hammers, vices, and get-by equipment; then comes the day when you get something that works and it will all be worth it! Trust me and struggle on! The kidsmith Dave Custer

I'll try to post a picture tomorrow. Got to go! The kidsmith, Dave Custer

I already put clay in but it clogged up my air holes. I am now putting a pipe in and putting new mud around it and putting the fire brick in on top. A 1x1/4 flat piece will keep the coal up top while letting the ash fall through. The kidsmith, Dave Custer Proud member of the KAOA

I am trying to fix my firepot wich is currently too deep. How deep does it need to be. It is a homemade, 4 sided type firepot with no clinker breaker. It is about 6 1/2 inches deep. I am using clay topped with firebrick. I have a demo I am doing in a couple of weeks so I have to start stocking up on everything. The kidsmith, Dave Custer

60 acres. I'd say it's big enough, but it leaks something terrible! :D

I never though of that kind of tubing. Good idea! How much does the whole thing weigh? My porta set weighs about 70-80 lbs. (actually its my only set up:D) I want to eventually buy an old trailer and weld an entire set up on it. (except the anvil of course) That way I can pull up, set the anvil up, set up a display table, and start a fire. No more 45 minute load and unload times.:mad: The kidsmith, Dave Custer

Oh, that's good to know. GET HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The kidsmith, Dave Custer

I didn't take it as disrespect man. I simply wanted everyone to know that it was all in fun. Thank God there are still a few good men around. I am a reenacter and I constantly have problems with people using strong language around me and women too. These are men portraying (SP?) confederate gentlemen and yet they don't abide by the #1 rule of being a gentleman. (I don't mean dressed fancy, nose in the air genteman either. Just a man with a good reputation, honest, trustworthy.) What has this place come to? Anyway, just wanted you to know I take no offence at anything said. The kidsmith, Dave Custer

All right guys, I started it so I'll finish it! We got Frosty good enough for the comment on Sabre's spelling. Let's back of! We wouldn't make it without folks like Frosty, the older folks that teach us all we know. Everything I say, like what I said in my previous post, is ALWAYS in fun. Let me make it clear that it IS my intention to ALWAYS respect the elders. As should everyone! NO EXCEPTIONS! The kidsmith and aspiring gentleman, Dave Custer

I'll be the President, Sabre can be the vice president, Frosty will be the founding member, (we will have to say we started sometime in the early 1900's) Hammerkid can be the newsletter writer, but we will have to think of a more official name for that. The kidsmith, Dave Custer Proud member of the KAOA!:D

Hey "sabre", I am the kidsmith. That name is a regestered trademark of the Fiery Furnace Forge Blacksmith Co. I could sue! :mad: Just kidding! Maybe we should start a "kidsmith battalion." Kidsmith Assotiation of America" Yes, I am a member of the KAOA! I think I am starting to act like Frosty. Sorry! THE kidsmith, Dave Custer:D

Thin the whole piece down, leaving the ends as they are. Then double it onto itself making a thing that looks like a magnifying glass. (A round frame on top with two stands of steel, side by side, on the bottom.) Clamp the two strands in a vice while it is red hot and stick a piece of steel in the hole and twist. This takes practice to get down and keep the twist strait, but when successfull it looks great. Good luck! The kidsmith, Dave Custer

I know I sound like a broken record because everytime someone asks about a forge I say the same thing. I'd go with the brake drum forge. You can get a brake drum for very little and get legs from a steel yard's scrap pile for very cheep. I burned charcoal in mine before I got coal, and it works just as well as coal. Good luck! The kidsmith, Dave Custer