Charles R. Stevens

Id recomend 1/8 taper, that is to say 1/8" per inch the sides will come out about 1/16" per inch

Castable and fire brick will work, but it takes a heck of a lot of fuel to heat them up. Not a bad choice if you fire ther forge up at 5 and shut down at 9 (am to pm) not so good if you fire uo from 5-9 pm

Just goes to show, you dont have to be faster than the birch tree, just faster than Frosty

Of course some one will be interested! Your work will be recorded for posterity

Gas forges are like pottato chips... You will end up with a coffee can for small stuff, a two burner, a 3 burner, a open sides one.... Gase can be very good for a small dange of projects and stock sizes, wile solif fuel with a few bricks or some mud can be made of diferant sizes and shapes, and unless you need welding heat you can throtle back on the air. The ither thing with gas is it is much harder to isolate the heat, so a stand alone burner or gas torch are nessasary for medium and high carbon steel, as localized quenching isnt a good idea. The truth is both are nice to have. I a ualy prefer sold fuel for most of my "rat killing" and my gas rig for "geter done"

Counter weights are not a static device. The use of more or less weight dependent on the job is the norm. Less weight for charcoal, more for coal, less weight for a smaller or cooler fire, more for a bigger or hotter fire. The hot may be down farther or up higher in the fire than you expect, or your just not waiting for things to get hot enugh. Its not instant on, takes a few seconds for the charcoal to go from red hot to white hot, and much more time for the steel to chatch up.

My first thaught would be to weight the top leaf of the belows to increase the pressure. This might get you there. I belive that a side blast would certainly be periud corect as aposed to the bottom blast. I also know the cast ducksnest came along some where olonge there but im not sure exactly when. But i know who id ask, and thery all are on this foram.

My thaughts, based on observation. Devide the forge chamber by the nomber of burners plus on. This to me makes sense, the burners are equal distant from themselves and from the ends of the forge chamber. Now, when i look at the examples of comercial forges. Like my proforge, it has two burners, and they are equal distant, with each other and the ends of the foge chamber (divided in thirds) I fully expect some one like Frosty or Tommas to come alonge and say, no infact om out of my mind ;-)

Read all the threads on IFI concerning gas forges. There is about 3 books worth of info, plus after doing a little home work, there are plenty of folks that will answer questions. Good place to start, google jerry frost and t-burner. Once you do the home work, ol' lucky just might just answer a question or 10

Pecan is sold as hickory in the hardwood trade. Ash is the wood of choisce northern europe, and shaggy bark hicory is the wood if choice in the us. This doesn't preclude any of the other woods sugjested. Give them a chance.

Comertial forgeliners do not like living in your truck. Remove the fire brick flore for transportation.

Depending on the aloy brass can be forged. Have to ast the casters about casting it.

Lets see...

Lead melts at 621 1/2 degrees farenhight. As my oven at home is calabrated to 550, its not a far streach that lead could become a safty concern. Historical accuracy not withstanding My understanding is that a simpler device, a simple sckewer with an slitted eye in the end. Dependent on the mas of the meat to spin on the string was mor common, and was probbably overlooked.

Yves, as doc sugests, forging it as on peice wold work well. Id approach it like pitchfork or three tine cutivator. So assuming a 1 1/2" x 3/8" bar, fuller the sides of the bar below were you wish to split the 2 arms from the up right, this gives you a cleaner transition to forge the arms out to 90 degrees. This is the same tecknique used on forks and hand cultivaters. Then precede to forge down and draw out lower leg. Im not much for the idea of food, fire and lead. Might i suggest sticking to forged steel weights?

Very bronze age

Might consider just making yourself a new one, lol. She might get cranky after putting in all that effort

I think for the german style anvil, or for the "i have no hardy hole" croude, a peoce of 4" strucual tube with a 1 or 2" plate and hardy like some of the guys in hear have built, ad a hole in the side at the bottom, with a raamp for the slugs, and a peice of squedual 80 for a pivot on the side or drill a pritchel hole at one corner and youd be in fat city!

RS, point taken. Ill put you on the "good guy list" lol. Coming from the automotive industry i tend to grab the Fluke and read the ratings, lol.

With the large volume of air, the galvinised pipe should be fine, but to eer on the side of cation, you might sorce a peice of non galviniesd or a 25 gallon grease drum for the first section.

If your looking foe a tool, as aposed to a weapon, id recomend 24 oz, or a pound and a half. As a weapon, you can go lighter. 24 oz is the weight of the old boy scout hatchet, and if you draw it out thin (for an axe) you will have a very serviceble tool, one you can use to cut small wood for fire and shelter, skin and dress game and , if push comes to shove fend of an attacker. This is a axe head 6" long, with a bit 4" wide. Draw out as to be 1/4" at 2 1/2" back from the bit. Remember, an efecient axe has a curved bit, aim for a 6" radius. With a ball pein hammer, id re shape the pein as a smallish hammer face. Back spikes are a danger on a tool. As a weapon, the hammer, a pick or a spear blade are all serviceble. Un like Master Frost, i prefer a round eye, taperd from the top like a pick for a hawk. Much easyer to fit a handle in the feild, and when skinning, you can slip the handle and use it like an ulo. When your skills advance, make a good knife to go with it.

You will find the anvil and top tools to great advantage., tire irons, and smaller pry bars from yard sales, swapmeats and junk stores are also good, as are broken truck axles.

Hardy and top tools, for sure, hot cut, butcher, set and flater, then veries fullers and dies As to springs, go to a shop that dose alighnments. When i worked as a mechanic, we replaced a lot of springs that had sagged. 4x4/off road shops also are a good place to look, torsion bars, coil springs, leafe springs, sway bars and stering linkages

Lastly, if you use certified equipment in a industry reconised manner, the liability may be theirs, not yours.

Most of the time any zoning isues will be complaint driven. So no complaints no problem. But the truth is you wont be any noiser than your neibors lawn service. If you have a plan, for fire safety, smoke and noise abatment. You wont have to much troubel. Forging at 6 am on a saterday or sunday isnt going to make friends, nor is forging aftter 8pm on a week day. All bets are off if yiu have a day sleeping neigbor, but again a little atemt at courtesy will help.