JamesD

Thanks for the helpful tips everyone! And thanks for giving me a detailed description on how to build a brake "rotor" forge, Frosty! Luckily, my brother and I just bought a Mig/Wire feed welder a few days ago, so I can do some practice welds and get going on this forge! I will do research on how to make my own charcoal, and yes, there is ALOT of bamboo here in Hawaii hehe. Thanks again! I'll update or make a new topic when I get things rolling! Please do not quote entire posts when not needed. Most places still have to pay for bandwidth, and doing so increases their cost to view IFI greatly

A pleasure to meet you, Frosty! Thank you very much for the wisdom you have offered me. I would like to take some time to comment on a few things you said. First, after doing research on the various fuel sources available for forging, I decided to go with coal. Some of my reasonings: -According to many individuals (both on youtube and here on IFI), coal seems to 'last' longer than conventional charcoal. I've read about individuals claiming that you use as much as 40-50% more charcoal compared to coal in a given period of time (could be due to improper fire tending, but I cannot be sure. Perhaps, you could shed some light on why people believe this.) -Many eBayers offer free expedited shipping on boxes of coal (still a bit more expensive than charcoal, but not too much more). - I believe learning how to tend to a coal fire would be very beneficial in developing my abilities as a fledgling metalworker . -I read that controlling the heat of a coal fire is easier than a propane fire (please correct me if this is not so.) Please feel free to comment, or correct any misunderstandings I may have on fuel sources. Personally, I wouldn't mind trying a propane forge ,but it seemed alittle more technical to build and use properly, so I thought coal may be easier for me. I would PREFER something that burns cleaner like propane (because I'm conscious of the environment, but funds keep me from doing so). Maybe I could use charcoal to supplement my coal fire? I've read here on IFI that some smiths use both coal/coke and charcoal! I have done alot of thinking and digging through forums into the types of forges that I could use for blacksmithing. Originally, I wanted to build a simple brake drum forge, but ran into a major issue. My brake drum forge has a 3" hole, and nobody here sells 3" pipe fittings for my duck pot. I looked online, and there are options, but shipping is crazy! So, I thought that buying a pre-made forge with a clinker breaker and ash gate would be my best option. I spotted what looks like a nice post vice on eBay. I could send you the link to it if you would like to check it out! About an anvil....I will stick to the RR piece for now. Question! Should I flatten the top of the rail with a grinder? It is slightly rounded, and I thought it may affect what I'm working on. I'm guessing dressing the edges of the track is essential too. Thanks again! I will definitely search around IFI and the web some more before committing to anything. Thank you very much for your input! Yes, I was considering a brake drum forge at one point. Sadly, pipe suppliers here do not have anything bigger than 2"! And, its all galvanized! I have a bathroom fan that I picked up cheap from Home Depot that may serve as my blower.

Aloha all! My name is James Drescher, and I am a Nursing student living on the Big Island of Hawaii (specifically Hilo ). For the past couple months, I've been doing loads of research on blacksmithing. I've always wanted to craft something with my bare hands, and after some searching found blacksmithing! I'm curious if there are any IFI members who are also living in Hawaii? In regards to my progress in getting started, I have a Peddinghaus Swedish pattern (1000g) cross pein hammer, some hot rolled varities of steel to practice some of the basic blacksmithing techniques, but I am in need of a forge and an anvil. I have a 16 inch piece of RR track, but would prefer a larger work surface to hammer on. I also am planning to order a cast iron forge from a blacksmith named Klaus (lives in Arizona, I believe?). Anyone familiar with his work? The firepot and assembly look great ( it includes a clinker breaker and dump ash gate). Since I live in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, coal is nearly nonexistent here, and so I had to order some from eBay! I have approximately 100 lbs so far. I like the idea of working with coal, though I hope I don't smoke up the neighborhood! Regarding my research, I've read books like " The Complete Modern Blacksmith, " and "Backyard Blacksmith" by Lorelei Sims. I found both books very informative, and will try out the basic techniques mentioned within them! Thank you very much for reading this. Hopefully, I can meet any local blacksmiths in my area. I am eager to learn about this great craft!!!!