cstark

That's a good idea with screen shovel I'll have to try that. When I built this forge all I was planing on doing was small, small stuff like RR spikes but today I got into that leaf spring and I started working on a mouse hole. I think I'm going to make a new forge with a whole new design with the clay lining and a different air set-up. I threw the anvil on that stand because I wasn't (still am not) done with the anvil but now that I've started using it I feel it's good enough for now. I'm definitely replacing that stand with a much more solid stand. Thank you for the help guys, greatly appreciate it. I believe any other questions I come up with would be in a thread somewhere here

I've attached some pictures of my forge and anvil. You may have to really look at the fire box to see the cap I have holes drilled into (it's a 1" cap). I hook a 17gal air compressor up to the valve on the side and have it open as little as possible unless I'm stoking the fire to get the coals going. That fire isn't what I use to heat my metal, that's when I first lit it to get the coals going. And with the wood I have a huge supply from scrap wood to split firewood. I'm in a family of carpenters and I always have bits from that and I cut firewood for my home. Wood is convenient for me but I am definitely going to try all of my options. I actually have a fire pit just a few feet away from the forge and thought about making my coals there and then moving them to the forge but I wasn't sure if it would matter, I'll try it that way as well. I'm in Ohio, with the cat litter do I have to filter anything else out of it or just re-hydrate? I'll look into that, interesting idea. Also, I read somewhere that with some metals I had to "normalize" I believe the term was? Such as files. Is that necessary for things like leaf springs and track spikes?

Thanks guys, I'll post pics after work today. I've got a pipe coming out the side that connects to the T and my air compressor hooks into that. And I can take out the concrete if it's a bad idea, figured it would be better than nothing to protect the barrel itself. Maybe line it with firebrick then fill with the clay? I don't know if I'll be able to get enough clay for the job... And how the air gets to the fire box is I have a metal cap on the pipe that has small holes drilled through so the air can get out to the fire. Like I said I'll post pictures with and without fire. As far as metal and grades of metal go I'm not certain. I started with an old shop file I had that never gets used and that turned out to be brittle when I tried to fold it (I was practicing techniques rather than trying to make something), so I went to the hardware store and just bought a 1/4" x 46" piece of hot-rolled steel. I have to go back today anyway so I can see if there are any more specs on the steel. I also got an old leaf spring yesterday, are those good to work with? So would a hand-crank blower be ideal? Or what is the best? I'm not opposed to spending money on this project, it's a fun hobby that I would like to turn into a skill. Thanks, much appreciated!

Hello All, I'm new to blacksmithing but I'm trying to learn, slow process I've come to realize! I went and built myself a wood burning forge out of an old 55gal drum and some pipe. Basically I cut from the top rib of the barrel up and flipped it so the solid bottom was against the solid top. Welded them together and cut out a square for me to put the metal I'll be working on. Put some concrete along the inside and a funnel of concrete towards the middle. I also have a basic air set-up, a T of pipe leading to the bottom of the fire box where the air is sent and a "drain" cap where I empty the ash that falls down, and I have an air compressor hooked up with a valve which lets me control the air flow. And my anvil is a 12in piece of train track that I cut out a horn and shined it up. I haven't had much success, which I expected, trial and error at the moment... My main issues at the moment are I can get my metal hot enough to manage but I can usually only get about 20 seconds (rough estimate) of time to do anything with it. The piece I'm working on right now is 1/4" thick which I know the thinner it is the faster it cools but do I need to get it hotter? It gets light yellow at times. Also, with a wood forge, should I have a thick, thick layer of coals on the bottom? I never thought about it but my metal is usually pretty close to where my air is fed, I'm assuming that isn't a good thing. Forgive the questions, I'm just very interested in this and could use some help. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!