Jackdawg

I'd say your outer two rows of drilled holes are probably redundant. No great issue just leaving them there (as long as nothing flamable is under your forge, as hot ash and small coals may drop through them) I'd widen up the entry slot / notch, (give you a bit more room to move) back side is probably fine as is. Otherwise looking good! I've just dropped my coke forge in to a similar tray. So I am really hoping your idea works well

I've never heard of cooking it off, usually it is either chemically done, reversal of the plating process or sand blasting. I'd also be worried about the integrity of whatever they are are removing it from. A Quick google and the melting point of chrome appears to be well above that of aluminium and steel, perhaps they are using a combination of chemical and heat to speed up the process? what ever the process, if they are using suitable extraction and filters, have someone whom knows what they are doing safety wise, it should be safe - But if it were me, I'd still be telling my son to get a job doing something safer.

Wonder why he hasn't been snavelled by a competent contractor, wont be long before he is.

Those burners are typically made to fit a 9kg gas bottle converted to a forge. (as you mention by Gameco in Australia). I've got one one - love it. Local blacksmiths club had a build day and a dozen or so of us built ours under supervision of some experienced members. Corin (Owns Gameco) made a video of how to build one a few years ago and we used it to learn what to do to make ours. (Made the door smaller, otherwise the same)

yes, many years ago, and now I dont have powder fire extinguishers anymore, what a fricking mess to clean up. Powder coming out of every nook and cranny for months afterwards. Now I only run carbon dioxide units.

It depends on the quality of the mask and the length of beard. I run a beard usually 1 to 2 inches long, and I have no issues getting a good face mask to seal on my face. No chance of getting a seal with one of those disposable paper P2 masks. If you had a bushy beard to your chest I doubt you would ever be able to get a good seal, (unless you could tuck it in to the mask somehow) but not having tried it I cant say that for sure. Note - I don't use a respirator when I forge, but when I am grinding, so that is only dust minimisation. But when the missus makes me clean the bathroom with bleach, I can assure you my respirator works just fine!

your forge looks great, and it sounds like your having fun. With charcoal, I find as I mostly working on small stock, having the fire hot enough to heat the metal before it goes in, with minimal airflow while the stock is in the fire lets me get away with a much smaller fire. You can heat metal on top of the fire with coal as you describe you are playing with for charcoal, it will just take a little longer to heat as you don't have the insulating properties of the material on top to help keep the heat in (it will be the same for charcoal). If you have a wind blowing, or if the weather is cold you may find this harder to do.

I have to admit my lump of steel like this (200 high, otherwise the same) gets more use than my anvil. I am currently on the look out for an even bigger one.

Its not so much you need to go deeper, but you need to be able to pile the fuel higher if you need to. My pot is 4 inches deep, I sometimes struggle to get metal into it because it is to deep, you don't need a big fire if your working a long bit of 1/4 inch round, or a knife blade, but sometimes I have to make my fire bigger just to be able to get the but of metal into it I want to work. Some people just have a couple of fire bricks or bits of RHS metal they can put on the sides of the pot to get more depth when needed without build a big fire spilling across your wider table. But its not hard to modify whatever you do build. It really is a suck it and see exercise for what you are doing.

4 inches is good, no less than 3. 4 inches is the depth of mine, mine is also a bottom blast. I started with charcoal and it worked well, still use it from time to time when coke is in short supply. Put an easy to use air control on it, a slide a or similar, charcoal burns up quick if you don't switch off the air flow between heats and it doesn't need a lot of air. good luck.

nice looking anvils those.

cheers fella's, lots of ideas there. Daswulf - I think its more to do with some persons particular ideas than true historical reenactment, but we do what the overall site committee says..... I do actually have one of those small rock crushers at work. I might try a sample through that and see how it goes, Otherwise a tamper, or even a walking vibrating plate will be next off the block.

We have a coke shortage over here at the moment, all we can get is lump stuff about 75mm in size (3 inches). We are limited to using coke as we are allowed access to a blacksmiths setup in the local historical village and we have to stay "period" in what we do. (Cant even use coal). Is there an easy way someone knows to break this size coke down into more useable size chunks, say in the 15 to 25mm range? Our club runs 5 forges when we get going, so it needs to be a bit quicker than getting out the 4lb hammer!

So it will be perfectly fine to carry a knife with a 5" blade in to schools etc? Just as well you have such a good health care system over there, oh wait.......

Whats wrong with those questions? easily answered and make good conversation openers - you are there to engage with the punters and sell them stuff aren't you? And my great great Grandfather was the local smith unfortunately I didn't inherit any of his stuff!

photo's! want photo's! Our local medieval festival is on this weekend, I have not bothered going for years, as it is all about show and ponce, and prancing about in costume not a lot of smithing going on. But my oldest son goes every year, wont be wearing his armour this time, hurt his knee a few weeks ago and doesn't think he can walk around all day with an extra 30kg load on it! So he is just going to wear his cape and pig sticker.

one extra hint there I'll take straight from the photo's - do it outside!

I like my standard peen as well, hardly ever use a cross peen.

Just be careful if you go to a bigger hammer, bigger hammers and undeveloped technique on similar steel to what you describe stuffed my elbow for 6 months.

Top opening is not to hard to find, called a furnace, no reason you couldn't use it to beat metal as well as melt it, wont be very efficient, but it would work. A lot of them actually have removable sides as well, to make it easier / safer to remove the crucible. Perhaps he has seen one of these in use in a video .

Fact sheet that came with it from the supplier says it is an air hardening steel, no special treatment required. So I just heated it to critical and let it cool in a sheltered spot. It seems to have hardened just fine.

looks like you have it covered!

Doesn't look like you tempered the striking end at all?

Well I had a look, I don't think the advice is going to be much good to me......

What I made on the weekend, a drift from a Hyundai CV axle, a couple of small punches from car coil spring, and a draw knife from D2. Gee that D2 is hard stuff, it was harder shaping that 6mm flat than it was the 20mm CV shaft!