Shogun71

Unfortunately the only local welding courses are full time with apprenticeship placements... I can't do that. They used to offer a course on the weekends but stopped this year for some reason...

Ok, I have not even fired up the current solid fuel forge I have but trying to find fuel is very challenging locally and very costly for what I can get... So I was doing extensive research on gas forges... (I will preface the rest with a declaration that I am an idiot and have a brain that gets too far ahead of myself sometimes). I am an avid RC plane/helicopter pilot but on less than perfect weather days I am left to just putter around. I went from a coax mall copter to flying a heli with 630 mm blades in 6 months and now fly planes with up to a 103" wing span and am working on completing an A-10 jet... I'm surprised my wife does not suggest I live in the shop by now.... So "If" I was to go with a gas forge "if" I really like smashing hot metal, I would likely buy one. Being in Canada getting stuff shipped here or across the border is challenging... I came across the Mighty forges that are made in B.C. and have emailed the company. The forges have just about everything I could likely use and seem to be in a bunch of different sizes. The one I am considering maybe in the spring is the: http://www.mightyforge.com/TheMighty.html or http://www.mightyforge.com/MightyWarrior.html I am coming to understand that I may need to get more than one forge in the long run "if" this hobby persists. Please indulge me and let me know if there are any good/bad issues with these forges. For me they are the most economical to get where I live.

Well it looks like a few road blocks are delaying things... A family holiday slowed progress. I have a cold and feel like crud. My uncle who was teaching me to weld and helping with the project is in the hospital and was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer while I was on holidays... I have to rethink what I am going to do... I bolted a 2" piece of angle iron to two of the legs on the stand so I can use a wheeled dolly to move it around. I am going to push through as much as possible and hopefully get the frame painted this week so that if my uncle can get out of the hospital he could come over and we could fire up the forge for the first time with him there.

Why did you go and post this... Now my brain is racing again....

Hey guys, this show is WHY I'M REBUILDING AN OLD FORGE, and on this site!!! Like most reality shows there are any number of inaccuracies that occur for the sake of "The Show". To me this seems to be one of the least "fake" "reality" shows out there. My daughter and I watch the show and are entertained. That is up until they used a pig carcass for testing. She loves pigs, stuffed animal pigs, pig books, etc... Now I have to watch alone... I was a cook in restaurants and could have been considered a "professional cook". Some cooking shows are bad, some are good... I agree some of the "tests" are kind of weird but hey, they need to keep things interesting right? This show is like a gateway drug for those who like to work with their hands and like metal pointy things. That being said I am very excited to start forging things like a hanging basket hook, coal rake, and some other useful things. Blades are nice to look at but all you really need is just one good knife right????

Wow, he has some mad skills and some incredible strength to move that all around!!!

Brilliant, that is what I was thinking of, just did not know the name. I like the details as well!

I was able to check with a local hardware store that can get 70 lb bags of blacksmith coal in. $95 per bag after taxes... They will give a price break if I order a pallet though... I was at the local food store and they had 10 lb bags of hardwood charcoal on for $5 per bag. Not optimal but 4 bags are in the back of the truck...

Alright, so the forge should likely be completed next weekend! I picked up the last bit of angle iron and other bits and will get some more welding done. So I found some 3' pieces of 1/2 round stock and picked up a 5' piece of 5/8 round stock. Now I have some coal, tools, forge, anvil, and metal... What to make first? I am thinking the first will be a metal rod to manage the fire? 24" handle with a 6" flat piece 90 degree to the handle to make managing the fire easier and pushing/scooping the coals around? After that I am thinking some simple hooks, and maybe a plant hanger later on??? Any suggestions?

They got back to me and have now offered $100 for 50lbs.... 200 lbs of coal from this place would almost pay for a propane forge....

I found some blacksmith coal locally, but they are asking $5 per pound. That seems crazy expensive to me. What are reasonable costs?

Well, so I made a trip to my uncles house. We had a great visit and he taught me to weld.... my first project! The welds are not that pretty but are serviceable. He was happy with my first attempts. I think I will add some angle iron onto the edge.

So 90% of the time this forge will be outside exposed to the elements in the back yard. I want to protect it as much as possible. the frame will get a coat of standard tremclad rust paint. My daughter wants orange but I'm thinking standard black. The pan will likely be cleaned with acetone then covered with high heat stove spray paint. the cover for the pan and blower is the question... Plastic will hold in moisture. Wood will let water through. A tarp will need frequent replacement, and building a permanent shed/roof is not an option... any ideas?

I have some other projects I'm working on so I can't go too crazy on this one. Winter is coming and the forge will reside outside unless I can convince my wife we can store it in the shed.. My concern with taking the blower apart is that one bolt that is seized which ruins the whole thing requiring monumental work to finish the project. The 5" wire brush wheel I got yesterday is now less than 3" around and there is barely any bristles beyond the grinder to use... I have not even put this forge back together and already my brain is looking at getting a propane forge. My brain has also designed a new fire pot out of 1/2 plate that the tuyere would attach to and if that does not work, it has designed a new one out of some plumbing parts. I really hate my brain sometimes... i I salvaged the name plate but broke one corner. It cleaned up nice and I will reattach it.

Whoops, I went to Princess auto and picked up an auto darkening welding helmet, sanding disc, and wire brush. I had to at least remove the lichen and moss off everything...

Well, you know how things go, right???? So I say to myself, I wonder how easy the bolts holding the blower clamp would be to remove... first 3 were pretty easy. I got the Dremel out and got the last bolt free. Next thing I know the angle grinder is in my hands.... I need to go and pick some more grinding discs... The pan is riveted on the frame with folded corners. This should be interesting....

Well I live in Canada and locally everything is stupid expensive compared to what you guys have... I checked out 3 metal suppliers locally and everything was about the same price. The place I chose will not surcharge for cuts and was able to get me what I needed. They even took me to the metal rack and helped me choose the thickness. So for $50 I now have some 12 gauge mild steel sheet for the bottom and sides. some angle Iron and a single sheet was about the same price. I have enough to make up a 24" bottom and 6" sides. This will need to reside outside so I will need some sort of cover on it. I may paint it with high heat black stove paint on the top and standard rust paint on the stand. That I will need to figure out. I will just let the anvil stay as it is. Thank you for the advice. There seems to also be another small crack on the side but I'm just going to leave things. No matter what this large piece of metal will be useful for many things!! I'm planning on seeing my uncle on Sunday to get the welding done. I love building, engineering, and fixing structural types of things. All of this is just therapy for my mind!

Thank you all! i will look at getting some sheet metal 1/16 inch thick to rebuild the top of the forge with. Any particular types of metal to get or to avoid? i can get standard steel sheet for about $50 locally in a 24" x48" piece. 22 gauge would bring the cost down to $25 but I don't think it would be strong enough. Here are some photos of the anvil. I was thinking of using the angle grinder with an abrasive wheel to clean it up a little and remove a few gouges, etc.

Just for reference I paid $190 Canadian for all of it. Other than the bottom and sides of the forge I am happy with everything. Is there any reason I should not clean up the blower and rust on the bottom of the forge? I am thinking about disassembling the blower and making sure everything is greased up properly, maybe not as it does run smooth... I'll see if a local company can get me some 1/16 inch steel for the bottom and sides of the forge and get my uncle to weld it all together and attach it to the base. Right now I cleaned the heck out of everything and got a sense of what I have.

Good evening. I have been lurking and researching on this and other forums for a while with a keen interest in many hands on activities. I have a few projects that needed a big piece of metal to form aluminum on and placed a local ad for a "large anvil". Low and behold I get a reply by a retired gentleman a short distance away who has some old anvils he wants to get rid of since at the age of 85 he can't use them anymore... Well sure enough I go to his house and find a nice anvil, we start talking and he was a blacksmith instructor at a community college with decades of experience teaching, let alone metalworking. One thing leads to another and I picked up a little more than an anvil. I received 2 hammers, 4 tongs, an anvil with stump, and a forge with blower. He delivered the forge to my house tonight (it was at his farm he sold last year and the new owner wanted it gone). So here are the specifics. The Forge is 24" x 24" and built by the Canadian buffalo forge company. Unfortunately the forge was left outside in the elements the last few years and needs significant remediation. The blower is functional and smooth and seems to move a lot of air. The Anvil is a Peter Wright 0-3-15 which appears to be a 99 lb anvil. The surface has some dings and dents and is crowned in the middle but seems in pretty good shape. There may be some cracks between the top and the base on the opposite end from the horn. Maybe 1/2 to 3/4 inch on each corner. The anvil rings a little less when I hit these areas. The hammers and tongs were pretty rusted but cleaned up really easily. It also all came with 1/2 a garbage can of blacksmithing coal (4 almost full 5 gallon pails). So my dilemma is what to do with the forge. The pan and sides are rusted to the point that you can stick your finger through in a couple places. The cast iron area in the center is pretty pitted and rusted but should be able to be used. The stand, legs, and blower mount are all in reasonable shape. The parts seem to be built from 1/16" thick steel, or at least was at some point. Should I rebuild the forge with a new floor and sides and try to reuse the cast iron bits or get a metal BBQ and old brake drum and make a new one then attach the blower to that? Some photos.