Tito

Location is now in profile. Is there a way to just cut the fire pot a bit down with a brake drum?

Yes I would be interested in all of that, I can't find a way to edit the OP in order to add that in though. Is there one?

Thanks for all the replies!

By the way I live in Maryland USA, close to Annapolis. I had thought I put it into my account info. I got the ASO word from this video, I guess I just got the definition wrong. I did check out Charles' thread on the improvised anvils and that does give me some ideas.

Improvised anvil question; a friend offered some brake rotors to me to try to use, They are round and very flat on top as well as solid metal. Would that be a good way to go or would there be risks of the materials they are made of?

On 9/4/2017 at 1:54 PM, Charles R. Stevens said:

I am not a fan of the brake drum forge, first it takes moe than $50 just in pipe fittings, then you have to mount the thing, not that they don't work, and many smiths started with them and still use them. 

In his 55 forge series Glenn shows you two setups that are nice, an exaust pipe tuyere and a side blast, we have also explored simple sideblasts using a box of pallet wood and and dirt. Portability almost takes a cart, used gas grill carts are common, but HF sales cheep mechanics carts (steel) or Ike can buy the cheep furniture dolly for the casters ($20 for 4 vs $8 each) 

depending on how ambitious, a $ 10 double action air bed inflator, a simple cart, a peice of 3/4" schedual 40 black pipe and a pile of bricks will get you going for a forge. 

Thank you!

So I found the plans for them. I think the side blast one would great at this point. What I am really lacking is a fire pot.

On 9/4/2017 at 1:58 PM, Frosty said:

What kind of shop experience do you have; equipment, tools?

Do you have coal available? A brake drum forge isn't so great a way to go, especially if you want a portable set up. It takes time for a fire to go out and more to cool down enough to store, then you have all the other issues coal brings to the table. Charcoal isn't a LOT better though the smoke isn't likely to make enemies of your neighbors, it still has to go out when you're finished and charcoal doesn't go out till ALL the fuel is gone. 

Propane has a lot of advantages for the apartment dweller and worth thinking about, buy or make. 

I highly recommend you do some reading here. Iforge has tens of thousands of posts archived, organized by subject.

Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks!

I could probably do charcoal, coal I don't know about. Propane I could do but I am more worried about acquiring a good enough blowtorch/other implement for it. The shop experience I have is the basics of wood or metal work. Grinders, drill press, saws kind of thing. I own none of those at the moment. I am just trying to get the bare basics of forge, anvil, and hammer first.

Hey so I am brand new to this, it is something I have wanted to do for years but I finally decided to just go for it. I have kind of limited space and live in a wetter area. I am looking to make a small portable shop thing I can keep mobile to move inside to store but I will use outside. I am planning to build something like a brake drum forge to start, and I am still looking for an anvil/ASO. Any hints on how to do things?