Info needed on my recently purchased forge

[coalfired]

I recently aquired a coal type forge with a hand crank Champion blower.The blower works good but needs a 3'' supply to go from the blower to the forge. Will aluminum work? Also I've been told from a reliable source that you don't need to line the fire pot with clay,which it isn't. Any advice or comments appreciated. Coalfired (hopefully soon to be )

[Frosty]

The aluminized flex hose used on clothes driers works pretty well.

If the forge pan says "Clay before using" then YES clay it. It doesn't have to be something fancy river bank clay will work just fine. Applying it just moist enough to hold together when squeezed in your hand will minimize shrink checking. (like the bottom of a dry mud puddle) Ram it in with a wooden mallet till the mallet bounces and doesn't leave a mark. Then smooth it, the fewer nooks and crannies the better. Next is score it with something like a butter knife to control shrink checking. It's going to crack when it dries and if you score it the cracks (checks) will follow the score marks.

Depending on your humidity and temp it may take a day or many to dry. Let it dry before using it.

That's about it.

Frosty

[coalfired]

I've checked all over this forge and could not find any lettering in the casting.Although I've seen pictures on the web with similar forges that have instructions to line with clay before firing.

[coalfired]

also picked up some 3'' galv. vent pipe at local home improvement store. Could not find dryer vent to fit. Hope it works.

[welder19]

It is better anyway to line it with some clay, you should be able to pick up a generic bag of fire clay for $8-$15 depending on the quality, quanity and the store you by it from.
If you have a ceramics/pottery supply house locally then that is the place to go, they will have a large selection of high temp clays.

welder19

[Quenchcrack]

I have a 100 (+/-) year old Champion rivet forge with the pressed steel pan. There is no evidence it was ever clayed and I did not clay it when I pressed back into service. The forge has no firepot, just a slightly raised CI grate over the tuyer. I have wire brushed the entire unit and painted it with boiled linseed oil. The grate and tuyer show evidence of the heat; the oil is burned away. However the rest of the pan remains painted. I conclude the rest of the pan does not get hot enough to warrant claying. The clay can trap moisture and corrode the pan quickly. It will also make the unit a LOT heavier.

[Dodge]

also picked up some 3'' galv. vent pipe at local home improvement store. Could not find dryer vent to fit. Hope it works.

Auto parts stores usually carry flexible exhaust pipe that would work too.

[ThomasPowers]

All you need is a way to get air from point a to point b; shoot I've used a cut off bluejeans leg before---well soaked.

Flexable exhaust pipe is banned in many states and so might be harder to find. An *old* garage may have some tucked away that still is usable if a tad rusty.

[Hofi]

to conect the ends for the air suply you can use an used inner motorcicle tube cut to length use thin steel wire and pliers and fasten it .and you have a flexible air conection .when I started 20 years ago all my forges were conected in this way .One of them worked 10 years . if you need to cange once in 10 year it is not a problam ,you have allways enough inner tubes.
Hofi