Francis Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Hello All, This is my first post, but I have spent a lot of time reading other posts. That's where I saw someone's brake drum forge and decided to make my own. I am new to blacksmithing and wanted a forge without spending a lot of money. This forge cost me next to nothing although I did buy a blower. Here are some pictures of the forge I built. I think the brake drum is from a ford F-150. I got it from my mechanic for free. I put it in an old metal table that was lying in a load of scrap iron ready to be taken in. I built sides on the table and attached the pipe and blower. I just fired it up for the first time tonight and it worked just fine. Now I need an anvil, anyone know where to find one in southern Wisconsin? I am using a piece of railroad iron right now. I plan to make some tongs, chisels, and hammers so that I have some more tools and some more practice. Feel free to make comments and suggestions about the forge or advice for someone new to blacksmithing. Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 nice work that is the way to get started. You can build all your own tools Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Francis welcome to the forum. Your forge looks excellent, thank you for sharing. Please add your location to your profile, using the User CP at the top of this page, so that people can tailor answers to the resources near where you live. Welcome aboard ...glad to have you. Clicking on "User CP" at the top of the page and editing your profile to show your location will go a long way towards helping folk close to you find you. IFI is represented by members from more than 50 countries and a lot of info is location specific. Next to finding someone close to help teach you the craft you can read and talk to folk here. All we ask is the occasional picture of what you're doing. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 The grate is a consumable and so should be made a bit easier to switch out. I'd only use 2 bolts. (I don't have any bolts holding mine in place) You may also want to notch the sides of your brakedrum slightly to get stock lower when you want to. Nice job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Nice job. I may be wrong but it appears your blower is mounted upside down. The only problem with that is when you need to oil it. Am I looking at it wrong? You may just need to flip the gear box and then rotate the blower to point down. If you have a way of oiling as is disregard this post! (I use 50/50 ATP/30wt non-detergent) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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