DanBrassaw Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I've got a brake drum forge, with a decent size table, and I'm quite happy with it. I've done OK in terms of heat, managed a few forge welds with the help of a friend tonight. The flat bottom doesn't drop the ashes as I'd like (not sure where my frame of reference comes from, since I've never done this before), so I've come to raking around the edge and trying to get the small stuff down my trap. Being a total neophyte, I'm just not sure what I should expect, or if there's something I could improve/do differently. How much ash should I be expecting? I worry that I'm kicking a lot of ash out and up my draft or out into my shop every time I pump my bellows. I assume that the amount of ash you can expect varies with varieties of coal, but I feel like the quarter cup or so (2" pipe cap, sometimes more) I get a night isn't representative of what I've burned. Wish I could tell you what quantities I burn a night, but I really have no idea how to estimate that, and I haven't been measuring. It's three or four hours, 12 inch by 3 inch deep firepot, with a 2-4 inch heap on top. That's the best I can do. And how often do you pull the coal/coke out of your forge and clean it? Every time I forge, I've been trying to get in the habit of pulling everything out when I'm done, and cleaning ash and clinkers out/down. It makes a nice spot to start my fire, but is it a waste of time to try to rake out the big stuff so I can pull the ash into the trap? I just worry that the ash will build up around the edges and reduce my heat capacity. So I guess what I'm asking is, what's your cleaning routine? I'm sure it varies wildly, but I'm really in the dark as to what to expect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Add some clay to your drum to form a gentle slope toward the tuyere. With the GOOD coal I get may be a couple of tablespoons of ash/clinker in 8 hours of forging. With what's easily obtainable around these parts I get a quart of so of clinker/ash in a day of forging. I clean the forge when it needs it---depends a lot on what I'm making. Billet welding burns a lot of coal and messes up the fire *fast*; 1/4" S hooks burn little coal and I would probably clean out the fire at Lunch and at the end of the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike-hr Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I use sound to help me know when to clean out. When you first light a new fire, do you notice an 'angry' sound when you pour in the airflow? Like when you blow on a campfire. A good working coal fire should have that sound. You can prolong cleaning by taking a lift at the bottom of the fire with your pokey tool while air is blowing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanBrassaw Posted February 25, 2011 Author Share Posted February 25, 2011 I use sound to help me know when to clean out. When you first light a new fire, do you notice an 'angry' sound when you pour in the airflow? Like when you blow on a campfire. A good working coal fire should have that sound. You can prolong cleaning by taking a lift at the bottom of the fire with your pokey tool while air is blowing. I start my fires with whatever scrap lumber I have around, and it roars then. It's not quite as aggressive sounding most of the time I'm forging, except when green coal lights up. Should it be "roaring" whenever I operate my bellows? I've never been sure if my inner tube bellows are strong enough, but I hope I don't have to do a redesign so soon . There have been times when it felt more muted, and doing the lifty-pokey trick worked then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike-hr Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Should it roar every time you pump the bellows? I reckon that's a gray area, but I notice a lot of folks that are new to burning solid fuel are choked up lots more often than running clean. The roar is something you use as a tool, I guess. Example: I've been making dragon heads from 1 inch square for the last week. The first few roughing out moves need a hot, fast fire so's I don't waste time. I listen for that sound and I know I'm being efficient. After the teeth are worked in, ears and horns peeled out, I'm risking sizzling off delicate anatomy by woofing on the blower. In this stage, I don't mind a choked down, clinker riddled fire, because it switches to a patience game, trying to get the main stock to a workable color, while preserving the detaily bits. Keep after it, you're doing fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.