mnt Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Hello all, I am new to all this, but thanks to my brother have caught this blacksmithing bug. I have spent a lot of time reading old posts and generally becoming more inspired. I have a new to me buffalo forge (will take some pics tomorrow) my question is; should the bottom be lined with sand or anything to "protect" it from the heat? I will most likely use charcoal to start. I have read a lot of the old posts, but have not read anything on this one way or another. Thanks in advance, and I look forward to posting some pics of projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fosterob Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Is the metal pan cast iron or sheet steel? How big is the forge? 2 ft by 3 ft? I have seen some with a layer of firebrick to keep the metal from burning out. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old N Rusty Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Greetings, and welcome to your new obssesion/hobby. I was at a confrence way back in 1994, and heard Frank Turley reccomend a sand cement mix for lining a cast iron forge. I used that mix on my buffalo rivet forge then and it has not cracked or burned out since. Mix 3 parts sand and 1 part PORTLAND cement (not concrete) mix it moist it will mold to shape and after drying overnight. FIRE IT UP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Of course with old cast iron forges you run the risk of them cracking just using them lined or not... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnt Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share Posted July 10, 2011 Here are pics of the forge and the blower. I still need to disassemble the blower and clean it. From what I have read on here oil is better than grease for the bearings, the interesting thing is that this blower has zirk fittings for grease, and from what I understand they must have been added later, not originally. Forge looks to be about 1/8 inch thick. For the liner, I like firebrick idea if that will work. I will have to move the forge to use it, so keeping the weight down would be great. If mixing up a sand cement type liner is far superior, then fabbing some wheel mounts to one end is really not much of an issue. Thanks for the ideas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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