Maillemaker Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Hello! I've been teaching the Metalworking Merit Badge with my local scout troop for the past several months, usually with one or two scouts a week. Some have really developed an interest in smithing, so I printed off a couple instructions for Mr. Lively's washtub charcoal forge. Now, the tricky bit is the blower. Champion 400 blowers are few, far between, and prohibitively expensive for most scouts. Aside from cheap hair-dryers, what are some other relatively low-cost, but effective blowers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don A Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 My 1st blower was a junk upright vacuum cleaner. I took the handle and bag and wheels and belt and all that stuff off until I just had the main body with the plastic outlet where the bag was attached. This outlet was oblong in shape, so I warmed it up with a plumber's torch and squeezed it round until it would go around a piece of 2" or 2.5" pvc pipe. I sealed the joint with duct tape and then plumbed it into the black iron pipe from the forge (far enough out that heat was not an issue). After this, I rewired the cord into a switch box and put a dimmer switch in the circuit. This was one of the cheap, round knob type you use for overhead lights... push click on, push click off, turn knob to increase or decrease speed of the vacuum. Some folks said this wouldn't work, but it was still going after 3 or four years of moderate use in a nasty environment. On high it would blow the coke out of the fire pot. I could adjust it down to just a low breeze. Standard disclaimer: Because it worked for me doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea. You could shock yourself, burn something down, or blow something up. 'course I can say that about nearly everything I own :wacko: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Furnace blowers and exhaust blowers (like on gas hot water tanks) can often be had used cheap because the bearings are failing and they get noisy long before they quit. Blowers from car heaters work. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajajoaquin Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Do they still need a woodworking badge? You could build a box bellows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 A lot of the newer furnaces have a forced exhaust system as a side effect of trying to make them as efficient as possible. Lots can go wrong with a furnace that leaves such a blower in perfectly good working order. Call some HVAC companies and explain it's for the scouts and see what they can do for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sask Mark Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 The Champion 400's seem to be fetching far more money than any other type of traditional 'forge blower' right now. If no electricity is available where you forge there are many other hand-cranked blowers on the used market that cost significantly less than the 400's (different models from Champion, Buffalos, Cannedy Ottos, Canadian Blower and Forge etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swamptroll Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Power vent blowers from gas appliances work well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve McCarthy Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Try surpluscenter.com for inexpensive ac and dc blowers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric sprado Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I get GenAire blowers from a local scrapper. They are GREAT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I use a Dayton 135 cfm Model 2C647 catalog 398 page 3052 Granger $75.00 cheaper if you have an ABANA membership. I have used the same one for the last 8 years it works real good I use a damper rather than a speed control I had a speed control die in the middle of a demo re wired it and went on in 5 min. Just never reinvested in a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaalamosmithing Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 My first blower was a cheap 13 dollar bathroom fan they have a 3" opening which air flows through it works great as a blower lots of air flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 My first blower was a cheap 13 dollar bathroom fan they have a 3" opening which air flows through it works great as a blower lots of air flow. So was mine, but the pressure for coal was not there. I was reading another thread here, and someone (don't remember who or the thread) used a water pump from a car to modify into a blower. I did a water pump on a Cavilier last year, and it is a bearing housing with an impeller fan that could have larger vanes riveted to it, and attached to an enclosure (the pump bolts into the engine block). This would be more simple than many options of home-made blowers, and the pump is cheap for a permanently lubricated bearing package and shaft Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 I teach a blacksmith class for the historical society and recommend a hand cranked blower to students for obvious reasons. Heck, that is what they are made for. Anyhow, I hear of students with all sorts of air movers. My opinion is to buy a forge blower the first time and save money/time. The main problem with electric is that you have to turn the switch on/off constantly, or your going to burn up your fuel supply in a hurry. That gets old after a while, and so it remains on, and burns up the workpiece too. Yep. the Champion 400 is very costly. As mentioned above, there are many others out there, for cheap. I even scored a very large Buffalo blower for free!!! You just gotta ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaalamosmithing Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I'm thinking of attaching a dimmer switch to my blower shouldn't be to hard simple wireing and should help conserve fuel (its electric) Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Most modern single speed AC fan motors will burn up if run on a dimmer; they are made for constant speed at a specified current level. Variable speed motors are available, but cost more, and can be harder to find. Better to use a mechanical damper upstream to limit intake, or an air gate downstream to limit the amount coming from the fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten Hammers Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Will see if the pic made the trip. well guess not. ANYWAY an airgate is easily built and it solves the issues of the day as far as power blowers go. I have some pics I think in my gallery. Bingo. See if this link works. Here we go 'round the slack tub. the blower in the pic lasted I guess 3-4 years. Currently have a blacksmiths depot blower on the gate and no plans to replace it till it dies which in all honesty should be long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I just picked up yet another Champion forge with blower, for well under 200.00 It is fully operational and simply needs a good cleaning. For that price, I will continue to tell people that in my personal opinion, it is far better to buy one than to experiment with building one from scrounged parts and the time to put it all together. Not to mention locating a suitable air supply and experiemnt with that as well.I have heard a number of horror stories from students in their attempt to build an operational forge from scrap stuff. Their struggle for a quality air supply alone would be enough for me to locate a different hobby.The smaller model Champion blowers do not employ ball bearings and appear to be much less suceptable to deterioration when compared to the 400 with all the (ball) bearings. The smaller units can be a rusty mess and turn free, with very little noise compared to that growl you'll get from the 400 with debris and wear inside the gear box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 SReynolds; have you seen how they deal with the air switch at SOFA? The electric blowers there are tied to a foot pedal, you step on the pedal the blower comes on, you take your foot off the blower stops---saves a lot of coal and steel when working with new people! They also have an override switch so you can get constant on for things like billet welding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maillemaker Posted November 10, 2011 Author Share Posted November 10, 2011 Some have really developed an interest in smithing, so I printed off a couple instructions for Mr. Lively's washtub charcoal forge. Now, the tricky bit is the blower. Champion 400 blowers are few, far between, and prohibitively expensive for most scouts I am trying to find a source for teenagers with little disposable income. From the responses you have generously provided, a hair dryer ought to do just fine; I was just wondering what some other avenues would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaalamosmithing Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I am trying to find a source for teenagers with little disposable income. From the responses you have generously provided, a hair dryer ought to do just fine; I was just wondering what some other avenues would be. Well i know some of the comments have said against it but i still recomend the bathroom fan a 13 dollar one will handle a lot of abuse and is very easy to. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildmanz Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 i have seen a old motor vehicle heater fan used as a blower can be run on a battery charger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K. Bryan Morgan Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 This is what I did. Its called a Bucket Head. I got it and the Home Depot for $20. I put a light dimmer switch on it. It has been through several -45 f winters outside. It lasts, works well and I can go from 0 to white hot. I've burned up steel easily with it. Cheap, reliable, long lasting and simple. I don't think it gets any better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten Hammers Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 I have had the dimmer switch for many years. Used it for dremel tools, grinders etc and used it originally for the blower(s). Yes wore out a couple of shop vacs. Works exceptionally well. Just my opinion but since building the airgate, I just run the blower wide open and regulate accordingly (mechanically). Perhaps will be able to load a pic when things fixed. I just have a 4 square box with a couple of toggles above another 4 square box with 2 duplex plugs. One toggle for gasser (attached to the speed control) and one attached to the solid fuel blower. Speed control in a handybox on top of the whole thing. 2 separate control switches for 2 separate blowers (one with speed control) and 2 separate plugs also with 2 separate hot receptacles for drills or lights or grinders or whatever. All hangs on the forge away from heat. On occasion I will have a gasser running along with coal. There will be needs for both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 A student of mine tells me he has used a foot operated air pump. probably 0.50 cents at a garage sale. I informed him a hair dryer would work better and his eyes lit up! .......I do understand that some just won't spend any $$ for a set-up. That is fine. Though, I would imagine that it won't be long untill frustration overcomes the novelty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elemental Metal Creations Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 I salvaged a foot control off an old sewing machine and hooked it up to a blow dryer. Infinite speed control and hi/low range. It works great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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