hello.
UI just build me a forge which is FAR superior to my old one. it is still mounted to the radio flyer, though it is so dsmall it really doesn't need to be mounted. It is a flower pot with the bottom knocked out, and a grate made of several layers of offset chicken wire (so that the gaps to let stuff through are smaller) left over from making my chicken coop, and a paint can lined with portland cement/sand. The pot w/ grate is slotted into the top of the paint can, which is nailed to the lumber which used to support my old forge in the radio flyer, and there is a pipe going from it to the nozzle of my pool toy blower, which is also nailed to the lumber. It starts beautifully, because the shape of the poit sucks the heat up into the coals, and I got my heat first try, and in less than a minute I had the bottom coals glowing yellow hot. The flower pot/ash pit/tuyere thingy ensures that there is a constant supply of oxygen from underneath, which is replenished by pumping, which also gently forces air up to the coals. I like it, and it took me 3 minutes to think up, and 5 to make. also, the shape stops me from making only lbades, so I can forge me a couple'o thems carraige hooks (I LOVE carraige hooks!!!)

I would like to see photos of this version of the forge :D

I'll get some this afternoon, but it really is laughable. A paint can and a flower pot, (which I think I will reinforce somehow) and a pool toy inflator, all nailed to a chunk of lumber in a radio flyer. It's the household objects version of the brakedrum forge, except I feel it works better. I am also gonna put a 1/8 inch steel bar grating over, or instead of the chicken wire.
The other forge was based on Tim Lively's bladesmith forge, and wasn't very practical because it was too big for small projects, burned up charcoal like the devil at breakfast, and the ash was all washed into the tuyere, (for lack of an ash dump) which slowly clogged up until I had to smash the concrete open to get at the tuyere so I could scoop the stuff out of the ends. :roll: It was too versatile, and impractical, not good combination, so I could never get around to actually doing anything, because it had no limits, except that it clogged up every few days.

Look at the 55 Forge blueprint for a simple twyere. 1/8" rod is a little small in my opinion. Go for the 1/4" rod.

I just put in the 1/8, and it seems to work fine. No pictures today cuz it's raining, and I don't want to go outside.

sounds kinda like my first forge, i called it the turbo-hibachi. it was an old cast iron habachi with the vents chipped out to fit 1" gas pipe wich was then ran together & to a 2" pipe that held an old hairdryer for the blower. nowdays i just use the standard tube gassers, you know, big pipe wrapped with ceramic wool. i generally build them outa the little military oil drums or any metal bucket.... ive even made miniture ones out of a coffee can & a "turbo-torch" brand plumbers torch.

It just imploded, so I'm re-making it with stainless steel, and refractory cement.

actually making a kinda deep brakedrum type thing with a massive wierdlight fixture chunky thing which is perfect. gonna surround it in refractory though. I think the chunky light-thing is a streetlamp, what was it doing in my basement?

Archie my friend, your creativity is quite exemplary. Way to go, buddy! 8)

I am having trouble with the outer casing for the forge, I can't have only the thin steel lamp, it will melt through, so I am wanting to pack at least an inch of cement, but I don't have any casings quite that big except cardboard boxes , do you chaps think that'll work?
By the way, here is a summary of the forge:
Firepot= the lamp-post lamp, upside down. it has a thicker bottom (top when right way up) than the sides with a 1 3/4 inch hole in the bottom, into which I will put a large chunk of piping, with a 55 gallon forge style grating for the tuyere. The firepot will be encased in concrete, and... wait... I could make a plywood box for that, yeah okay, plywood box around it. Blower is gonna be the pool toy untill I can get around to making a better air supply. All mounted on my little red wagon of course. :D

Just a tip Archie, having a son about the same age as you.

If I knew I had a cast lamplight thingy under the house but came home one day to find my son had transformed it, maybe for good, I might require a pretty good explanation as to the whys and wherefores etc etc.
It was no doubt under the my house for safe keeping until the reason for keeping it came to light. Unless you want a tanned hide I'd be keeping dad well informed :)

He's fine with me using the lamp-thing. It was in some dusty corner, and he had never seen it before. :lol:

Just finished the forge! It's made of cement, sand, the lamp-post, some 1.5 inch inner diameter steel pipe fittings, and a floor fitting thingy. I also chopped all the tines of a pair of old rakes, and bound them into stacks for pattern welding. they are high carbon steel :D

I just fired it up, and it works beautifully, but I need to put a new tuyere grate, a steel fastening for the air supply, and an ash dump door in, and maybe use the floor thing as a thickening/tuyere grate holder for the firepot. apart from that it is beautiful, I will have 2 interchangable firepots, one for small work (the street lamp) and one for larger stuff, and platework which is a big steel dish-pot thing that will be lined with cement.

Archie, PICTURES! Please! :) You are piquing all heck outta my curiosity here!

I know, I know, but my brother has the camera, and he's in Israel right now. :cry:

Also, I'll post pictures when it is done and I like how it works, and that I can use it without any problems.