Private Entrance Posted March 26, 2012 Author Share Posted March 26, 2012 I traced out a paper template of bottom of the inside of the drum, then used that to make two rounds of sheet metal that I then punched holes in to match the mounting holes in the drum. Those are bolted to the drum, while sandwiched between the two is a flanged pipe fitting that I ground a bit to fit inside the opening (about 3-4" final diam, I think). The top plate has a series of punched holes in it to act as a grate. The bottom plate has a 1 1/2"-ish hole in it that allows the pipe from air system to fit into the flange. So far it works pretty well, and is holding up nicely. BTW, the steel for those two plates is the same stuff as the table is made from - metal from the side of a washing machine. I'll have to post pics of my two pair of tongs - they are much changed since this picture. Still not super pretty, but they work a lot better. I improved the fit of the reins and the jaws on both and they make life much easier. Here is a pic of yesterday's efforts. A railspike warhammer in progress, a slitter and chisel I made that actually worked (yay!), a new spike knife in progress, and a trailer hitch ball I've turned into my first hardy tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Good job! Looks like you're moving right along. If I were to make any suggestions, it would be to cut pass-through notches in the perimeter of your forge so you can heat the end/middle of longer stock without angling it oddly. Love that trailer hitch turned hardy tool. I could use one of those..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Private Entrance Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 I did cut one notch in the left end of the table, and I will probably cut another in the right (looking at it like in the picture above). I'm making adjustments on an as needed basis. I don't want to 'fix' something until I'm fairly sure there is an actual problem. I haven't had a chance to use the hardy tool yet. I am afraid that I might not have heat-treated it (anywhere close to) properly, so I am going to tread gingerly with it. There is also a chance that it might not be solid through-and-through. I don't think that's the case, but I want to be safe rather than sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Well, the good news is that the trailer ball hardy will work just fine unless you made it too brittle with the heat-treat. Even completely annealed, that sucker is going to take a pounding. Not only are they made from quality steel, solid through and through, but the recipe of the steel is usually stronger than regular mild steel. I wouldn't think twice about dishing on it. As for the notches in the side, they come in handy when you have to heat the middle of a long bar like you would when you are making larger brackets and the like. Trying to heat the middle of a 3' rod so you can bend it 90* can be bothersome if the sides of the forge are too high. Generally speaking, you want to be able to slide a bar straight through the fire from one side to the other. Not really an issue for 80% of the forging you might do, especially as you're learning. If all you plan to do is work on the end of a 12" piece, no problem. Great looking piece of kit, all told. I was just looking at some sheet metal I took off of an old water heater and have been brain-storming how I could use it to copy your forge. Thanks for the inspiration! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Private Entrance Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 Glad to finally be of some inspiration, as I've gotten so much here. See if you can beat my investment in the table - $5 for 2 packs of nuts and bolts to put it together, and most of them are still in a drawer waiting for a use. Everything else was free. Total investment in the forge to date is about $40. I put the ball in the hardy hole and beat on it a little bit tonight, and it sits a bit loose in the hole. I will give it a bit of an upset to tighten the fit some, and then pay more attention to the heat treat. I'm afraid I might have only quenched it without giving it any more treatment, and I really don't want the thing to shatter in my face. I was thinking on my way home from work tonight that I might like to make one of those flattish soup dish looking medieval helmets, the ones that look sort of like WWI British infantry helmets. I've got plenty of sheet metal and they look hard enough to be a challenge but no so difficult I'll never get it done. I am sure the notch on the other side will get installed, I'm just being cautious about over-fiddling with things so I don't accidently jack something up in an unrecoverable fashion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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