srrwhistletalker Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Hello! I am new to the forum and to blacksmithing in general. A co-worker had his grandfathers Champion #75 ag/rivet forge and acouple of Buffalo blowers. It only took me a year or so to talk him out of them. After forging some ornamental items for my wife, I decided to tear the forge down and give it a once -over cleaning and inspection. I replaced the legs with some 3/4" black pipe and welded some feet on the ends. While working the blower, occasionally, I would get a waft of smoke around the bottom of the pan. I noticed that one of the bolt hole loops is broken and not allowing the tuyere to seal against the bottom of the pan. I took the tuyere off and cleaned it, the pan, and the distributor/grate. as soon as the weather dries up, I'll shoot a coat of paint on them. Is there supposed to be any refractory that helps to seal the three together? The grate doesnt sit flush against the bottom of the pan and allows air to escape underneath it. Has it warpped from the heat or is this normal? I hadnt noticed any problems while firing other than the smoke leakage from underneath the pan when green coal was raked in. Does anyone know what model blower fits this forge? Thanks for your help, Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Browne Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 A leak between the pipe and the firebox will not affect a forge. So long as most of the air ends up in the firebox the forge will work. If it bugs you then by all means make a seal with some sort of refractory cement but its not necessary to fill all the cracks unless they are great big holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimsShip Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Is the gap between the tuyere and the bottom of the pan, or the underside of the forge pan and the pipe? I'm probably as new as you are to all this, but while restoring my own Champion, I noticed a gap between the tuyere and the bottom of the pan, but I sealed it when I put in the cement/sand mixture lining reccomended to protect the pan. (I filled the pipe for the ash dump and blower with some rags to keep the mix from falling in there) It works fine, and aside from the fear of never being able to access the bolts for the tuyere again without removing the lining I think (and hope!) it's what I was supposed to do. Is that what you're describing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srrwhistletalker Posted February 29, 2012 Author Share Posted February 29, 2012 Jim, that sounds pretty close. I had the leak on the underside of the pan due to the broken bolt loop. It will look somewhat janky but it can be fixed with an oversized washer and a new bolt. The grating on the top side appears to be somewhat warped and allows air from the blower to excape around the sides. It dosent seem to create a problem unless I crank the blower hard to get the fire real hot...It starts to lick flames 6 to 8 inches outsidew the center of the coke. I'm still learning and really need someone to teach me good fire fundamentals. So far, what I have learned is by trial and error. Its good to see that there are some folks that still tinker around with these old small forges! Thank you, Rob, for your reply as well. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 If you'd have a picture, I could I.D that. I have a Champion Catalog/with tons of pictures and descriptions. I know many folks don't care for the rivet(small) /portable forges as they are limited in their use. However, there is a blacksmithing book out there that lists 673 projects aimed at the use of a small rivet style forge (Champion 400 blower mounted on the 401 forge). I belive it is called the Complete Modern Blacksmith. I'd have to look at the cover again as I don't study the front cover, just what is printed within. I have two of them and they are large enough/hot enough to totally destroy 3/4 bar stock. Ask me how I know........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 ,,,,, I noticed that one of the bolt hole loops is broken and not allowing the tuyere to seal against the bottom of the pan........... .... Dave Depends on whether the space between the tuyere and the pan is due to the broken hole loop. My old Buffalo forge has an apparently deliberate space between the tuyere and the pan. Also, when I build a forge I deliberately leave a bit of space for expansion of parts, especially cast iron parts when they heat up. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ,,,,,....... I hadnt noticed any problems while firing other than the smoke leakage from underneath the pan when green coal was raked in. .... Dave Solution is not to throw green coal on the fire. Place the fresh coal on the outer area of your pan and gradually work the coal towards the center as the center coke burns away. That way you allow the coal to turn to coke by the time it reaches the firepot, resulting in no smoke, and a hotter fire, that results in getting more work done, faster. Maybe someone on this forum would be kind enough to put together a "blueprint" for managing a coal fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srrwhistletalker Posted February 29, 2012 Author Share Posted February 29, 2012 David, i work at a coal fired power generating plant. I tried using some of the coal I scooped up....it burns very hot and cokes almost immediately but it has a lot of sulfur and smokes like crazy. A frend of mine bought a house that was once heated with coal and has a bunker full in his basement.its been there for years and its free so he and I moved a 5x8 trailer load (there are several more loads!) It is aggrivating to light,I have to use lighter pine kindling so start it. It burns clean and hot but refuses to coke and leaves very little ash but has lots of clinkers....hey,its free! Mr.Reynolds, as soon as I figure out how to post some pics,I'll send you some...electronic devices and I dont get along sometimes.My hands are more suited to tools. It tickles me that some smiths regard these littlt forges as usless or toys...i find this hard to swallow because they sold a boat-load of them back when. my Granddad was a blacksmith by trade in the 1920's and did a lot of farm smithing and probably farrier work too. He passed before I was born. My Dad had all his stuff in an old barn and it slowly walked off as the years went by. The only thing I have left is a Buffalo blower. It works very well but needs new legs. I just found out my new Peddinghaus #12 anvil will be here tomorrow! It'll be a busy weekend...one more night shift and I'm off for the weekend. Thanks for the help,Brothers... Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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