AZDoug Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 OK, I'm new to all this and building my first forge to see how bad I have the bug. Have most of the parts gathered to build a brake drum forge. Going to burn charcoal. Would there be an advantage to to putting a lid on it? Something like another drum with a notch in the side to close while heating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewayforge Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 That would only choke the fire, unless you had it hooked up to a hood. But even still, the opening would be too small. I think the best bet is to put a log on top while its burning to make more charcoal, contain the heat all in one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Show some pictures! What did you find for a brake drum? Have a look at the 55 forge as well.http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/20370-the-55-forge-blueprints/ The 55 forge replicates a rivet forge in a very simple manner. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K. Bryan Morgan Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Here's mine, it works very well. Cost me all of about $30 in parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Just for fun, I recently made one; because I could, and to use as a demo in my blacksmithing 101 class. The book I have,The Blacksmiths Craft, gave instructions and said it would cost under $5.00 (that is **five** dollars) and that is with the antuique forge BLOWER. Right......... :rolleyes: So I kept track for the "inexspensive breakdrum forge" build. Sourced an old rust used drum at scrap yard 35.00 :o 2" pipe flange/pipe nipples,"T" and cap from Industrial Pipe & Supply 46.00 :wacko: ........and that is where I stopped. A small antique forge blower is going to cost me minimum 80.00 and then I'd have to source angle iron etc. for the legs or set her on cement blocks, which I'm sure won't be free unless I retrieve them from a construction site. Late at night. Hense cheaper to buy a forge from e-bay or craig list. Just my real world experience. I wish others better luck in obtaining the nearly free operational breakdrum forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K. Bryan Morgan Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 My experience with building my forge was much much different than Mr. Renolds. The break drum was free. I went to a break shop and asked. They handed it to me. No scrap yard involved. The metal 2 x 4s were the most expencive part. I bought 5 20ga. for about $2.50 each. The piece of floor plate is 2' x 2' and cost about $5.00 and the 2" black iron pipe.was cheap I don't remember exaclty how much but under $15. There are no, I repeat no antique rivet forges available here, for under $350. On a good day, if your lucky you may see a ready made forge for $600-$1000 on craigslist. As for 55 gal. drums. I got my burn barrel for free by asking as well. Just laying around in the woods. No cost but me hauling it to my house. YMMV, I'm not saying your wrong. But if I can do it in Alaska where everything costs more because of shipping anyone should be able to as well. Oh and just as an aside. My Champion 400 in fantastic condition, cost $20.56. Deals are out there if your willing to work alittle to find them. Please understand. I'm not trying to step on anyones toes. Just saying what my personal experience was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZDoug Posted May 2, 2012 Author Share Posted May 2, 2012 I went to one of our shops and picked up a 3/4 ton ford drum for free. All the pipe is leftover well drillng pipe from the legs for my welding table. Didn't need any fittings I cut and welded the tee for the blower and on the bottom for a clean out I'm going to weld a bolt on the pipe for a door to swing across the bottom of the pipe. So far my investment is some C25 gas, welding wire and about an hour of work. Need to go out behind the barn and search up some 1/4in plate to put in the bottom. I've been doing welded ornamental iron, jeep roof racks, bumpers and such as side job for a few years so I have a pretty good stock of light gauge square tube and angle iron. So legs and frames will fall into the free range too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 A lot depends on where you are as to what's available for how much. My large coal forge cost me maybe $9 for an exhaust flap cap for my ash dump and some welding rod and gasoline but I have or had good scrounging grounds. The flap cap ash dump works nicely and only required a counter weight to get it to close up instead of down like on a truck stack. I've found 1/4" is darned heavy for a forge floor unless you're planning on heating really heavy stock. Lighter sheet flooring can warp though but if you pack it with clay or lay brick it's golden. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricejm01 Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Thought I would share some pictures of the brake drum forge Steve Sells helped me throw together. This is a variation of a brake drum forge with a welded tuyere. What we did was weld together a tuyere from some pipe that was laying around, welded a hinged gravity ash dump on the bottom. Pretty standard stuff. However this is a modification, instead of welding directly to the break drum, we welded the tuyere to a brake rotor. I then cut off rotor part leaving the center of the rotor. This leaves enough of the rotor so that it can be notched for a clinker breaker. Since the rotor and drum have the same bolt pattern, 5 bolts hold it together. My main goal was a functional clinker breaker, and easy to install and remove from the forge table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZDoug Posted May 8, 2012 Author Share Posted May 8, 2012 Test fired it over the weekend with some mesquite charcoal. Hairdryer was to much air and looks like I need to cut a notch in the side. It seems to deep for long stuff. Can't send pics from my phone to computer so no pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Help me out here Doug..your name seems familiar , Do I remember you from on here a lot of years ago? Think that Az doug was getting a power hammer then just went away? in any case welcome to the forum. hope all goes well for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 My brake drum forge ran about US$25 total including blower and anvil and basic tools---all scrounged, bought at fleamarket and scrapyard. The only fancy 'tool" used was a 1/4" electric drill. I could of course sourced everything at the most expensive places to buy them but I chose not to. I was not in enough of a hurry that I was willing to spend $$$ over time. (BTW our local Re-Store run by Habitat for Humanity has all the plumbing fittings for a couple of dollars rather than the large cost of large fittings at a plumbing supply place.) The anvil was a broken off knuckle from a RR car coupler and was sourced for free as was the brake drum from the side of the road. The blower was an old cast aluminum "handy-vac" cheap at the fleamarket as it was missing the bag---$3 as I recall. It was a universal motor and so can be regulated with a simple rheostat also found at the fleamarket though an old sewing machine foot control works fine too. The fun part was I bough a ribbed radiator hose to connect the vac to the forge (at the fleamarket) and it "sang" a note as the air went through it that could be tuned with the airflow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZDoug Posted May 9, 2012 Author Share Posted May 9, 2012 Help me out here Doug..your name seems familiar , Do I remember you from on here a lot of years ago? Think that Az doug was getting a power hammer then just went away? in any case welcome to the forum. hope all goes well for you. Sorry not me. So far all leftovers from other builds, But looks like I my have to spend money :( on some type of blower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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