Forge Re-think

[IronPuppet]

So I fired up my new forge. some problems arose and this meant a rebuild was in order.

The first repair was pointed out by Irnsrgn. My ash dump was no good and he gave me a good design. I made my own with some scrap angle iron and strap iron and a piece of rebar. Works real good now.

The wheel rim was mounted too high on the table frame. I ground off the welds and remounted the rim lower down. Now the front of the table frame can be used as a rest to hold pieces in the fire. I also changed the direction for the wind pipe and took it out the right side of the table. It doesn't stick out now and the tap is protected under the table. I added a piece of scrap from an old railing for a tool holder as well.

Here on the balled prairie the wind blows like a devil most of the time. I had to do something to help control the wind as my forge is to be used outside. A windscreen was the answer. I poo-mined some old heating ducts. Lots of sheet metal in there. Cut myself a 3 foot chunk and stretched it over the fire pot, welded it in place and then cut out an access hole with the grinder, then bent over the edge to make it blunt. I also got me an old bendy bit of ducting and I fitted this on top of the 3 foot piece. Looks weird, but I like it. Works good too. Had me a test fire during a storm that cropped up and it burns real nice. Hardly no flashing from the wind.

All I have to do now is cut a hole in the back so longer stock can stick through. Gave her a coat of paint to make it look like something other than a collection of junk.

I'm happy with the improvements.

Christopher

[Glenn]

Find the sweet spot of the forge and then reposition the fire pot so the sweet spot is level with the table top. That way any time you put an iron into the fire it rests on the table and is in the proper position in the fire. There is nothing wrong with using a square forge hood. Consider cutting 2 inches from the bottom of the hood on the table side. This will allow you to rest longer stock on the table while it is in the fire being heated.

You may want to close the area between the rim and table as things will always fall into the holes. You may want to leave one of the open corners of the table so you place a "cover" on it to keep things from falling in the hole. Cut the drum to where it is level with the fill material and about 3 inches wide. Remove the "cover", place a bucket under the table, and rake the forge clean through the hole and into the bucket. Makes clean up real easy.

Wheels on the lets to make the forge easy to put back into the garage?

Nothing wrong with making changes so things work better.