Dale M. Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Brake Drum Forge Yeah or Nay. While going through the internet trying to understand fire and heat to get my work hot enough to work successfully I came across this site…. http://www.beautifuliron.com/usingthe.htm As I read along I was really impressed with what the gentleman has to say about fire and heat and found most of the knowledge and wisdom enlightening…. As I work my way along his site, I find this tidbit of information….. http://www.beautifuliron.com/forge.htm With the sub link to…. http://www.beautifuliron.com/forge_brakedrum.htm As I read along, I was somewhat taken aback by the negativity this gentleman has to say about “brake drum” forges…… As I read along I realized my brake drum forge was everything that by his theory and design was not supposed to be….. He makes statements like “one has to spend large amount of money to buy tools to create a “brake drum forge”” and “there is no hearth on most brake drum forges” and “one should spend at least $300 to get a proper cast iron fire pot” and “pipe fittings are not proper tuyere for forge” and a “hair dryer is very bad for a air source”… Well my brake drum forge is on a stand, has a 18 x 24inch hearth (shelf) around it with side approximate 2.5 inches tall to contain small pieces coal and coke to build or break down fire, and other misc stuff that seems to find its way to forge hearth and a rim I can hang tools on….. As for the blower, It’s a 12 volt dc blower I got for free and powered by a modified Malibu outdoor mood lighting power supply... And has blast gate to regulate air flow... So to recap his $ 300 investment in machine tools and parts to make brake drum forge vs $300 for cast iron fire pot with clinker breaker vs brake drum forges… Old BBQ wheeled stand for base –Free ¾ ton truck rear brake drum – Free Blower for air supply - Free Power supply for blower $2 (yard sale item) 2 inch pipe parts to create tuyree – About $45 Steel plate for hearth - $15 Steel for rail around hearth -$10 Misc nut and bolts and odds and ends maybe $10 Most tools and welder purchased over last 50 years and depreciated…. He also goes on to rant that most people who advocate making and using a brake drum forge do not in real life even use one but use propane gas fired forges instead and they will just not admit to this according to him… No where on the “net” can I find any real truth to this statement… Maybe its just a few people in his back yard … Funny thing here I was really intent on starting out making a propane forge and was somewhat slowed down when it came to the burner design and finding object for casing of gas forge and logistic of getting refractory materials .... What I have come to realize is he is such a traditionalist he can not see anything innovative and new that will deviate from a main stream traditional forge…. And he there for has nothing good to say about brake drum forges…. What he sights as gospel truth is just people who do not understand hearth/forge design and are willing to sacrifice that for the very simplistic and cost effective (to them) way to heat metal…. In my mind he gives a brake drum forge a bum rap, but it’s due to his interpretation of others willing to cut corners and be satisfied with mediocre product, not what a brake drum forge can be… What say you…. Dale Linkage to my Brake Drum forge build: http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/31104-first-time-forge-build/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 There's some great information available on the 'net. I really like a lot of what's said on that site, but not the brake drum forge part. I learned a huge amount about smithing with the brake drum forge I built, for, I think, $50, and I was impatient and paid for 1/2 square for legs. Second and third versions of the brake drum had trays/tables around them. So, lots of good information, but my own (and I suspect many others) experience is in direct contradiction with the beautiful iron opinion on brake drum forges. Everyone has an opinion. When that was said to my then 2 yr old daughter the response was "I'm not a pinion, YOU'RE a pinion!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 What do you need to get started in Blacksmithing? The world has been forging using a hole in the ground for many many years. That hole in the ground will reach welding heat. Any modification or addition to the hole in the ground is a convenience to the blacksmith. I developed the 55 Forge so that any one with access to a 55 gallon drum could have a forge. No 55 gallon drum, use a 30 gallon grease drum or a plow disc or end of a hot water tank or what ever is available in your location. The bare 55 Forge will reach welding heat and beyond. Side blast is the easiest to build, Bottom blast is almost as easy but should have a T in the air supply line. forges and fires The 55 Forge Blueprints I would rather get a new person started in blacksmithing using a forge he can make himself, even if they live in a third world country. We never know who will be the next MASTER Blacksmith, or how he (or she) will get interested or started in the craft. I do know I want to be the one that ignites the spark that creates the fire in their belly that makes him want to learn. You can only ignite the spark by encouraging him (or her) to try it, and make it easy so they can and will succeed. Then encourage them to continue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ndnchf Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 I read that same article a few months ago and had the same reaction as you. I thought it was quite condecending considering how many successful brake drum forges are out there in use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Break drum forges are great forges, no matter if for a first or last forge, just build one and find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoosterretsooR Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 The author of that "article/ opinion page", was obviously trying to draw attention to his "superior" thought process...and he was successful, since we are still talking about it...right? :D Rooster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan king Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 yes keep it simple it's not rocket science.... heat and Hit ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Special Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Well, think of it like this - if you're Galway, and you play in a world class orchestra, you probably won't be playing on a high school second knockoff of a suzuki or a yamaha instrument. You'll have the lovely gold, handtooled, custom built flute you require to make world class music. But if you want muck about and learn about making good music, the 100 dollar starter flute with leaky pads and a couple of bad springs that you got at the pawn shop'll probably serve ya just fine for a few years. If you want more of a hearth for a brake drum (and I like the shallower brake discs better), add something for a shell, and a little refractory or fireclay - an old grill, a lawnmower flipped over, or the ever classic 55 that Glenn designed. My first two knives (well, at my level then, more like letter openers) were made in a slit in the ground with a hairdryer blowing through a steel pipe over heating coal. I think my cost on the lawnmower forge I'm using now was about twenty bucks for pipe fittings, ten for a blower, (old hairdryer and rheostat), and about five or six bucks for the homemade refractory ingredients. You can always put about 30 bucks a month aside for blacksmithing tools, (like I'm saving for a post vice/better anvil, etc.) and if/when you get tired of the old brake drum, work your way up to a "proper" forge, then maybe even a brick and mortar type. That's about the cost of one good meal with a friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 My breakdrum forge cost me under US$15 total---including blower and the fanciest tool I used to put it together was a 1/4" drill. It was my preferred billet welding forge for several years afterwards even though I had several "real forges" It was part of an experiment---a fellow on the net was saying that you should expect to spend several thousand dollars to get a starter smithing set up. So one day I decided to build such a setup on the cheap and came up with a quite usable starter set up that ran me slightly under $US25 including: Forge, Blower, Anvil, several hammers and several items to hold hot metal with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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