Ragnas Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Hey guys im in the process of making a 10"x12" heat box out of 3/8" or 1/2" steel. Here are my questions! -If I did do it out of 3/8ths would it hold up? -I plan on starting off making small things, but hope to eventually move to bigger things like Armour and such. Is my forge to small? -If I wanted to heat treat things (such as large pieces of armor) would I need to bigger forge or kiln? any ways thanks for reading! any help would be appreciated! -Tyler EDIT: Here is a cardboard mock up of the the box. '> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Breast plates and greaves are certainly goin to need an oven, kiln or fernace to heat treat. 3/8" will hold up, it's just a case of how long. Use google search for fabricated fire pots on IFI, there was a descusion a few years ago about what burned part of the pot burned out first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 What you mocked up was very much like how I made mine. I chose to go with 1/2" over 3/8" since the extra cost was minimal and the time in labor was going to be extensive. I documented most of the build on Weldingweb, and you might find some of it useful to look at. http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=146321 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Remember that *one* forge will not do everything well---if at all. Even owning a half dozen forges I've had to dig a trench forge in my backyard for a particular project before. So customize your first forge to do what you will be starting out doing! Worry about a bigger forge later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Welcome aboard Tyler, glad to have you. If you put your general location in the header we won't have to keep bugging you. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnas Posted September 3, 2013 Author Share Posted September 3, 2013 Thanks everyone for your replies, I feel a bit more confident builing my forge. This is more of a hobby for me and hope to make armor one day. For now just the basics! Im on the phone now but when I get home ill change my header. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old South Creations Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 So customize your first forge to do what you will be starting out doing! Worry about a bigger forge later. Great advice. Concentrate on the basics. Practice, practice, practice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnas Posted September 4, 2013 Author Share Posted September 4, 2013 hey guys if any one wants the full plans for my table and heat box here they are! '> '> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Looks like you've got a good plan. I like to see folks willing to write it all down. The fire pot can be made from 3/8" stock, and many folks use 1/4" stock. The frequency of your forging will determine how quickly the forge wears out, and that includes the best store-bought fire pots. If you're just learning and tinkering a few hours a month, a 3/8" thick pot will last you several decades. Your table looks nice, but I wonder if it isn't over-built. How are you assembling it? Welder? Bolts? I say over-built because I noted that angle-iron surround you have around the pot. Unless the top is made from some very thin sheet, there's no need for that much reinforcement. If you are using thin sheet, like recycling the body of a clothes dryer, a rail across from side to side would be more than enough to keep it from sagging. With thin sheet you're more likely to rust through the table than have it bow under the weight of the pot. If you visit the local re-sale store like Salvation Army, you can usually get bed frames for really cheap. This is a great source for really strong angle-iron, the consensus being that it's some kind of high-carbon alloy to be so strong yet so thin and light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnas Posted September 4, 2013 Author Share Posted September 4, 2013 Wow thans for all the info. I have a little 100 amp stick welder I was going to use to fab the angle. For the plate I could probably borrow my friends welder he has on a trailer witj a generator. I was hopong to score a nice sized plate for the table top but resycled sheet could work. Thanks again for the info my friend might have some scrap angle bit then again ots just a "might" good to know of a source I would have thought of to optain it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnas Posted September 4, 2013 Author Share Posted September 4, 2013 *would have never thought Sorry im on phone and cant edit post. Also spelling mistakes >< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Outside of the fire pot you do NOT need heavy steel for a forge table. Mine is 14 ga. with a little 1" angle for stiffeners under it and that's a pretty large forge table, in the 3'x4' range. the outside frame is light 2" angle and the legs are 2" sq tube also not heavy weight stock. You can build a forge out of wood and clay, smiths been doing it for thousands of years. Don't worry about your spelling, we're blacksmiths NOT English teachers. . . Well, o-k-a-y I'm sure there are a couple English teachers hanging out on IFI but they're not grading our posts so don't sweat it. <grin> Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Small 90-100 amp 110v stick welders like you can buy at Harbor freight don't generally work well for material much thicker than 14 ga to 1/8" if you are lucky. The heavy stuff will definitely want the bigger machine. I agree the bracing under the firepot is probably overkill. My table for my forge in the link above was done out of 14 ga at best and it supports my 1/2" firepot with all the heavy pipe tuyre, ash dump etc with no issues. The table is even split at one side of the fire pot and pieced together because I didn't have a full sheet large enough to do it all in one shot. The only small change I might make would be to make the grate removable. That's the part you are most likely to destroy 1st. Trying to reweld to burned material will be a giant PITA. Do yourself a favor and plan in advance to be able to replace it when it burns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnas Posted September 7, 2013 Author Share Posted September 7, 2013 From cardboard to steel. I still javent decided between a clinkerbreaker or a grate I think im going to fab up some plates wi 3" x 3 1/2" holes in them weld one on the bottom and then have it were I can fab new grates and bolt them in also just have the the ashe dump and blower pipes connect to the plates as well. On phone ATM sorry for format issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Very well done! That's a solid design and should work wonderfully for several decades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnas Posted September 7, 2013 Author Share Posted September 7, 2013 Thanks man! Was wondering how thick my tuyer should be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 The tuyer doesn't need to be particularly thick, automotive exast tubing, thin wall square tubing etc are sufficient. Often Peaple use 2" black pipe or medium wall square tubing. Square being by far the easiest to fabricate, wile pipe is a mater of buying a "T" a flore flange and one short nipple, a slightly longer nipple and a longer still nipple. If you use exhaust or pipe a exhaust cap from an automotive supply with the addition of a counter weight makes a fine ash dump. Myself, with your set up I'd fab one out of medium 2" square, fab up an ash dump and then what ever you need to adapt your air supply. Less expensive than pipe, looks good and easy to fab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnas Posted September 7, 2013 Author Share Posted September 7, 2013 Oh thats good, I was wondering If I needed it to be as thick as my fire pot or not. I was looking at some blowers, I found this one: EcoPlus Blower 180CFM Dont know if that will work with a regular 110v outlet or not, was wondering if any one has any good suggestions for a blower I can control via dimmer switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Search for squirrel cage electric blower here. I've posted pics and explained my setup which works very well, doesn't need a dimmer or hard to fab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnas Posted September 7, 2013 Author Share Posted September 7, 2013 So I went to the scrap yard that claimed they were open today, and they were not. So I went ahead and got black iron 2" pipe, T, and cap. For my tuyere, I saw a bunch of people recemend a "raised tuyere" to help keep the clinkers out of the way. For the table I got some 1/16 - 1/8 inch bed frame im going to frame in for the table, and get some 1" conduit for the legs, that im going to brace in with it as well. I still have to get some 14 g steel for the table top, and fabricate my tuyere to the bottom of my heat pot, and buy a blower. Ill post pictures later of my table being constructed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel OF Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 I'd put bracing under the firepot. My table is 3mm thick & it's bowed under firepot sides (mainly at the ends, not so much lengthways) because I didn't put bracing there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 I hope your not using the pipe cap as a ash dump. PITA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Sounds like you have a solid working plan. The raised air inlet in the fire pot allows the clinker to form around it more than jamming it up. I've not used one, yet, but I'm keen too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnas Posted September 8, 2013 Author Share Posted September 8, 2013 Joel the bracing under the fire pot was always my plan, I even drew it up to have more then what I actually used (every one on here told me it would have been over kill :P turns out they were 100% right). So here are some pictures of the Tuyere design (the cap is going to be an air inlet once I drill in holes, not an ashe dump. I plan on making a counter weight hinge or a swivel hinge). And also I picture of my table top, I made the table top out of bed frame angle not quite and 1/8th but not a 1/16th" x 2" x 1.5". They legs I was planning on using ended up being to then of a meterial to weld to, I would either burn it up or have to lower the amps to a point were it wouldent stick to the angle. So I am going to try and score another bed frame to finish the the legs. Im going to get some 14g sheet (as suggested by a couple people on here) and use that to finish the top. But hopefully by next week, ill have it up and running :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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