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I Forge Iron

New smith, new shop


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Hi everyone, I thought I'd use this as the opportunity to introduce myself. I'm a 26 year old father of one located in southern Manitoba and I've been interested In blacksmithing for a few years. Last year I managed to get my hands on an old Canedy-Otto forge and in the spring a nice little Peter Wright anvil.
My friend and I threw up a makeshift shed out of pallets. Eventually I want to make one on my own property that's actually put together well. Anyway enough rambling, here are some pics of our build.

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I wouldn't harsh that little shed. Admittedly a bit drafty for a Canadian winter but well built and clean looking. Build it's twin at your place in the spring, and ad to it to tighten it up. Another one facing it would give you more space to work in, the skin can be a lot of things, from recycled privacy fence over a couple of layers of tarpaper, waxed cardboard, black poly etc. recycled barn tin, sod etc. lots of options, same for the roof.a nice little "Soddy" with it's back to the wind would certainly be cheap and weather tight.
As it is just installing cedar shakes to it would make a nice shed that the wife wouldn't be ashamed of.

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I think your smithy looks great.

 

For my first year and a half I was under the spreading oak tree and at the mercy of the wind and weather.

 

Then I built my smithy from posts and boards from the old cattle pen and tin from an old barn. 

 

Cover the pallets with plastic or tar paper and once the snows start, pack it around the pallets and it will keep the wind off of you. 

 

Well done.

 

Mark <><

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Build your "garden shed" half your shop. Hopefully that will be under the minimum footprint for permits, then build a second facing it. Finish it. Now that your neibors and the city are used to it, connect the two. Potentially 3x the shop. As code enforcement usually comes around only if some one tips them off. That said, your post and infill should pass anyway.

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I like it.  Great use of available materials, and you laid it up right.  Looks good and works as advertised - can't ask for much better than that.

 

Lots of potential in a build like that.  The only thing I'd add would be to move the forge so you have more room to stick longer pieces through the fire.

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Welcome aboard Waid, gad to have you.

 

That's a plenty palatable shop. Nothing wrong with it a little visquene wouldn't cure. Dealing with code inn town can be a hassle sometimmes it's easier and better to just bite the bullet and get the permit. Getting it approved may be a trick, just don't tell em what it's for!

 

Frosty The Lucky.

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You can put visually pleasing material on the outside. Put drywall or chip board, or plywood on the inside. If you think you will be out there in the cold, insulate the walls. That way you can use a tarp to close the doors and the building should be draft free.  

 

Pallets on the floor at the work station will keep the heat from being sucked out of your boots. Just a layer of wood on the floor will help.

 

If you pipe in outside air to the blower at the forge, the air will not be drawn in as room air. If you have additional outside air available at the fire, it will also not pull in room air. The term warm is relative, but I would imagine that it will make a difference in the comfort level of the room. 

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If it's going to be in earth you'll definitely need stirrups in concrete or Pressure treated 4x4's set in concrete, akin to a pole barn. But if it's not sheeted then I wouldn't think you need to anchor it to earth. In that case I woud just by some Pressure Treated 2x6's and run those along the bottom and let the whole thing sit on those. I wouldn't think you would need a permit for this since it probably wouldn't be considered a structure as it doesn't have a foundation, but if you have nosy/persnickity neighbors who you think are going to give you a problem you might want to call your local bldng dept just to check. Where I live in Oregon I believe it's any structure under 140sq feet (or something like that) doesn't require a permit.

My bigger concern with the design would be theft of your tools :(

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Permit wise it's every place for itself. In our area it's anything with a roof needs a permit. I just had to get one for a
4' x 4' smokehouse as it had a roof, and I moved it from another state where it didn't need a permit because it didn't have a foundation.

High Temp Permatex Ultra Grey Silicone is good for 2000 degrees, have used it on pellet stove door seals and race car header bolts should work for you.

Nice shop to start with, if you burn it there a plenty more pallets around, good for you on the design. Shouldn't build up too much smoke inside. First one I worked in had a roof nailed to an Elm Tree, no sides and about 1/2 that size. We worked fast in the winter when we needed to make something and as the youngest I had to go start the forge.

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When using treated plates I don't recommend concrete, traps moister to the post, I recommend either wrapping them in ice dam block/ flexible flashing. If you can't sorce it use rubberized asphalt and 6 mil. poly (that's all it is anyway) to just abou ethe ground. It will dramatically extend the life of a post.
As to sealing the stack, the silicon can be reenforced with fiberglass. If you grab the small package at the automotive ile, as well as the small plastic squeegees for applying bondo, lay it on waxed paper and trowl it on, flip it over and repeat, now appy to the seam (tent boot trick) you can also let it set up, then cut out an opening, leaving tabs, and slide it over the pipe and glue it down with more silicon.

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