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I Forge Iron

The forge build begins


Sam Salvati

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Frosty,
I almost, not quite, but almost feel guilty for receiving such good ideas from your self and the others who help me out on a regular bases.
I put these suggestions and ideas in my “memory parking lot" so I may draw upon them when I am ready. All ideas that will help me improve the environment for cleaner air is much appreciated.
Thanks again. That idea of a downdraft welding/cutting table seems to hit the spot, and will add onto my ensemble of measures to improve my air quality.
Be safe!
Old Rusty Ted

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When you make the down draft table, make it a checkerboard of holes (think acorn platten) and cover the ones you are not using. That way you are removing the smoke from the smoky area and not the whole table.

As to pumping air into a hood, look at the professional pumps as they are safe to breathe the air they produce. Other air pumps may introduce oil and other things you don't want to breathe in to the air supply, (as it was not intended for human consumption).

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Glenn,
You make some very good points that fine tune some already very good ideas.
The air pump I am going to use in the shop is quite an expensive unite that I purchased for treating sleep apnea. It never did me any good; all it did was choke me. The newer units compensate for the problem I had with it.
Because I could not use the unit for its intended use, I changed its job description to that of being an air transporter to my welding helmet!
Thank You for your valued input!
Old Rusty Ted

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I have to stick up for using bar grate rather than a grid because it'll get chewed up in use and it's WAY easier to replace a few bars than a grid. I'll probably build one so the individual bars rest in slots so I can just pull ones that become too damaged.

By all means you MUST use a breathable air pump. I don't know if the ones used for therapy will provide enough volume. I have an oiless, carbon vane breathable air pump for my 3M White Cap III supplied air welding helmet. (Yes, this IS a helmet. For you pro weldors out there)

Passing ideas around is why most of us are here Ted. I know I get a better rush when some piddly little thing I know or think up works to make someone's life easier than I do when I learn something from someone else. If you haven't done it yet you really MUST teach someone to blacksmith, it's ALMOST better than sex. . . Almost. :rolleyes:

Frosty

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I got to go with frosty on this one, my cutting table is a square of 1/4 by 2 Angle iron outside flange up with 1/4 by 2 flat iron on edge just setting on the bottom of the angle iron with short pieces of 1/8 x 2 flat cut and tack welded between the bars with just enough clearance that the the bars do not bind, the angled light flat also keeps the swarf from building up on the bottom part of the Angle iron supporting them.

I am in a small shop with it packed with machine tools, etc so space is at a premium and the table is hinged to the end of my salvaged material welding table and is supported by two angled pivoting pieces of 1/2 inch bar so the cutting table will swing down next to the end of the table for extra room. I also store 5 short sawhorses under the cutting table.

To me the worst thing in the shop as far as air pollution is the plasma cutter, the air is full of vaporized metal dust.

The only pictures I could find of it only shows it partially, but I think you can see how it works.

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Nice table Jr. I have never gotten around to making a cutting table. I usually just cut in the air or block things up over the 30"X4' cast iron table in the shop. My shop is small and my 5X8 layout table lives outside. I have to move it over beside the shop in the winter so I can plow snow. One of your swingup tables will definitely be hanging off the end of this table soon. The angled dividers are a great feature.

As you folks can see the bars on his table have been flipped over once. Two for the price of one.

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Well. . . It actually does get better than this Ted. When you invite the guys over and they get into a brainstorming session with graph paper, pencils and shortly everybody just digs in and starts building stuff. :o

Whew!

Frosty

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Post pictures when you fire it up for the first time.


Which pics would you like to see Brother M?

The forge burning merrily?

Apprenticeman and cohorts blazing away merrily?

Or something else once the smithy itself gets rolling?

:o

Frosty
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  • 2 months later...

Here is a little modification i came up with. It both opens and dumps the ash from the clinker breaker, and also acts as a shutt off/idler for the fire. You lift up on the little handle and hang it on the little U shape when you go and turn to work and it opens the ash door, so the fire is not burning full blast at your back, when you come back you lift it off and the door closes it goes back to full blast. You set your air amount with the damper on the blower, different for each job, then you have off or on, with quite a bit of control by opening and closing so that it works like a bellows POOF POOF POOF as fast or slow as needed. I addes a few scrolls and twists also, i figure if you are going to make it why not make it pretty:D.

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  • 3 years later...

Sorry to revive an old thread but i really like your design and want to make mine like it . do you have a shot of the clinker breaker set up ? Also now you have had it running for some time is there anything you would change to your design ?

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