NickG231 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Being that i am somewhat new to blacksmithing and only 18 years old i do not have a wealth of knowledge on Building a forges, but i and dying to upgrade from my current small charcoal forge. I am wondering why i do not see more plans for Brick forges, as i have recently purchased a couple of tons of bricks to build myself a more permanent and higher quality forge. If anyone has plans for a simple brick forge i would love to see them. Keep in mind that i have never done any real masonry work, but i learn quite quickly. Im looking to build something similar to this,but with only one work station. Any help is appreciated Thanks, -Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceman_713 Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 being of limited experience myself i think that most people dont build brick forges like the one you have pictured because it is not moveable once it is built unless you feel like tearing it down it is a permanent structure in a persons shop and when a person aquires more equipment they have to work around the room left by the brick forge not being able to move the forge around to better arrange their shop. just my thoughts though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Good Morning, I woudn't build a fixed forge unles you are in a location where you will never move. You should post your location so someone close to you can offer some guidance. "ASK TWICE, CUT ONCE" You can build a coal forge that is way more portable than the Brick Forge. I would get some time forging under your belt before making a decision on a permanent fixture. You can use some of your bricks to make a propane forge. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Geist Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Being that i am somewhat new to blacksmithing and only 18 years old i do not have a wealth of knowledge on Building a forges, but i and dying to upgrade from my current small charcoal forge. I am wondering why i do not see more plans for Brick forges, as i have recently purchased a couple of tons of bricks to build myself a more permanent and higher quality forge. If anyone has plans for a simple brick forge i would love to see them. Keep in mind that i have never done any real masonry work, but i learn quite quickly. Im looking to build something similar to this,but with only one work station. Brick_Forge.jpg Any help is appreciated Thanks, -Nick Nick, This is a cool topic. I too would like to have a brick or masonry type. What I'd like to find is some drawings or blueprints that could be handed to a mason or bricklayer with instructions to "go ahead do this" I've heard tell that stuff like that can be gotten from ABANA? Hope it works out for you. George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Check out this link. It describes building a hood of steel based on a brick forge pattern. There is a drawing with all the dimensions of the brick chimney. I have used the original forge shown in the link and have used a metal example similar to the one described for years. There is no forge chimney that will draw any better. www.beautifuliron.com/steelhoods Can't get the direct link to work so you'll have to type the above link into Google search Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Moxon describes a masonry side blast forge in "Mechanics Exercises" (the complete book not the reprints of just the printing section) Practical Blacksmithing; Richardson; has several masonry forges shown/described. These are historical sources from periods where you expect to stay put once you opened your shop for business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EtownAndrew Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 You may have already found it but the link below is one person's building of a brick forge. http://www.iforgeiron.com/page/index.html/_/blueprints/100-series/bp0553-building-a-brick-forge-r1094 I agree with the others. Brick forges are hard to move or modify and a lot more expensive than a simple metal table with 4 legs and a pot in the middle. They do look nice. Appearance is the only advantage. I have a nearby blacksmith friend who made a brick forge that works fine as far as I can see but he now would like to improve it. However, that does mean taking hammers and breaking it all apart to start over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy k Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I have never had a need to move mine from were it sits. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I know several smiths with masonry forges that mainly use them as tables for their propane forges nowadays. Jeremy I envy you; the first 6 years of my marriage we moved every year and then spent 15 years in a large old house---the move from that place near to kilt me as we didn't have the yearly winnowing to cut down on cruft. We're hoping that we're in our last home now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 My humble advise is to try out forges and other equipment that belong to local museums, blacksmith guilds and other smiths so that you can get the feel of what forges and other equipment meets your needs and your style of working. That can save you a lot of time and money in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Here this link works! Steel Side-draft Forge and Hood Plans - Beautiful Iron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I would absolutely love to have a really big masonry forge. That, to me, is the perfect smithing set up, but it requires a bit of permanency in your life because it's a very large investment. While I like the ease of propane, there's nothing quite like using coal to make metal hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 But coal is such a recent fuel when it comes to smithing! Less than 1000 years older than propane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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