Newbies First Forge

[pa lineman]

Well , I have to say what everyone else is saying.. this site and the pool of knowledgeable folks is AWESOME !It all started with an article in Backwoodsman Magazine . Some one had made a small camp axe from a railroad spike .That grabbed my interest . So I did a search online and ended up here. I joined the group and the next thing you know Im building a forge! So here it is , nothing fancy but I should be able to learn something with it. I need some real coal and some tools but for the first firing I was able to heat up a railroad spike enough to flatten it with a 3lb hammer. The pot is a truck drum. The table is made from bricks out of a woodstove. I didnt have any fire brick for the sides  so I smeared some refractory cement on some red bricks I had for now.The blower is from some big radio transmitter equipment.Now all I have to do is learn the basics. I have to find a smith nearby I guess.

 

Thanks for a great site and for time you folks spend helping out here!

 

 

[Dabbsterinn]

this certainly looks like something that could serve you well, atleast from my point of view, there probably are some other people with other opinions.

one thing that's a bit of a habit of mine to do with coal, i work a lot with some not so good coal, bituminous i think or something, has tar and sulphur in it so it smokes pretty bad if you add it too fast, i don't have the same problem with coke and charcoal probably won't do the same

what i like to do is to have a nice pile of coal lined up around the firepot, slowly "cooking" them until they are coke i think, that's atleast how coke has been explained to me

so thats why i like to have enough space on both sides and behind the firepot, also helps if you are working with a long straight piece and you don't want to have a tall fire

but that's just my peculiar habits, take the advice if you want if you make another one.

also a rheostat (heavy duty dimmer) or some kind of a  valve to control the airflow can save you a whole lot of coal, good habit to close the airflow while there's nothing in the fire

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard, glad to have you. If you put your general location in the header you'll be surprised how many of the IFI gang live within visiting distance.

 

You're going to hear a number of folk scream about using charcoal briquettes as being worthless as forge fuel. They WILL work but there are problems, for a start break them up to walnut size pieces, they'll burn more oxy from the air blast and the steel will oxidize less. If you're in Pa as your login name maybe implies you should have good coal close. Try the yellow pages  and call around to blacksmith and farrier supplier. Failing that try calling blacksmiths or farriers and ask them. If they don't use coal they will know who does.

 

That's a good working forge. At that distance from the fire pot you don't need a refractory brick or coating on red brick to protect them from the heat unless you're prone to getting REALLY carried away or the shop burns down. Once you find coal you'll want to look into a hood and stack to control the smoke. Side draft hoods are very popular because they work so well.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[pa lineman]

Thanks for the replies Dabbsterinn and Frosty. I will grab a heavy duty dimmer tomorrow. I have an on /off switch but was cranking  through the charcoal with the little bit of work I tried today. I will also look around here for some hood plans.

 

What type of coal should I be looking for?

 

I hope to find someone nearby to show me some basics...like correct hammer blows to start with. I was just playin around with a few railroad spikes today and noticed I wasnt getting the metal to do what I wanted.I know its in the way Im hitting it.I also soon realized that I need a pair of tongs..soon.Vice grips are too short!

 

Thanks again !

[Frosty]

Be VERY careful about using a dimmer switch unless you know exactly what's what. The "lineman" in your handle should, I hope, mean you're in contact with good info if you don't already know.

 

You want metallurgical coal, or blacksmithing coal, typically bituminous. If you look on the Iforge home page, scroll to near the bottom and you'll come to the regional organizations section, find the one nearest to you, make contact go to meetings and events. Clubs will not only put you in contact with other blacksmiths, events and classes but tools, equipment and supplies. Networking is Good. <wink>

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[DSW]

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[pa lineman]

Thanks ! I checked out the PABA and found lots of good info. Close to home too.

[Glenn]

 

You need to add more fuel to your fire. Enough fuel that you have a fire ball about the size of a melon or larger, with additional fuel on top of that. Air controls the burn rate not the fuel.

[Dan C]

Nice looking forge, I'd add a dump gate under the tuyere though.  You can also make your own charcoal.

 

[bacpacker]

Nice looking forge. You had the same idea I have about using a old grill. Mine will have a Champion blower attached, but wil also use a brake drum for the fire pot.