Woggwoo Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Hi everyone. I am new to your forum and hope it is okay to start off by asking questions. I am just getting started in blacksmithing and am putting together some shop items. I recently found an interesting forge on Craigslist. More than anything I wanted the blower attached to the forge, but the forge itself looks odd to me. I assume it is a coal forge, but there is a weird burner-like apparatus where the fire pot should be. The forge was made by The Buffalo Forge Co. of Buffalo NY. The blower attached to it was a Otto-Canedy Royal Western Chief. I'm thinking the indentations in the pan of the forge was perhaps to accommodate the original blower? There were remnants of refractory cement in the basin which was cracked and crumbling so I removed it to get a better view of what was what, but I am still befuddled. I have googled and googled but found nothing like this online so I'm sure I'm not using the correct terminology. Anyone have any clue what kind of forge this is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimsShip Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Hey Wogg- Welcome abaord! If you put your location down, you may find you have a blacksmith nearby! That forge is a beauty, and it is a coal forge. I've never seen the item by the tuyere (center of the pot) but i'm fairly new here as well. Is the handle hollow? Maybe some sort of clinker breaker? Hard to think thats what it is though since it would either be under the refractory or right in the fire... Looking at the indentation, that bump looks like almost a stop for the handle. I can't wait to see what the pros here come up with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 It's a tuyere for a bellows and not original to that forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimsShip Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 See? That was easy. These guys know everything. I thought it may be hollow for air, but it didn't make sense it would be in the pot and not under it. (I thought it was thrown together wrong!) Still a nice find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woggwoo Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 Thanks for the info. The part of the tuyere that shoots off at 90 degrees looks like it was hollow at one point, but its packed with refractory now. It also seems to be diverting the air from the blower to the outside of the ring and not the inside, probably also because its packed up. I'm thinking it might be best to try to take it out of there altogether. If I put refractory back in I foresee a huge mess. Any advice? I also stumbled upon this old catalogue from Buffalo Forge today and it sure looks like the forge on page 7 called the No. 3 Boilermakers' Forge is a match. Looking at the large gears and the lever location, all the mounting holes in my forge are starting to make sense. Those impressions on the bottom must be there for the gears to have clearance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woggwoo Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 Thanks JimsShip, I'll add my location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Advice: don't get hung up on a forge; folks have used a hole in the ground for several thousand years now with good success. The "modern" forges are just moving that hole up to a comfortable working level and making it more portable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 I've seen lots of Buffalo forges, but not one with the running buffalo trademark. It must be an old timer for that company. I have a large 1894 catalog with engravings of 18 "tuyer irons." Your style is called a "duck-nest." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woggwoo Posted June 20, 2014 Author Share Posted June 20, 2014 Thanks for the info Frank! I think that logo is pretty cool. I'm going to dive into some research on duck's nest tuyere irons now.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 In the latter half of the 19th century, there was a number of patents on tuyere irons, most of them bottom blast, even though the U.S. was founded with side blast forges. In my old catalog, two duck-nest types are illustrated. One has a round, conical air intake and the other a half round, tapered intake. Currently, most serious work in the U.S. is done with fire pots which average about 4.5 inches deep...or with gas forges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 A wonderful old forge. The Buffalo logo is really cool.Thanks for including the pdf of the Buffalo catalogue. Great reading. Helped me a lot identifying these things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.