Hi. Im not sure if there is another forum on this that ive misses but im striking out on a specific how to. So i have a basic brake drum forge and am trying to do a long heat (longer than 8 inches, closer to 24 inches), so i can do long twists. Whats the best way to do this? I can only get the 8 inches at best from the brake drum and the torch only goes so far as well. Is there any way to get a long heat without a propane forge? (Not had luck with the propane latley). Has any body done a long trench style coal forge? Thanks for any suggestions!

I have used a trench in the back yard to heat 3/8" sheet for box folding.  Took a piece of 1.5"-2" black pipe (what was in the scrap pile) and drilled a bunch of 1/4: holes along the top  and 30 degs to the sides, blew it with a shop vac.

 

A traditional way of heating long blades in a short fire is to push and pull them back and forth through the hot spot to get a longer heat.

 

If this is a one off, no problem.  If there is a lot of them then constructing a forge with a long firepot would be a good idea and not that hard---see the Tim Lively washtub forge for an example 

Thanks thomas! Ive been thinking about building one like that but have heard little about them. Seen a few pictures and a youtube but didnt know if there were other tricks out there either. Guess ive been a bit slow to try it because i keep ending up in a bit of a 'hey i could build that tool! Cycle' instead of just forging! I like the idea of keeping it simple with digging a trench to try my idea instead of commiting a bit of time to a forge i may not need yet. Thanks, great feedback!

Greetings Ti.

 

I built a simple twisting machine with a 16:1 ratio gear box and most round and square can be twisted cold up to about 5/8.   When I had my big shop I could twist 1in 10 foot long cold with my Eagle rolling machine..  A old pipe threading machine makes a swell twisting tool also.. As far as long heats like TP said just move your stock back and forth... You do not need a full yellow heat to twist. Try twisting at a long dull red... I hope this helps

 

Forge on and make beautiful things

Jim 

Pushing and pulling your stock through your brake drum is a way to do it but depending on your stock size it may require attentive fire maintenance as your fuel will constantly be disturbed, keep a rake in your other hand to shepherd any wayward coals back into the middle.
Depending on your stock thickness you may need to rotate it regularly to ensure an even heat across the diameter as well as length.

My brake drum forge had a narrow opening in the fence in front and a mousehole just over the edge of the drum in back so I could push stuff in and out without pushing/pulling coal/coke out of it.

Here is a video of my trough forge and jumpy castle blower set up. Works well for me and can be made longer when needed. Only drama I find is ash build up after about 3-4 hours of forging