July 23, 201411 yr At work too dang much, but the franken-forge is almost complete enough to fire up. Just needs a little clay in the pan. Hood is a 20 (25?) gallon barrel. Basically built a frame, cut up a 55 gallon barrel and bent it for a tray, dropped the old lawnmower deck/brake rotor forge in. Also gonna put it on wheels and forge a few custom bits, corner pieces, braces, handles/tong holders. Any thoughts? http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/image/38362-forge2/ http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/image/38361-franken-forge1/
July 23, 201411 yr Greetings NS, Looks like you are on your way ... Just a few suggestions... Lower your fire pot about 3 in.. This will allow a much better nest for your coal.. Next move your hood back to allow more room at the fire.. A smaller square opening would also be a tad better . It will draft just fine.. Just my 2c.. I am sure others will chime in with their suggestion. Keep up the great work.. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim
July 23, 201411 yr Author Dropping the firepot not as much of an option, since it's stuck in the bottom of that lawnmower, under the refractory, but it's about 4.5 inches deep and worked well so far. Just got sick of not having a hood, and tray. And the clinker screen needed rebuilding, and.............
July 24, 201411 yr Careful with wheels- need some way to lock them securely. Awful lot of fire to tip over or roll away..... Nice job- show us the first thing you make with it :) Dave
July 24, 201411 yr Author Very short wheels (lawnmower), one side only. Weight of the forge on the other legs makes an extremely effective brake til you lift it. Used it before on the old forge and on pushcarts.:D
August 1, 201411 yr Nice bit of work. The only thing I'd recommend is that you put a pair of big wheels on the thing. I hate seeing forges like that with a cheap set of lawnmower wheels on them. Not only don't they roll well on uneven ground, but they just look wrong. Keep your eyes open for some old cast-iron or steel wheels from some old farm equipment. 18"-24" in diameter. They pop up all the time at flea markets and look "right".
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