Ser Menalak Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 So I use a brake drum forge out in the open, you can see the picture attached (embedding doesn't work). I also believe I use really cheap coal, $12 for 50lb bag. I heard that cheap coal has a lot of sulfur and so can cause metal fume fever symptoms. When I begin to coke it it caused VERY dark green fumes. Well I forged for about two hours today which is more than before and sure enough I have a sore throat. I feel like I probably breathed a good amount of smoke in because it just goes wherever it wants since I have no chimney. It's not related to zinc as my forge hasn't changed in months and all I was working with today was rebar. Do you guys think this is what caused the sore throat or smoke doesn't tend to do that? If so, do you know of any good methods or tutorials for building a chimney for a brake drum forge? I'd like to get the smoke up and away from me as best as possible. Thanks guys. BIG EDIT: I have no capabilities to weld! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Lots of smoke breathed in plus lots of green smoke will make ANYBODY have a sore throat and cough and hack. Stand back away from your fire and the green smoke when you first start it up, then let the flames devour the smoke and it disappears. Lots of folks coke up a bunch of coal at the end of the forging session and use that to start your fire next time. The coke won't smoke like the green coal. You don't get metal fume fever from coal with sulfur. That comes from metals such as zinc, chrome, cadmium, etc. heated in your forge. I need a hood on my forge, so for the present time, I just have a box fan mounted on a rack behind me that blows the smoke away. Might add that hood soon...in the dead of winter, that fan blowing on yer back ain't much fun....more pressure to get the hood mounted!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 If you use a box fan, blowing against the back or front makes eddy currents and retains the smoke in the eddys. Blow shoulder to shoulder which removes the smoke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 My fan is not close and I have to date (knock on wood) no problems with eddy currents. Besides, I move around and adjust to the wind from it. I do both back to front and side to side fan directions, depending on wind direction. Last week we had a good wind from the north and it was stronger than the fan! Just moved the forge around 90* :) Nice thing about semi-portable forges. Gotta get that hood fab'd!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtforge Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Here's what I use. It's a 1/4 scale of my shop side draft hood. The swing out wind screens are to keep the wind off the fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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