KGatLC Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Why not bottom blast? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Why not? Depends on the individual blacksmith and his preference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I ran a bottom blast charcoal forge for years before switching to coal. Works just fine, though after a few hours the bottom blast does tend to blow the little bits of burning charcoal out of the forge. Building a forge with brake drum, pipe, scrap metal and a squirrel cage blower, a bottom blast was the clearest path to a working forge. If all I had was wood, clay and leather for a bellows, a side blast might make more sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 TRADITION and you can get away from blowing the ashes everywhere as they drop past the tuyere zone... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGatLC Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 Thanks for the replies. Been reading side blast for charcoal, but never the reason why. I'm going to build me a small one for annealling files and heat treating knives. With what I'm using I think bottom blast will work out best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 You can run a bottom blast or a side blast by which way you blow the air into the fire. No reason you can not have both in the same forge. One at a time of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I find the side blast a bit less likely to blow out the charcoal, but i cant make coals out of raw wood as readily. Not having slag obove your air grate is a big advantage. Yes you get slag in a charcoal fire, just not near as much as coal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Yes you get slag in a charcoal fire, just not near as much as coal. I use charcoal exclusively (side blast rotary hand blower) and never get slag. The only slaggy stuff comes from the occasional melting of the ant-bed we lined the fire pot with, where it contacts the tuyere pipe. I usually just chip it off at the end of each session so it's clean for the next start. I didn't think charcoal would be capable of creating slag. Not like coal anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Not like coal at all, but scale, and dirt/dust dose contaminate your fuel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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