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I Forge Iron

Educational Discovery on my coal forge


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I use a hand made drum brake forge, and tonight while running it, it became very windy. I decided to call it quits, but i wanted to cover the forge to snuff it out. I grabbed a matching brake drum and set it on top......

My did that make a gorgeous pillar of fire.

And the fire fleas almost disappeared completely!

So i cranked my hair dryer back up and did a heat through the hole, and it seemed to work, just slower than if i were directly in the coal. Note that the coal in my pot was almost burnt up at this point.

 

My question is, is there a benefit to using a covered forge such as this? Is there anything to gain/lose?

I'm considering slotting the upper drum so i can get more access than going through the upper hole.

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Not like that there isn't, it was just a cool effect. However there are times when closing the fire in is beneficial  you use fire bricks to make an enclosed oven. This is usually a heat treat type fire where you want even temperature all round and minimal outside variables.

Frosty The Lucky.

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  • 3 weeks later...

You can shovel it into a bucket of water instead of all the hassle of trying to smother it. Coal and coke don't care about being wet, let it drain for a while before lighting the fire again is about all.

Frosty The Lucky.

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If you dunk it in a bucket, make sure that it's a plastic one.  Coal in water will eat a galvànized bucket inside of a year.  Probably even a stainless one would have problems, and I'm sure that not everything that ended up in the bucket would be coked up.

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Shoveling it into a bucket seems like a lot more trouble then throwing a top on it and a cap over the air inlet. 10 seconds and I let her sit to cool down for about 30 minutes while I clean up what I've been working on, and the mess I've made then move it back into the shop.

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If you dunk it in a bucket, make sure that it's a plastic one.  Coal in water will eat a galvànized bucket inside of a year.  Probably even a stainless one would have problems, and I'm sure that not everything that ended up in the bucket would be coked up.

Quarry,

I have been using the same bucket for about 8 years, could be mine is lasting as it is a non-soldered (dry product) galvanized  bucket.

When I shut down I dampen the coals, and pick out the clinker as I shovel it into the bucket and thorough soak everything in the bucket, and let the water filter out of the bucket, by the following weekend most of the coke is usually dry.  I have tried using a plastic bucket, but unfortunately hot coke will float on water.  Melted a few holes at the water line (bucket was a thin walled one, not thick like a 5 gal pail)

Rich C.

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Difference might be that you pick it out as soon as it is cool.  Some of the new guys at the shop would leave it sit.  Some times we'd find green coal in the bottom from someone soaking the coal for a "fire cave".  Now that I think about it, that's probably what did it.

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