Good electric blower and can you forge weld with wood forge?

[bound201]

I've got two questions:

 

1. What's a good electric blower for a forge. 

2. I'm not sure if I want to go the coal route or a wood/charcoal forge. Most of the work I do is damascus knife making, will wood handle this or is it just not efficient/hot enough to handle this regularly?

[Charles R. Stevens]

Charcoal handled it for the first few thousand years of woeking iron and steel

high efencency furnace/hotwaterheater exast boosters, bathroom vent fans, dryer fans, bed inflateors, pool enflatora...

Edited July 17, 2015 by Charles R. Stevens

[bound201]

I know its been used for a while but wasn't sure as to how well it would forge weld, coal will hit welding temp easily wood/charcoal I wasn't sure if it would hit it easily or you had to hold your tongue to the right, lift your left leg, hop on your right leg while turning around type thing.

 

I'm looking at the blowers from blacksmith depot, I'd love to get a hand turn but it will be used for other purposes as well.

[Culver Creek Hunt Club]

I actually have this one at home and when my forge is done I will be trying it. Description is off though because it isn't 3 speed. it is variable speed and rated to 300 CFM. I am going to duct it and see what happens. I bows hard but not sure how it will do against resistance. I had a 25% off coupon when I picked it up so I figured what the hay

 

 

 

 

[Glenn]

if you get a blower that is too large or too much volume for the forge, vent the excess air.

If you get a blower such as an whole house fan, those used to dry a floor or move massive amounts of air, then get two (2) sections of expandable aluminum dryer vent and hook BOTH up to the air outlet of the blower. One goes to the forge and should be with a loose connection so you can vent air if needed.  The second dryer vent is to go to the blacksmith to keep HIM cool. You will be amazed how good a blast of air on the body will feel on a hot day.

[ThomasPowers]

Charcoal uses less air than a coal forge; pretty much all the damascus steel made before "modern" times (industrial revolution) was made with charcoal forges and the japanese swords are still made traditionally with charcoal to this day.  Now you need a forge designed to use charcoal for welding and not a coal forge you have stuck charcoal in---to avoid all the "Diesel fuel cannot be used in vehicles because I put it in my gas engine car and it didn't work"  posts.

When I use wood in my forge I burn it in a separate fire and just transfer hot coals over to the forge---a lot more pleasant than dealing with the heat and smoke at the forge.

 

Edited July 17, 2015 by Glenn

[Frosty]

If you're going to use wood directly you're really using the charcoal bed, not the wood itself. You bet you can forge and weld in a wood fire, I have years of experience messing around in a camp fire. The biggest problem I found wasn't getting the coals hot enough it was being able to get within 10'+ of the fire. You WILL need a heat shield if you're going to use wood directly.

Do it like Thomas suggests and it becomes easy and not uncomfortable. I suggest your first camp fire project be toasting forks so you can enjoy a hot lunch/dinner, etc.

Frosty The Lucky.