Hey guys this my first post here:) just starting out as a blacksmith. im am in the process of getting all my supplies together. its a little hard as i am in an urban city none the less im still trying to find scrape instead of buying. 

Now to the point of this post. i been looking for a break drum for a while now finally found one at one of my local repair shop. the problem is the break drum is only about 3 inches deep. i feel like that is going to be a problem. What do you guys think? from what i have gather most break drums that are used are about 5-6 inches deep. Can i use it as is? Another problem is i dont have a way to weld. So i was thinking maybe making some sort of cone that i put on top to increase the depth and i could go to a local welding place and get it done. i dont know how much he will charge but rather not spend more than i have to as i dont know if i like blacksmith yet.

 

tdlr i have a 3inch brake drum will that work? or will i need to modify it to make it work?

 

Hello and welcome. If you take a minute and add your location to your profile, you may be surprised how many IFI members are close by.

 

As far as depth, that depends on your fuel type. Charcoal needs a deeper fire than coal does. Yes you can build up the area above the drum using clay etc to increase it's depth if need be. You don't NEED to know how to weld to build a forge many have been built using pipe flanges and bolts to connect the air ducting. Welding is just one possible option.

how would i go about adding clay to the top? i was talking about welding something on top didnt know i could use clay to extend the height also i will be using coal. i understand well think i understand to build a forge thats not the problem the plumbing seems easy enough i am just worried about the forge not being deep enough to get a nice little hive to head the metal as long as it semi works that should be fine as i want to know if i like blacksmith then ill build a better one once i have a little more knowledge.

The depth of the fire depends on the fuel you use. 

Do a search for the 55 forge and the side blast 55 forge. The side blast is easiest to build.

Find yourself a piece of sheet steel say a 55gl. drum end, washing machine door, etc. Then simply cut a hole in it the drum drops into but stops on the rim. this will give you a forge table you can use to hold fuel, tools, work, etc. If you ram damp clay onto the table around the drum till it's about level it becomes easy to stack a couple few bricks around it to make whatever depth or shape fire you wish.

Frosty the Lucky.

wow thanks did not even think of that im going to do that. also a washing machine door is that thick? 

Door doesn't have to be thick as it really won't get hot. All it has to do is support the drum and give you something to hold up the clay/ bricks or the extra coal that is getting converted to coke.

Take a strip of sheet metal say 6-8 inches wide and the inside circumference of your brake drum minus 2-3 inches long.  Hold it so it;s bent in a circle and drop it in the empty brake drum so it fits around the sides.  Bingo you now have a 6-8" deep forge that you can stick stock in at the level of the hot spot.  Now chisel a mousehole opposite the gap and above the rim of the brake drum so you can push stock all the way through it to heat the middle of long pieces.

You do know that there were more anvils and blacksmith set ups in cities than in the country right?

 

Edited July 30, 201510 yr by ThomasPowers

 

You do know that there were more anvils and blacksmith set ups in cities than in the country right?

no i did not hm interesting

 

also does the gauge of the sheet metal matter?

In some ways yes, in some ways no. Paper thin sheet like 22 ga won't support a lot of weight without extra bracing. However heavier sheet becomes more difficult to cut without specialized tools. Assuming a decent design, functionality of both would be about the same.

It doesn't support much weight as most of the weight is down on the bottom of the brake drum; as it will be to the sides of the hot spot it won't scale away. I used just what I could find for free and used it as my main billet welding forge for several years.

What part of California are you in?  Are you around San Diego?  I know that CBA has a shop in Vista(I need to make it there sometime), there's a shop down in old town (don't know if they teach), and there is a shop in Grape Day Park in Escondido.

Suggest that you take a beginner class or two first to find out if you have the bug for blacksmithing, rather than build a forge.  Getting some of the fundamentals down from a competent teacher is orders of magnitude better than trying to reinvent the wheel (though it does appear that you have been doing some good research online as you were aware of the depth of your fire being an important part of forge design).  There are a bunch of other fine nuances for constructing a coal forge (method for introducing combustion air - including flow rate, orientation and configuration, vent stacks, clinker breakers and ash dump), but you can certainly get by on a shoestring with a blow dryer and capped steel pipe with small holes drilled in it placed in a shallow trench in the ground if need be.  If it were me I would try to experience using some coal forges that have been well constructed before putting any significant effort into building one, but each to his own.

What part of California are you in?  Are you around San Diego?  I know that CBA has a shop in Vista(I need to make it there sometime), there's a shop down in old town (don't know if they teach), and there is a shop in Grape Day Park in Escondido.

im in the bay area 

Suggest that you take a beginner class or two first to find out if you have the bug for blacksmithing, rather than build a forge.  Getting some of the fundamentals down from a competent teacher is orders of magnitude better than trying to reinvent the wheel (though it does appear that you have been doing some good research online as you were aware of the depth of your fire being an important part of forge design).  There are a bunch of other fine nuances for constructing a coal forge (method for introducing combustion air - including flow rate, orientation and configuration, vent stacks, clinker breakers and ash dump), but you can certainly get by on a shoestring with a blow dryer and capped steel pipe with small holes drilled in it placed in a shallow trench in the ground if need be.  If it were me I would try to experience using some coal forges that have been well constructed before putting any significant effort into building one, but each to his own.

yea that would probably be the better idea however i have already started buying/ finding stuff so if i dont like blacksmithing can always give my stuff to a friend see if they like it.

Brake rotors make better forges than drums do. It is easier to pile fuel up than to get down into a fire in a deep pot. My vintage cast iron forge is pretty shallow at around 1.5". The pan also has depressions across from each other which allow a long bar to be passed completely through the fire horizontally. 

I grew up in Fairfield. You have lots of sources for materials up that way. 

Look up some night welding courses at a local community college. They are inexpensive, and well worth the time.