JHCC Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 (edited) After an abortive attempt to make a coffee can gas forge (documented here), I decided to use an old metal bucket as the basis for a portable charcoal forge. Here's how it went down.This is the bucket with the sides deeply notched, a hole cut in the side for the air intake, and the air intake fashioned from adobe. Wood ashes have been added to the bottom for insulation and to support the sides of the air intake.The air intake finished and surrounded by ash. The vertical section is a slot rather than a round hole. Edited August 7, 2015 by JHCC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 You are SERIOUSLY over thinking these things. That will burn huge amounts of charcoal and not do so good a job heating steel because the fire will be so low in the fuel.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 7, 2015 Author Share Posted August 7, 2015 Hang on; that's only halfway.Here's the forge with a LOT more ash added and tamped down and a layer of adobe over top. The wad of newspaper is keeping the air intake from slumping. And here it is set out to dry. The vertical distance from the top of the air inlet to the lip of the adobe is a bit less than two inches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 May I commend to your search the Tim Lively washtub forge from the old neo tribal days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 7, 2015 Author Share Posted August 7, 2015 May I commend to your search the Tim Lively washtub forge from the old neo tribal days.Yes, I had something like that in mind, but I only had a round bucket!(Maybe next time.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 (edited) Notice the sloped walls so you use less charcoal for a deeper fire. Your bucket forge looks like it was designed for using coal. Edited August 7, 2015 by ThomasPowers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 7, 2015 Author Share Posted August 7, 2015 (edited) Interesting. Well, if necessary, I suppose I could build the sides up more. I've certainly got plenty of clay around here.My old forge back in the day was for coal, so I suppose I'm influenced by that memory. Edited August 7, 2015 by JHCC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Exactly. Why we suggest researching first, building third, (scrounging parts is second!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 7, 2015 Author Share Posted August 7, 2015 Fair enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 8, 2015 Author Share Posted August 8, 2015 May I commend to your search the Tim Lively washtub forge from the old neo tribal days.Since his site is down, here's the WayBack version:https://web.archive.org/web/20140829131114/http://www.timlively.com/washtubforge.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1forgeur Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 what's the coating on the bucket? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJB WARRIOR Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 that's better than my first forge... was an aluminum pot with a leaf blower.melted the pot and the embers burnt holes in the blowers bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 8, 2015 Author Share Posted August 8, 2015 what's the coating on the bucket?Galvanized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewayforge Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 I would suggest you read up on metal fume fever- even if the galvanized bucket doesn't burn right off, some of the zinc coating may flake into the fire. Dangerous and potentially deadly. Otherwise, it is a good design, if a little shallow. But, that can be fixed with chicken wire and clay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 8, 2015 Author Share Posted August 8, 2015 A lot of it flaked off already when I was bashing the bucket into shape, but the chicken wire and clay suggestion is a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill in Oregon Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 I missed my old Tim Lively washtub forge so much I just built a new one -- and realize I used galvanized pipe for the tuyere. Guess I had better use it only in a strong breeze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 9, 2015 Author Share Posted August 9, 2015 I think I'm going to go with a Lively forge, once I can scrape together a few bucks for the washtub (unless I find one at a yard sale for cheap). I've already got a couple of lengths of black pipe I can use, although the one that's long enough isn't threaded for an end cap and the one that's threaded for an end cap isn't long enough. Maybe I have a friend with a pipe threader.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill in Oregon Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 JHCC, you can always just plug the end with wet clay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 A peice of rod that fits in the end relitively well can be used to choke off the unnecisary tuyeer holes for the forging proccess and be removed for heattreat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 9, 2015 Author Share Posted August 9, 2015 (edited) Actually, all this is moot, since I happened across an old farm forge at an antique shop that I was able to convince my wife to squeeze into the budget. And yeah, I know I was saying before that I didn't have any room in the budget at all. Sometimes, you just have to bite the bullet and go a little crazy. Now, was $125 a good price for this? It needs a new drive belt, and the ash door is a little rusty, but otherwise, everything appears to be solid and moving well (once is cleaned the rat's nest from the blower, that is). Edited August 9, 2015 by JHCC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 I'd buy it for that price. My portable was stolen while I had it stored after my divorce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 9, 2015 Author Share Posted August 9, 2015 (edited) I've got it pretty well cleaned up and ready to go. I don't know what the heck had collected inside the blower, but it looked and smelled like raw sewage. Fashioned a belt (at least temporarily) from a piece of strapping I had hanging around, and built up a charcoal-type firebox from rubble, ash, and the adobe top of the bucket forge. Here's hoping! Edited August 9, 2015 by JHCC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 probably a mouse nest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 It was foul, whatever it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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