Curtis87 Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 So this is the forge I built myself. It does the job but there are some limitations. Basically I we looking go for some ideas on how I can get the fire hot enough to forge weld. The best I can do is a bright yellow without sparks. I'm thinking it might have something to do with the depths of the fire, or maybe I just need more air. Any info at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 More fuel, clear up to the top of the firebricks to start.Fuel does not make the fire hot, air makes the fire hot. With a deep fire, the fuel extra fuel will hold the heat down into the fireball.Interesting forge design, How did you arrive at the height of the shelf on the side of the forge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Are the two pieces of steel in the fire being heated or are they part of the forge? If they're something like and irons they're just venting and absorbing heat, cooling the fire. If you're heating them to forge they're too high in the fire, well above the sweet spot at the top of the fireball Glenn refers to.Glenn is right, deeper fuel more air. The steel needs to be high enough in the fire that all the oxy has been consumed but not above the sweet spot.If you're getting high yellow they you're getting welding hot. There's more to forge welding than just getting it hot. There are a lot of posts from guys who forge weld regularly archived here. It's a good place to read, you'll probably fin your answers but if you don't you'll have a broader information base and ask better questions.That isn't a bad looking forge, not the best by a long shot but not bad at all. I'd use it, no problem.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 Thanks for the input guys. After reading some other posts I've found several flaws in my design that can be quickly fixed.the height of the plate is basically flush with the bottom of the fire . It just worked out that way because the shape of the drum wouldn't let me cut further with a grinder.The steel in the picture is something I'm working on, ( just drifting some holes for bolts).Ill post some better pictures of the forge later today. Thanks again! This is the extent of my skills right now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Big old OTR truck drum, lol. Bet that sweetheart eats you out of home. Adobe/cob is a cheap filler that you can used to make the forge a bit smaller, I would advise you build the floore up about 3" with a bowl. About 6" across down to your tuyeer. That will help with fuel consumpion, if you are pushing to much air, you may need to go deaper than that. As you can only work about 6" at a time realy no sence building a larger fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 I was trying to create a v shape so that the charcoal would fall to a point as it burned off and and the bottom I have a 5" piece of pipe with a few small holes in it to create a longer fire. The answer to your question is yes, it eats charcoal extremely fast. ( so do my dogs by the way, anyone know why that is?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 For general forging a single 3/4" tuyeer and a 6" fire ball is recomended for charchoal. Choke the air way back, as to much air will one, cool the fire, creat a flock of fire fleas and eat up fuel. Charcoal dosn't realy like bottom blast but can be made to work. Best set up is a side blast, as you are about half way there, go buy a 3/4" ball valve and a 12" 3/4" black pipe nipple. Come in atleast an inch of the bottom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 And about 3" shy of wear you want the fire. 3-4" above the tuyeer is sufent for the bowl. Bottom blast is best if you keep the air down and go 5-6" above the tuyeer. You only need a long fire for heat treating and large scrolles. With charcoal that requires a bottom pipe with multipe holes or multiple tuyeers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 How many dogs do you have and do they all eat charcoal? A pair of dogs might just be playing keep away from each other but if there are a few and they're all eating it you might want to take a look at what's in their food. Dogs drink from the muddy water for the minerals, clean water is just water.I don't know what a dog might find good about charcoal but it won't hurt them. Heck I've known people who chew it out of the camp fire, not burning just fresh.I'd go with Charles's advice, he has the right of it.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted October 17, 2015 Author Share Posted October 17, 2015 How many dogs do you have and do they all eat charcoal? A pair of dogs might just be playing keep away from each other but if there are a few and they're all eating it you might want to take a look at what's in their food. Dogs drink from the muddy water for the minerals, clean water is just water.I don't know what a dog might find good about charcoal but it won't hurt them. Heck I've known people who chew it out of the camp fire, not burning just fresh.I'd go with Charles's advice, he has the right of it.Frosty The Lucky.I have two dogs, and they are definitely eating it like it's their last meal. Must be the taste I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 When I was a kid charchoal was an ingrediant in dry kibble (mother has the requisit embarising pictures of me eating the stuff) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted October 26, 2015 Author Share Posted October 26, 2015 Here are some more pictures of the forge, now that it's empty. And one more to show that, even though it's not ideal for heating steel, it does do some things very well Is it normal that all of my pictures show up sideways? They turn out alright when clicked on but appear crooked on the thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 lol, well atleast all your work didnt go to waste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Last time I had charcoal in my mouth I didn't really notice a taste, just crunchy grit lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desmato Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Curtis, I have a question..... why would you forge with natural Charcoal but completely ruin a steak over junk briquettes ? BTW, I have a homemade Whitlox forge, which is quite similar in design and function as your drum. It too eats the charcoal at an astonishing rate and gets nowhere near as hot or as fast as my coal forges. At least with every attempt I've made with it so far. I've tried near every amount of air possible from a baby's breath to blowing fleas everywhere. Still, just gets the steel medium orange at best after 3-4 minutes. never hot enough to weld or even retain a good heat. Plenty of fuel piled high, the only thing I have not done is decrease the size of the lump/fuel I use. That's next. **** My apologies to the Whitlox family for making a copy of their unit. I could not afford one with the shipping to Mich so I made my own. I am not producing them nor making more than the 1 I have. "Imitation is the greatest form of Flattery" or so it's said. Being a blacksmith means we make most everything we have so ....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted October 28, 2015 Author Share Posted October 28, 2015 I knew someone would make a comment on the briquettes. I didn't want them there but it was all I had left, so there is some hardwood charcoal in there as well. They did turn out quite well. I plan on changing my design eventually, I'll make a bowl in the centre with just one larger hole with a grate. And with this I'll be able to use my coal once I sort out some sort of really tall chimney, as to not xxxx off my wonderful neighbours that already hate me lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 8, 2015 Author Share Posted November 8, 2015 So I got this old brake from the scrapyard for $3. As is, the pot is 2 1/2" deep , roughly 7 inches in diameter and the centre hole is 2 1/2" in diameter. I bought some furnace cement to build it into a cone shape, but what I need to know is if I should make it a bit deeper. Also I need some advice on working with the large centre hole. The real trick here is that I don't own a welder. So I'm trying to affix a smaller pipe into that hole somehow. As usual, I appreciate any and all advice and constructive criticism, thanks in advance. Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacob's hammer Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 they make flanges for 2" pipe that fit hole on fairly well. i put bolts with big washers in flange to 'clamp' drum to the flange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 As Jacob mentioned, you don't need to weld the flange. Here is a pic of my early brake drum arrangement. The drum had 5 holes, the floor flange underneath had 4 holes. I had 2" black pipe coming up for the air supply which was threaded into the floor flange under the drum. I used one pair of holes in the drum and flange and drilled three additional holes in the drum to match the flange holes. In the photo you can see the original drum holes. The flange underneath covers the original drum holes. Bolted the flange to the drum...works fine. Nice thing is that the drum is removable/replacable in case it ever cracks or breaks, and if a replacement is a different diameter, then the table hole can be modified. BTW, the welded rods over the hole didn't last a month. I made a 1/2" steel grate to replace them and just plopped it over the large hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 8, 2015 Author Share Posted November 8, 2015 I'm back to square one, everything is cleaned out of the large brake drum and I was lucky that the smaller one fit right in there with out any more grinding. Right now the depth from my little table to the bottom of the pot is 4 3/4". Is that deep enough/ too deep for coal? Also, would it be better to do a side best set up here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 A little sheet metal fence could make that much deeper with little effort or cost. As it's rigged for a bottom blast why go to the effort to convert it to a side blast? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Sometimes dogs (and people) will eat charcoal as a remedy for upset stomach. Absorbs bad stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 13, 2015 Author Share Posted November 13, 2015 On November 8, 2015 at 12:21:14 AM, arkie said: As Jacob mentioned, you don't need to weld the flange. Here is a pic of my early brake drum arrangement. The drum had 5 holes, the floor flange underneath had 4 holes. I had 2" black pipe coming up for the air supply which was threaded into the floor flange under the drum. I used one pair of holes in the drum and flange and drilled three additional holes in the drum to match the flange holes. In the photo you can see the original drum holes. The flange underneath covers the original drum holes. Bolted the flange to the drum...works fine. Nice thing is that the drum is removable/replacable in case it ever cracks or breaks, and if a replacement is a different diameter, then the table hole can be modified. BTW, the welded rods over the hole didn't last a month. I made a 1/2" steel grate to replace them and just plopped it over the large hole. Do you have any pictures of the 1/2" grate you used? That is my next step before I can cement everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Here is the welded grate. Don't weld it to the drum, the weight will keep it in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 13, 2015 Author Share Posted November 13, 2015 Pretty clever, I think I'll try it out. At least, this way, I can apply my cement beforehand. Once that's done, all that's left is to make some kind of chimney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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