matt993fod Posted December 27, 2007 Posted December 27, 2007 I am sorry for what must be a very Newbie question but... I got myself a nice anvil for only 20 quid, and now I am after a forge. Cutting a long story short, I know nothing about how much forges should cost, or what exactly I should be looking for. I need something small. I have plenty of space, but not enough for something requiring a permanent chimney. My Dad reckons the you can buy portable forges (for farriers and whatnot) that are sufficient for making horse shoes with. Do such things exist? If they do, they'd be perfect. I need it for practicing techniques I have, and will learn on courses. So far all I know how to make are barbeque butlers and toasting forks, but I hope that will soon change. Cheers! Matt Quote
Ice Czar Posted December 27, 2007 Posted December 27, 2007 lots of information to be gleaned in the blueprints sectionBlueprints - I Forge Iron - Blacksmithing and Metalworking first question is what will be the fuel (propane, natural gas, mapp, coal, charcoal) second question would be depending on your comfort level with fabrication you could cobble together something for a few pounds or spend a small fortune on a turnkey farriers forge which you could quickly grow out of sort of a forge index of the blueprints sectionLB0003 Blacksmithing Forges - I Forge Iron - Blacksmithing and Metalworking and a gallery of sortsLB0003.0001 Blacksmithing Forges Quote
hammerkid Posted December 27, 2007 Posted December 27, 2007 lots of information to be gleaned in the blueprints sectionBlueprints - I Forge Iron - Blacksmithing and Metalworking first question is what will be the fuel (propane, natural gas, mapp, coal, charcoal) second question would be depending on your comfort level with fabrication you could cobble together something for a few pounds or spend a small fortune on a turnkey farriers forge which you could quickly grow out of Yeah , if you CAN build your own it probally would be cheaper Quote
Paragon Posted December 28, 2007 Posted December 28, 2007 If you can make your own, the main cost will be refractory and a propane regulator. Quote
Ian Posted December 28, 2007 Posted December 28, 2007 Not to sound overly harsh IN THE LEAST but if you don't have the basic skills required to make a forge (and lets be honest a shovel isn't rocket science) then you need to go and talk to a working Blacksmith or Farrier and throw yourself on their mercy for help. Now, the shovel joke.... well strictly speaking that isn't actually a joke. A few thousand years ago forges were often scraped out of the ground, they were dug like an upside down Igloo, and often pointed with the 'igloo entrance' pointing into the prevailing wind. Bellows of course removed the need for a 'weather eye' and were a better idea and the simplest were animal skins over another couple of holes. The edges were covered in soil then the skins lifted and pushed into the holes to create an air blast. A bit of further research will fill in the other blanks on this system. Today however I'd build a first time forge differently, especially if I was thinking of using it on a regular basis. Glenns oil drum forge is a good place to start from and is in the blueprint section BP0133 55 Forge and BP0238 Simple Side Blast 55 Forge. If you don't want to read that then quickly put, find an old brake drum, some bits of old exhaust of a size close to the hole in the brake drum, some old hoover pipe and the blower out of an old (but preferably working) tumble dryer. If I tell you that the fire needs air from the bottom then how the parts list comes together as a forge should sort of fall into place. Quote
Ice Czar Posted December 28, 2007 Posted December 28, 2007 and of course the whole shooting match could be done without the car parts using rammed earth, rocks, bricks ect. bringing us to another very important question where is the forge to be located? outdoors simplifies things a dedicated buildingshed away from a residence slightly more challenging in or attached to a residence there are serious precautions to be taken a little on chimneysForge Chimneys BP0460 Anatomy of a Forge Flue a gas forge poses similar but different challenges to a solid fuel forge we have 2 propane forges at work with no real chimney, just a 30ft tall ceiling in a 60x30 foot bay w 20 foot tall doors and a lot of ventilation, effectively "outside" in a small space thats entirely a different matter Quote
Archie Zietman Posted December 28, 2007 Posted December 28, 2007 Take a 2 foot by 2 foot by 1 foot deep wooden box, fill it with dirt, dif a hole in it, stick a pipe in it and use it for either coal or charcoal or corn or wood chips. It actually works really well. Good luck, Merry Being, Archie Quote
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