Just a box of dirt, or a simple side blast forge

[Lou L]

I'd say the only thing wrong with that forge is that it looks like it hasn't been used yet!  Fire that thing up.

[Scott Haney]

25 minutes ago, Lou L said:

I'd say the only thing wrong with that forge is that it looks like it hasn't been used yet!  Fire that thing up.

Agreed! It's very wrong. I'll be heating it up again this weekend.

[Charles R. Stevens]

As it is dirt cheap don't be afraid to experiment, I use bricks to help mold the fire for a more effecent shape for the job at hand.  

[Scott Haney]

For sure. I've got a few fire bricks to use like you had a picture of in one of the earlier posts.

[Charles R. Stevens]

Africa and Asia tend to use a trench. In Africa it tends to be the top of two termite mounds. One can also use just oneside like a belows stone (Vikings). The set up I was using delt with shoes and the prevailing "breeze" (in Oklahoma, 20mph is a still day...)

[Scott Haney]

After firing it up for a couple hours this afternoon, I'll likely be creating more of a trench for the fire pot while also raising my tuyere by a bit. The current size of the fire pot didn't allow for easy ash clean out. By the time I got the mound of charcoal high enough and hot enough to heat the middle section of my rod, the ash tended to have built up enough to impede the airflow. So, a trench and slightly raised tuyere (I realized it was more toward the bottom than it should have been) should help with those issues. As you said, Charles, dirt is cheap, so experimenting is nice. Also, the firebricks already came in handy today to concentrate the coals. Thanks again!

[bikecopXXX]

On 1/7/2016 at 8:10 AM, Klorinth said:

LOL! My wife would think I'm crazy.

Common problem i think

[ThomasPowers]

I used to have to worry about that---back when we first got married my wife ran the front office for a private psychiatric hospital and had a half dozen Drs that would sign any paper she put in front of them and said "sign here".   Well it only took 3 Drs to commit you against your will...We were offered a room for our honeymoon---as long as my wife could continue working during the day...

[Pumba]

This is bloody brilliant !!
 

[Frosty]

What, that Thomas married someone in the psychiatric field? Probably was a good move. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Pumba]

Hahahaha

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Pumba, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the Iforge gang live within visiting distance. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Blaine]

Man I thought I had a picture of my camp forge but my first forge was a trench dug in the ground for tuyre with a metal fence pole in it underneath (used cardboard to fan air through) a fire pit shaped of a eye balled mixture of clay sand and tiny broken pieces of wild sage kinda like adobe to form walls. Lol worked if I can I'll get a picture next time we drive up to Pueblo if its still there.

[ostavela]

Thanks for this! This is way better than the bottom blast clay trench I had made myself previously

[NomenCallide]

Thanks Charles for linking this to me! I have a feeling this will be one of my first forges (either this or the pit in the ground forge I was also considering)

[Glenn]

A forge is just a pit in the ground raised to a comfortable height so you do not have to bend over, or squat next to the fire.

[Charles R. Stevens]

Or dig a hole to stand in...

squating besides the fire and at the anvil just don't appeal to me, nore dose setting with the anvil between my legs...

[NomenCallide]

I have the anvil set on a low stump for use beside my fire pit atm. I make myself lightheaded blowing through an old-ish gas pipe to get the fire hot and then hammer away so sitting by the fire isn't a big deal to me.. I just want to create a more formalized forge rather than using my fire pit

[Glenn]

HOT metal moves a whole lot easier, and with less effort. The metal does not care how it gets hot, just that it needs to be hot in order to cooperate with the hammer.

The different forge styles and modifications are just details to make YOUR life easier.

[NomenCallide]

Fair enough Glenn

[Charles R. Stevens]

Blow pipe? Now that's old school! TP would be proud!

[JHCC]

My very first forge (an old gallon-size juice can lined with clay -- a JACOD? -- that never once got up to forging temperature) used a blow pipe. 

Let's just say I abandoned that method the first time I got out of sync with myself and sucked on the pipe rather than blew....

[Charles R. Stevens]

Perhaps the meaning of "that sucks"

[NomenCallide]

5 minutes ago, Charles R. Stevens said:

Blow pipe? Now that's old school! TP would be proud!

Yeah I use a blow pipe... it is a pain in the rear but it works

[Charles R. Stevens]

Then you will love the pump