Forging Carver Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Hi, A guy across the street from where my dad used to live in town has an old buffalo forge sitting on his lawn. It looks to be in very good condition. However, he is using it as a flower pot and has a bunch of dirt filled in it. My question is that do you think because of the dirt, the inside will be rusty? I do not want to start digging in his flower pot if I am not sure if I am going to buy it, and I do not want to buy it if it is too worn out. Thanks. Here is a picture of the same forge I saw, not the exact forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Yes it will be rusty, does it matter? Not unless it is all the way through. All of my vintage cast iron forges are rusted to some degree. One that style is worth rescuing from being yard art.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Cast takes a fair amount to rust thru, but I've seen it happen. Look at the bottom of the forge from underneath. Poke at it with a screw driver. That will tell you something about it's condition. Assuming the water can drain from the pan, it's probably in pretty good shape. If it can't drain well, it's hard to say without looking at it. I'd be all over that forge myself, especially if the blower is all there. Even if it's just the pan, I'd be willing to bet it's usable and I'd take a shot at it sight unseen if the price is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 I know I am pretty excited about it! I hope that there was a drain and it is not too bad shape. I will go there again with a screwdriver. I think it has been a flower pot for over 50 years which scares me a bit. If it is pretty thin, is it worth getting and then claying? The blower is there but the wooden handle is missing which is probably usual. Doesn't seem so hard to make anyways. The guy said he took it off, so maybe it is somewhere in his house. It is funny because I am going on vacation tommorow for a week and I am afraid that the condition will get worse in a week! Mani hope this thing isn't destroyed! This is all I can think about along with welding and that anvil I found too! As long as the ash dump isn't closed I suppose it still might be good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Ash dump is probably the "drain". I've seen plenty of old iron feed troughs used as planters with no major issues, same with iron kettles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 Ok sorry for all the questions but would the dirt make the cast rust more? The outside of the forge was black with little rust so I was hoping the inside would be the same. I would have looked bully I do not want to go digging through a guy's flower pot. I will definetly try the screw driver. If I remember correctly, the bottom of the forged looked like it was still pretty black too which might be a good sign. Sorry if I am being a little bit of a pain but I am so excited yet worried about the forge. Thanks so much. 4 minutes ago, DSW said: Ash dump is probably the "drain". I've seen plenty of old iron feed troughs used as planters with no major issues, same with iron kettles. Alright. Do you know how long they have been a plant pot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Dirt will stick to cast iron as it rusts. I've seen that plenty of times with cast iron drain pipes. A good wire wheel on a grinder will clean it up fairly easily. I know the cast iron drain pipes buried in my yard are still solid after more than 70 years. The only place we had issues were where the trench dipped and the pipe settled and cracked allowing tree roots in. The pipe itself was still very solid when I cut it with the abrasive saw to do the patch. The bottom being black is probably a good sign. That tells me you aren't getting any water leaking due to rust thru in the cast base. How thick that base is it can be hard to say. My guess is because it's black, you simply won't be able to stick the screw driver thru by hand. So it should be reasonably solid if this is the case. As far as the pots, at least 20 years. Thats as long as I knew they were used as pots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 Alright thanks. I should be good then. That's what I was planning to do as on gas the steel was not too thing, wire wheel all the rust. Maybe I will add some high heat paint or use some ash to make the steel match the rest. Thanks for all the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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