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I Forge Iron

Mobile Brake Rotor Forge


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Welcome aboard, glad to have you. That's not bad at all, I'd use it. I'd suggest you flip your tuyere over put the short nipple on top and the long one as the ash trap. In that configuration the bits of coal that WILL fall through the grate can be stopped on top of ash as it collects and start burning with a LOT of air. this can burn holes in the tuyere and just generally do your forge a mischief.

The screen shelf is  good thing, I use expanded metal with a little stronger a frame for a spreader and support. It's the perfect place to toss hot bits to air cool say the drops after hot cutting a piece of stock. It's also the perfect place to put a pail under the ash dump so fire doesn't get away from you. A breeze a leaf and a burning coal can cause all sorts of grief.

Pretty nice job, how's it work?

Frosty The Lucky.

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Add 4 to 6 inches of metal to the height of the sides. You want a fireball that is about the size of a melon or 4-6 inches in diameter for coal, then some fuel on top of that for insulation and to form coke. The rotor is not deep enough on its own. Fuel does not make the fire hot, air makes the fire hot.

 

 

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Starting to implement the suggestions.

I'll need to reattach the ash dump to the longer section of pipe. I'm debating the merits of a hinged ash dump verses the original design. 

I have a little bit of flat scrap to attach to the sides to increase the height but I'm not sure of the best way to attach it and still allow access for the material being heated (possibly cut it in half for a pass through). I would need to scrounge some additional scrap to increase the height for the back.     

Not sure how it performed before. I haven't lit it yet. I've been having too much fun just building it  

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92,

To attach your sideboards to the angle iron frame you can weld on some tabs to both sides of the sideboard and just slip it down onto the angle iron.  You can make the sides with a small piece that you can remove for long pieces over the fire.  I used pieces of 1/8" bar, about 1-2" wide on each side for the tabs.  This was early on with mine.

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New forge sideboards 03.JPG

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Oh that's getting better all the time. Using tabs to attach the sideboards is a LOT more versatile. If you make the side boards in shorter sections you can make openings (gates?) where ever you wish or close it off completely. I have a tong rack that hangs from the forge rim on tabs. I keep hammers by the anvil and tongs by the forge. If you reinforce the shelf on the spreader you can keep a nice little pile of bricks without them being in the way. They can be shifted as ballast to make moving the forge easier as well.

I use an exhaust flap cap as the ash dump on my coal forge. It just clamps on, the counter weight keeps it closed and makes a handy lever to engage with a tong, hammer, piece of stock or whatever reaches to dump ash. It's cheap and easy, I LIKE Effective Easy, the only tool I needed was my 4" pocket crescent wrench to tighten the clamps.

Gonna paint it? Have shop colors?

Frosty The Lucky.

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  • 4 years later...

Good point. About 1.5” deep. and 6” diameter. I would say it’s time for an upgrade in a scrap rotor. Should buy a legitimate forge blower or at minimum a wastegate for the excess air from the blow dryer. 
 

Still holding out on investing any real money and only engaging in the hobby a few times a year as family commitments and work take precedence. Always fun though. 

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I hear you on being busy with family. I have two little girls now 11mo. and almost 3yo. Plus all the other family circus and a day job. I certainly don't get to "play" at the forge like I would like. 

Keep an eye out for the bit bigger rotor, I think you'll have a better time with it. Also the blower. Start with the forge pot tho.same T pipe setup will work on it. 

Your forge is very similar to my demo forge. Tho I have a hand crank blower on it. The pot and T are basically universal to my shop forge where I run a dayton electric blower with a router variable speed controller to control the air. Also have a manual air control if needed.

Make the best of the time you get. ;)

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14 hours ago, 92golfdisaster said:

4 year update. The rotor is shallow for a firepot but it works ok for smaller items. 

Try to find a mechanic or shop that works on big pickup trucks, A rotor from an F350/3500 size truck is a dandy size, and can usually be had for free, if you ask. 

Have fun with it, it is a nice looking forge.

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My idea exactly; talk to some smaller mechanics where they can talk to you without getting fired for wasting time.  I made my local mechanic a bottle opener from an unplated wrench and he offered me free access to his scrap pile---several tons of various steels including HC, MC and LC!

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2 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

My idea exactly; talk to some smaller mechanics where they can talk to you without getting fired for wasting time.  I made my local mechanic a bottle opener from an unplated wrench and he offered me free access to his scrap pile---several tons of various steels including HC, MC and LC!

I like the way you think Thomas.  I used a similar stratagy to gain access to a large scrap metal yard.  The abencente owner forbid people to prowl through the place for fear of them being injured.  I cobbled a wood box with lid to protect a cheap stryafoam ice chest inside and burned our brand into it along with phone #s.  Next trip to scrap yard,I set the chest filled with ice and drinks out by scales and told manager I would pick it up next time I came by. A few days later I dropped by with another chest of iced down drinks and dumped them into the home made box.  While I was there I told the manager I was aware liability issues forbid customers messing with things around the yard but I would buy a pair of large coil springs and if they brought them to the office and called me.  He said I was welcome to look and tell him if I saw what I was after. He cautioned me not to dig or climb in order to retrive them but instead come tell him and they would retrive them for me.  I have since bought alot of material from them at penneys on the dollar.   If they see angle,sq tube and such I might like they call  (remember the brand and ph #s on ice chest).  How much better could you ask for?  You be the judge.  The owner took note of the box and drinks on his visits and was astonished at the fact it was sitting in the sun on a 100+ day without ice melting. Why do those silly little chests keep ice so much better than a more expensive Colman?   He called to ask if I could build one a little nicer but keeping the rustic look with his Corp's logo.  I asked if he had a picture,drawing or something to which he said no,just use my judgement.   I thought about doing it free but on secound thought priced it as I would for any commisioned piece.  Sure glad I didn't cheap it out because he ordered two more after seeing the first.:) The hardware wasn't forged but to the untrained eye store bought were good enough after I toasted and whacked them a little.  Long story that used up some of the site's jigger-bits but hopfully spark's benificial for someone.      

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My local scrapyard is about 6 miles down the road and  during this last year my Saturday visits have been a fairly large chunk of money for them.  I've gone out of my way to pick up some big pieces as I'm still employed and the scrap market crashed for a while.  I've got my eye on a large coil spring there too---the stock diameter is 1.5".  I'm going to buy some more triphammer die stock from them Saturday I hope!   Working with them it's gotten so they will leave me alone in the yard while they go get breakfast; or take stuff when I don't have the cash on me to buy it; just telling me to drop it off when I have it.

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Spending many a year in a garage i have learned one thing about mechanics, we all do side work. Even if you ask the mechanic and he says he can not give access to the scrap pile ask if he has anything at home. He may just have some old springs, axels, bearing or what not laying next to his garage at home. I had a guy who came to my house to get scrap metal when i was rebuilding transmissions on the side. It would take me about 2 weeks but i could fill a trach can with clutches and steels, well over 100#. I kept the can in a corner in the yard and he would stop every couple weeks and empty it. I gave that to him but if i asked about something else in his truck it was sure here ya go take it.

Also a lot of the larger shops like an AAMCO or Goodyear are franchised. So they are many times ran like a small shop. It would be up to the owner there. I have worked for people who really dont care what happens with the scrap or like the last guy i worked for horded it like gold. 

The small shops also a lot of them when you go talk to the mechanic you are talking to the owner. I know of many owner operated garages. 

Anyway get out and talk to them, get to know them. One other perk, i could build a tranny for you at about a quarter the price of the shop i worked for. 

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