Hibbs Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Just finished my first forge and got it going today! Seems to work pretty well, but I'm still a newbie, I'm sure I could do some more work to it. I used a stainless steel two basin sink, with 2x4 frame. one side of sink is the forge, other side for quenching. Filled forge side with dirt and used inch and a quarter steel pipe for tuyer, it through the drain hole. Got a ninety at the bottom that my shop vac hose fits into. It seemed to pump out too much air at first, so I drilled a couple holes in the tip of the vac hose. And now, got it heating up steel! Just as I got it going, my brother stops by with a 2foot section of rail he found for 5 bucks at a yard sale! What do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Charcoal brickets are not your friend, lol. Use lump charcoal instead. Second, when you unintentionally drop a knife blade you have been working on in the water and you here the dreaded "tinck" you will fill it with extra fuel instead... turn your new "anvil" on end and get to work! Btw, welcome to the funny farm, ;-) your in good company! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibbs Posted July 17, 2016 Author Share Posted July 17, 2016 Thank you sir! I'll be sure and get some lump charcoal, I was just impatient today and used what I had.lol Didn't think about accidentally dropping something in the quench side... maybe I'll toss a piece of expanded metal on that side for cooling shelf...? Or put a lid on it and use it for storage...? Oh well, The more time I spend with it the more I'll make it work best for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 A fire proff lid would be nice, but as you can't store charcoal on the table (due to fire spread) like one dose with coal stirring charcoal in the other basin would be a pretty effecent option. I used to keep my slack tub under the horn of my anvil, untile I had a peice of H-13 get away and make a 10 point dive into it... Ruined the pritchel (infact the whole bar was suspect) I was working on. Know my self I am not a big fan of bottom blast forges with charcoal, as we tend to over air them and I think that turning 90deg to get out of a side blast holds the air in the heat zone a fraction of a second. That said, good air control, and a deeper fire will solve those issues, tho it may burn more fuel. As mentioned before, mount your anvil and get to work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Welcome aboard, glad to have you. Lose the shop vac, a blow drier produces plenty of air for a charcoal forge. SS sinks aren't uncommon forges they're cheap and easy to find in yard sales and trashed around remodels. Using the other side for a quench tank is a natural thought it's just not really a good one as Charles points out. Briquettes aren't a good fuel but you CAN use them if you break them up say peanut size. The calcium added during manufacture to provide a visual cue they're burning doesn't help blacksmithing and gets in the way if you want to try forge welding. Best to keep them in the BBQ. Make a stand to support the rail on end it will move metal much better than laying flat. The amount of steel directly under the hammer blow is called the depth of rebound and doesn't lose energy flexing the anvil sideways. This is why the sweet spot on any anvil is centered over the body on the face. Try and mount it as solidly as possible, the better it's connected to planet earth the better the rebound. Stacking lumber on it's side isn't so good no matter how well you connect the boards. Standing lumber on end is much better. In all probability you're going to want the height of the anvil face around 30" it should be between wrist and knuckle height when you're standing with your hammer arm hanging at your side and you're wearing the foot wear you work in. concrete sounds better than it works, repeatedly beating on the anvil with hammers tends to break concrete up. Last thing about a stand is try to avoid making a trip hazard when you make it. Heck same for the entire shop the fewer the trip hazards the better. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 23 hours ago, Hibbs said: I used a stainless steel two basin sink, with 2x4 frame same here! that was my first forge for more that a year. it was supplied with a hair dryer. I started out with lump charcoal, and a leaf blower as my air source and figured out that it was too much, but hey it was all I had at the time and I had the blacksmithing bug! I burnt a lot of steel in that forge..... a lot of steel...... Littleblacksmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 3 hours ago, littleblacksmith said: same here! that was my first forge for more that a year. it was supplied with a hair dryer. I started out with lump charcoal, and a leaf blower as my air source and figured out that it was too much, but hey it was all I had at the time and I had the blacksmithing bug! I burnt a lot of steel in that forge..... a lot of steel...... Littleblacksmith They'll be great stories for the grand kids. Oh life was soo HARD when I was young, I had to walk 2 miles through chest deep snow up hill both ways to school and I was GLAD of the chance! Here's a yarn for you, 'When I was getting started I had to build a fire in the kitchen sink, by cracky!" Take a sip or a nibble and go on, "You kids have it so easy now you don't know what it's like to have to make do and invent your own tools, etc. etc."Grandad yarns are the best. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 7 hours ago, Frosty said: Oh life was soo HARD when I was young, I had to walk 2 miles through chest deep snow up hill both ways to school and I was GLAD of the chance! yea, and in Texas! Littleblacksmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 So you poor underprivileged kids didn't have snow, being chest deep in rattle snakes and cactus is almost as bad I suppose. We've hardly had any snow the last two winters and the bears aren't hibernating like they usually do. Walking to school beating the grizzlies off the trail with your book bag could make a decent story with a little embellishment I guess. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Sure we have snow---we keep it on top of the mountains where it belongs in the winter and water the crops with it in the summer. I always enjoy going into an old farmer's diner and seeing all the folks in their bib overalls listening intently to the ski reports for Taos and Santa Fe---that's where their water will come from the next summer and so they pay attention. Only sloppy folks think you should spread it around causing troubles for other folks! Been so dry this summer I haven't seen a live rattler yet. As the little critters like my irrigated front lawn my casita is an attractor for them too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigb Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 On 7/17/2016 at 10:42 PM, Frosty said: "You kids have it so easy now you don't know what it's like to have to make do and invent your own tools, etc. etc."Grandad yarns are the best Oh Grandpa will you tell us the story again about the time you drove all the way across the country with your blinker on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 2 hours ago, bigb said: Oh Grandpa will you tell us the story again about the time you drove all the way across the country with your blinker on? Grandma made that one up. . . Mutter mutter grumble. Go play outside. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Hey I was planning to turn right when I tasted saltwater and go visit Frosty! Why wait till the last moment to turn it on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Kids these days just don't understand thinking ahead. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibbs Posted July 26, 2016 Author Share Posted July 26, 2016 so I put the briquettes back with the barbecue, and replaced them with smithing coke i got cheap online (well...I think it was cheap, 10 dollars for 16 pounds...) and switched the vac out with my harbor freight heat gun (it was in my tool box and i haven't picked up a blow dryer yet.) and the difference was night and day! thank you guys for the advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 On July 20, 2016 at 9:57 AM, ThomasPowers said: Sure we have snow---we keep it on top of the mountains where it belongs in the winter and water the crops with it in the summer. I always enjoy going into an old farmer's diner and seeing all the folks in their bib overalls listening intently to the ski reports for Taos and Santa Fe---that's where their water will come from the next summer and so they pay attention. Only sloppy folks think you should spread it around causing troubles for other folks! Been so dry this summer I haven't seen a live rattler yet. As the little critters like my irrigated front lawn my casita is an attractor for them too. Yea havnt seen a rattler either this summer. typically in a summer i see about 5 at my grannys property in cibilo, although a few evenings ago, we killed a copper head on our porch......after watering the bushes..... Littleblacksmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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