July 25, 20169 yr Hi! I'm Stefano, from North Italy I'm only a fan of Diy, few days ago I bought an anvil , and I discover this great forum searching for a forge. My goal is to make a billet of damascus for a short knife. I will search in the forum for some good info. I got some old but good equipment: lathe, milling machine , table drill, grinders, benders and other things. I'm good at tig, electrode and oxy acetylene welding. I like guns, above all western, revolvers and african rifles. I also like motorbikes, I built 2 minibike just for fun, one with Piaggio engine tuned 70cc 2 strokes, and the second 250cc Tm racing engine, 2 stroke. Another big passion is Hi-end type speakers and amplifiers. I'm also builiding a "Plasma Tweeter" I post some images, they are worth a thousand words
July 25, 20169 yr Beautiful anvil! whats the weight, my guess is 300 lbs. I see you also have a leg vice. Littleblacksmith acutually....maybe more than 300..... oh yeah, welcome to the forum, I'm sure you'll fit right in. Littleblacksmith
July 25, 20169 yr Welcome aboard Stefano, glad to have you. I think you're going to fit right in here, most of us like toys, FAST bikes and loud music are good things. What kind of forge are you looking to make? Frosty The Lucky.
July 25, 20169 yr Author Thanks for the welcome! Good eye! Anvil is 150kg ( 330 lbs), 90 cm long (35 " ) , I don't know the brand, when I went to take it there was also an other anvil, a little smaller, with a different shape. One striker and other side flat, like many I've seen on this forum, should I take both? I'm reading about coal or solid fuel forge, I see brake drum type and flat with firebricks. I would prefer to not keep home a dedicated propane tank, I already have oxy-acetylene, maybe a small forge which can be mistaken for a barbecue is better! Yes, I love barbecue, but my dad no, He's contrary to put one at home, so a forge could be a good ninja start
July 26, 20169 yr Ciao Stefano, Welcome aboard. I've recently had to relocate from America to Roma! Its a good looking anvil, and looks like you are well on your way. A solid fuel forge is the way I have used for the last four years. Great way to work! Don't hesitate to ask any questions! -Patrick, aka Ridgewayforge
July 26, 20169 yr Author Ciao Patrick! You feel confortable in Roma? I'm searching for a brake drum in order to make my first little forge, but it's hard to find something, I tried in 4 different place today but nothing.... Maybe I have to change project
July 27, 20169 yr Hello from the desert outside of Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada. Any auto repair shop should have a brake rotor. I would suggest that you look at a side blast design , as they are easier to make. There is a lot of information in the solid fuel forum. I met a friend on IFI that had just come to the USA from Italy, unfortunately he lives in Florida now. His handle here is Zanshin, and he makes knives.
July 27, 20169 yr Hi Stefano and welcome, Cool stuff you have and an excellent anvil. In the beginning it's always hard to find the good scrap source. But nevermind, in a year these kinds of items are gonna flow to you unstoppingly Look at the solid fuel forges section. but a piece of advice if you don't mind: use what you got. you can make a forge from 10mm mild steel plate if you have that. It's not gonna last forever but who cares... You may find outstanding used forging equipment at a good price, or build better types, or as you're in Italy maybe you'll bump into a whole medieval blacksmithing atelier for just cents maybe... Bests Gergely
July 27, 20169 yr 19 hours ago, rendoman said: Ciao Patrick! You feel confortable in Roma? I'm searching for a brake drum in order to make my first little forge, but it's hard to find something, I tried in 4 different place today but nothing.... Maybe I have to change project Fairly hot, to say the truth! The best starter forge is a box of dirt- The brake drum isn't necessary to get a good fire- Just make a 45cm square box out of wood, maybe 30cm deep and fill with dirt- put a piece of black iron pipe (muffler exhaust pipe would work) into the box halfway down in the dirt and form a small hole to get the coal or charcoal burning at that level. Look up some posts about the box of dirt forge! You'll be pounding out good blacksmith work in no time! Patrick
July 27, 20169 yr Might go a bit bigger, say 65-75 cm square (or a 220 l drum) with your fabrication skills a good English style side blast should come easy. I recomend something in the neighborhood of 15-20 cm deap, you will need 5 cm of mineral soil or old brick to insulate wood or thin steel from the fireball.
July 28, 20169 yr Author Thank you all! I'm reading about different kind of forge, I think difference between models is related to fuel consumption right? I found some side blast english with water cooled injector, temperature should be really high inside! thanks for size and advice, I will start as soon as I will find steel and other components!
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