September 10, 20169 yr Well, you know how things go, right???? So I say to myself, I wonder how easy the bolts holding the blower clamp would be to remove... first 3 were pretty easy. I got the Dremel out and got the last bolt free. Next thing I know the angle grinder is in my hands.... I need to go and pick some more grinding discs... The pan is riveted on the frame with folded corners. This should be interesting....
September 10, 20169 yr Author Whoops, I went to Princess auto and picked up an auto darkening welding helmet, sanding disc, and wire brush. I had to at least remove the lichen and moss off everything...
September 11, 20169 yr Great thread. I like seeing work in progress threads like this. Looks like you're doing a grand job. I'm glad you've cleaned up the blower. I probably would have opened it up and replaced the great personally but I just can't help myself when it comes to things like that. I'm glad you were able to salvage parts of the forge. Were you able to remove and salvage the, err, "U" shaped bits on the side of the forge? I'd try and put those back on the new construction if you can, they look hard to fabricate. Looking forward to seeing the finished product. Also that anvil is perfectly fine as it is. All the best Andy
September 11, 20169 yr Author I have some other projects I'm working on so I can't go too crazy on this one. Winter is coming and the forge will reside outside unless I can convince my wife we can store it in the shed.. My concern with taking the blower apart is that one bolt that is seized which ruins the whole thing requiring monumental work to finish the project. The 5" wire brush wheel I got yesterday is now less than 3" around and there is barely any bristles beyond the grinder to use... I have not even put this forge back together and already my brain is looking at getting a propane forge. My brain has also designed a new fire pot out of 1/2 plate that the tuyere would attach to and if that does not work, it has designed a new one out of some plumbing parts. I really hate my brain sometimes... i I salvaged the name plate but broke one corner. It cleaned up nice and I will reattach it.
September 11, 20169 yr Author So 90% of the time this forge will be outside exposed to the elements in the back yard. I want to protect it as much as possible. the frame will get a coat of standard tremclad rust paint. My daughter wants orange but I'm thinking standard black. The pan will likely be cleaned with acetone then covered with high heat stove spray paint. the cover for the pan and blower is the question... Plastic will hold in moisture. Wood will let water through. A tarp will need frequent replacement, and building a permanent shed/roof is not an option... any ideas?
September 11, 20169 yr Tarps are super cheap. I live in insanely sunny and hot AZ, and a tarp lasts me about 2 years
September 11, 20169 yr Oh um! the base of that forge was a tad nearer to none existant than I had envisaged from the initial pictures. At least it looks like there is enough to use as a template!
September 11, 20169 yr Author Well, so I made a trip to my uncles house. We had a great visit and he taught me to weld.... my first project! The welds are not that pretty but are serviceable. He was happy with my first attempts. I think I will add some angle iron onto the edge.
September 21, 20169 yr Author Well it looks like a few road blocks are delaying things... A family holiday slowed progress. I have a cold and feel like crud. My uncle who was teaching me to weld and helping with the project is in the hospital and was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer while I was on holidays... I have to rethink what I am going to do... I bolted a 2" piece of angle iron to two of the legs on the stand so I can use a wheeled dolly to move it around. I am going to push through as much as possible and hopefully get the frame painted this week so that if my uncle can get out of the hospital he could come over and we could fire up the forge for the first time with him there.
September 21, 20169 yr Author Unfortunately the only local welding courses are full time with apprenticeship placements... I can't do that. They used to offer a course on the weekends but stopped this year for some reason...
October 10, 20169 yr Author Well for better or for worse, it's done. The blower is way heavier than I thought and the bar I inserted for a hand truck to go under does not work well. It's not as portable as I hoped...
October 10, 20169 yr Looking good Shogun. I'd have thought it would be ok but be careful with that pipe, looks like it's galvanised. All the best Andy
October 10, 20169 yr Author Yes, it is galvanized but since it is the air input from the blower to the forge I'm not too concerned about it. It also will be outside so lots of ventilation. The pan was painted with a heat resistant paint for stoves and bbq's. The fire pot is in pretty tough shape but should be ok. I think I will line the bottom with fire bricks just to contain things a little as I will be using charcoal and will likely need a smaller area for the charcoal and more height. Hopefully next weekend will be nice enough to give it a try. We are getting thin on good weather above freezing here. If the first little bit peaks my interest I think there is a high probability I will look at a propane forge in the spring. That way I could keep it in the shop and wheel it out as I need it. Smaller and easier to store. Now with some welding skills I could look at building a nice little stand for it with wheels. It turns out my uncle is really struggling and in the 4 weeks since we welded the pan he is unable to climb up stairs... I don't think he will be able to come over and see it work. I will try to make a leaf as my first project and when he passes I would let it rest with him if the family is ok, with it.
October 11, 20169 yr Take your projects to your uncle as you visit him. He will enjoy the show and tell. I used to take mine to an old blacksmith in a nursing home before he passed. Sure miss him.
October 22, 20169 yr Author $Well, my uncle passed last weekend. I was unable to get going fast enough and his health declined extremely fast. i was able to fire it up today. I spent most of my time getting the fire going and managed. It took forever to heat up the metal. Then I only got about 30 sec to 1 minute before it cooled off too much. It seems I was not cranking the blower fast enough. I also spent almost as much time cleaning up after. I need to think this out more... My first project was a coal rake. I really should have watched the video again. The curl on the end did not turn out very well.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.