Scott Haney Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 Hey, folks. As a newbie who has only built a charcoal forge and box bellows from scrap so far, I've never done much research or looking into values of coal forges and blowers. So, I'm hoping y'all can give me some input on a fair general value of this forge and blower. Heck, or a "I wouldn't buy it because of..." even works. A family member is wanting to buy this set for me, and I want to make sure they aren't getting a bad deal (they won't tell me a price yet, so I was trying to get an idea of general fair-market value to tell them). If I were hunting for tools, I'd always go for as cheap as possible (and I know it depends on location and other variables), but any input just based on these photos on what you consider would be a fair price is appreciated. According to my family member, the blower (Champion No. 40) runs fairly smoothly & the forge table is approximately 24x40 inches. Looks like the counterweight is missing on the blower, and I can't quite tell if the clinker breaker is attached to the rod or not, but otherwise I'll have to wait to see it all in person. Honestly, I'm mainly interested in the blower since I wasn't planning on switching to coal/coke soon, but they're saying it's a package deal only. Thanks for any input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 As they say, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. If someone wanted to buy that for me and they were comfortable with the price, I'd smile and say Thank You. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Haney Posted December 26, 2016 Author Share Posted December 26, 2016 Hah. True. However, the family member isn't rolling in extra cash and doesn't know ANYTHING about forges. So, I was hoping to at least give them a general idea of what folks would consider fair for the setup, as I don't want them being taken advantage of. My forge and box bellows so far have all been free aside from my time/effort, so I really have no clue about forge/blower valuation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbo7 Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 $100 cheap, $200-300 fair, $400 paying through the nose. IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Haney Posted December 26, 2016 Author Share Posted December 26, 2016 Thanks, Turbo. I appreciate the input -- hoping for the $300 or less range, so we'll see how the seller bargains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 Consider this as well: your relative obviously wants to help you forge, but is offering something you may not need or want (assuming that your charcoal forge and box bellows are adequate to your current needs). If they're dead set on getting you this stuff, once again, smile and say Thank You. On the other hand, if you have good communication with your relative, you can always say something like "I really appreciate your generosity, but this forge isn't something I'm likely to use, and I don't want your gift to go to waste. What would really take my smithing setup to the next level would be ________." This could be a vise, some good universal tongs, a good angle grinder, or whatever else both fits their budget and fills a significant hole in your equipage. It can sometimes be awkward having conversations like this, but if you do it right, everyone is happy: you have what you need, and your relative helps you in a real and practical way that better fits their budget. (By the way, as a professional fundraiser, I have conversations like this for a living. Trust me: this really works.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Haney Posted December 26, 2016 Author Share Posted December 26, 2016 Great point, JHCC. I'm planning to go at least look at this equipment to see what the working condition is and go from there. A crank blower would be great to have, but I sure don't want them to have to pay for the whole package just to get a blower, so we'll see how it all looks. I appreciate your input on the value and all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 On the other hand, if the blower is in good shape and the price is right for the package, you can always (with their knowledge, of course) keep the blower to use, sell the rest, and use the money from that sale to get other gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-1ToolSteel Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 If the blower works, and as long as it isn't over $500, let them get it for you! That is high quality stuff, and is definitely going to be a big step up from a side blast charcoal forge made of mud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubalcain2 Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 true true. that setup could go for a grand on ebay, so if it is a good deal,go for it. if you get really serious you will want to switch to coal, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 Merry Christmas, Scott It is difficult to see if the Clinker Breaker is there or not. The piece on the shaft, in the housing that bolts onto the bottom of the Tuyere (Fire-Pot). It looks like it will be a good set-up, after you get everything moving and connected. The Blower may be stuck/seized, but it should free-up with a bunch of patience and a very small hammer. The value of worth is difficult to pinpoint, it varies with different parts of the world. Worth is what it is worth to you, knowing it needs some loving to put it back to good use. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Haney Posted December 27, 2016 Author Share Posted December 27, 2016 Thanks for the input, everyone. I appreciate the help. Happy New Years, y'all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Asking 700.00 for one at local farrier supply store. Everyone is in on the blacksmith bandwagon. Years ago it would be virtually worthless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 The last two forges I bought were $75, and $125. The blower I got for a friend recently was $50. That is about what I would pay for that lot, I buy tongs for $3-$5 a pair, so..how many do they have? I still see forges on Craigslist for not that much, and had a small rivet forge given to me a couple of years ago. But this out West. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Far and away more than that in ohio. Typical worn out rivet forge is 300.00 and old rusty near junk tongs are 15.oo/20.oo unless you go to a farm auction and get lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 2 hours ago, SReynolds said: Far and away more than that in ohio. Typical worn out rivet forge is 300.00 and old rusty near junk tongs are 15.oo/20.oo unless you go to a farm auction and get lucky. My (kinda) worn-out rivet forge was $125 a couple of years ago in a junk/antique shop a few towns west of Cleveland. Guess I got lucky. (Maybe I really should go ahead with building a JABOD and seeing what I can get for the rivet forge....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 I caught site of a piece of a rivet forge at QUAD STATE and I obviously knew what it was. So I had to ask what the asking price is and I was informed "twotwentyfive" I had to ask "dollars?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sargos Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 I have come across a possible find, a Buffalo Forge with blower with original cast legs... but quick over the phone price was $1,000. Seeing as I missed out on one with an anvil for $100... I would assume that the person selling for $100 just wanted it out of the way and the person selling for $1,000 is hoping to get lucky. I am guessing I can build a nice coal forge at the $300-$500 mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 You can build one for the cost of a used hair drier at a garage sale, and a length of scrap pipe. Side blast box of dirt isn't that much to make. Rivet forges run around $100 here, I had one given to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 If you can weld you should be able to build a GREAT coal forge for US$50. I once built a good beginners setup for under US$25 including forge, blower, anvil and basic tools---and it did not require welding! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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