That Guy Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Just starting out and have a tire rim with cinder blocks around to keep the fire contained... I'm using my air compressor and blowing from the top right now. Since I'm on a limited budget I'm using solid wood, combination of oak and manzanita. Anybody have any advice for how I can improve this setup? I'm thinking of making a permanent forge approx 2' x 2' but not sure if I should build it from bricks or lava rock. My anvil is a 2' stretch of old rail track! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Welcome to the site and forum. Stand the rr track on end, which will put the mass of the track under the impact area of the hammer. Pack a lunch and a cold drink and read the sections on solid fuel forges. Many ideas there on how to build forges. Look at side blast forges as they are easier to build, then look at the bottom blast forges. While your at it, do a site search for TPAAAT. It will help you locate an anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Guy Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 So awesome! I've been browsing the posts and have a whole new concept thanks to all the GREAT info! I'll keep with the compressor for my air flow but will definitely be adding a lever valve to regulate air flow. As far as a brick forge... No I'll just work a couple tire rims together and weld a stand so I can attach the air to the bottom! Currently I'm working with horseshoes and welding them into decorations but I have a rail road track nearby so wanted to start making knives as well. Also where I got 12' of track! Now that stuff is hard to cut with an angle grinder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 A steel wheel rim is not a good choice in my opinion. It will work, just not well. Try a brake drum, the ones with the groove around the edge. Make a circle from 1/4 inch flat bar and weld the circle to the bottom of a table top say 20 inches square. The circle should drop into the groove. This will give stability to the table top as well as make the fire a bit deeper. Remember to support the forge as the table top will just sit in the grove, on the top of the forge. The table top will keep the fuel (coal or wood) from falling onto the ground, and allow a deeper fire. You will want to have a deeper fire is you are using wood. This allows the wood to convert to charcoal as you forge in the charcoal or embers. With the table top you can then make the fire the depth you need for the wood fuel. Depending on the project, a smaller but taller fire is the key. Use a ring of sheet metal, bricks, mud, what ever, to deepen the fire when needed. This is one area where the 55 Forge is good. It can be as deep as you want, or can be modified as you need. The compressor as an air supply will work but is too concentrated and high pressure an air blast in many cases. You can feed it into a larger pipe and make it work if you throttle it down. There is no right way, only what works for you, using your fuel, at your location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Guy Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 Well... Like I said a very limited budget... I have tire rims laying in a pile but no brake drums haha. This is one where I can only use the material already on hand. I have a big pile of bricks, lava rocks, cinder blocks and tire rims. As for the air, yes I was thinking attaching a larger pipe, most likely 2' and having the regulator set around 3-5 psi with a lever valve so I can open partially and increase the amount of control I have over the air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Then build two forges, one from tire rims and one from bricks. Remember to make them a bit deeper as your using wood for fuel. There was a fellow on the site that built a forge that burned wood by just stacking bricks. It was normally aspirated and worked to get him started. I think he later added air to make it better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Guy Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 Here is my quick "makeshift" forge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 All you need now is a hammer, an anvil, and some metal to beat on. (grin) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Guy Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 Coming right up! Sorry for pics, camera on my tablet is not that good haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Guy Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 Now that there is a decent bed of coal... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Guy Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 Practice practice practice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Was your air compressor free and can you replace if for free if you wear it out? There are blowers you can get often for free that will work better and BE MUCH CHEAPER! (Got a local HVAC place? ask them about the exhaust assist blowers for super efficient furnaces that are on the bone pile after being replaced.) You do know that RR spikes are a lousy alloy for knives. You should be able to get a free coil spring from a car---check places that do lifts/lowers and have a good alloy to practice with. And please be careful, scrounging metal from RR Tracks is a Felony most places and here you are admitting to it in a public place---lawyers are *very* expensive---you could buy a top of the line forge and a powerhammer too for the cost of a legal battle! Me I get my RR scrap for the local scrapyard. Well worth paying 20 US cents a pound to avoid the hassle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Guy Posted February 13, 2017 Author Share Posted February 13, 2017 No worries! I get my material from the workers when they are on the tracks. Nothing I have is picked without permission. As far as springs... I live 12 miles from town with no ride so nope. I have to work with what I can get haha. I have 4 compressors right now all working so if one goes I can pull another from the "waiting room" and fix the one that blew. The rr spikes are obviously practice and quill only be used for general yard work work around the property or a gift to somebody who needs an all purpose throw away knife/tool until I'm better and more confident in my ability with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Thank you for posting that. I would hate to have a new person hauled off because they were just doing what other people do---not! All those horse shoes and no ride to town? I was talking to an elderly retired rancher yesterday and he was telling me that his ranch was 25 or 26 miles from a paved road. (25 going north and 26 going south IIRC) with a number of draws that would flood along the unpaved way. He was telling me about one of his nephews getting hurt on a visit and taking him into town to see a doctor and finding one of the draws too deep to cross with his vehicle---but another rancher was in the same situation only coming from town with his wife; so they carried their passengers through the draw and traded vehicles...) After you hit the paved road it was only an hour or two to town and 3 to 4 to a city! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Guy Posted February 15, 2017 Author Share Posted February 15, 2017 Thanks to the awesome info I've found here this tire rim is 100% what it should be! Next time I'm in my shop I'll show a pic without a fire so you can all see how I dealt with the hub hole and stud holes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 Add more fuel, as in fill the wheel. Your air can be cut back and the fire will be more efficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Guy Posted February 17, 2017 Author Share Posted February 17, 2017 The reason I thought 2 rims... Let's me build a bigger fire and keep it contained! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 With charcoal you need a deeper fire as the fuel does not contain as much heat BTUs per weight as coal. When you go from wood to embers you need a deeper fire still in order to convert the wood to charcoal. The charcoal can then be turned into embers for forging. How much deeper depends on your set up at your location and the amount of heat you need. The issue of how much air will resolve itself with a deeper fire. Use just as much air as is needed to get the heat you want from the fuel. Overfueling is not a problem as fuel down not make a fire hot, air makes a fire hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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