General help on a brick forge/ needing info

[Charles R. Stevens]

I use spiral or journal type Graf pads for notes, project S etches ect.

If you are willing to lower your sites a bit we can point you to objects to use for anvils, cheep places to find good tools, simple inexpensive forges and how to make tools. From there you gain experiance on a high school kid budget. Vikings forged swards, spears and axes on not much more than a sledgehammer head. 

Many experianced smiths have already invested their time in trying to get you off to a good start, let's get a working forge, expidiant anvil and basic tongs and hammer so you can start making the simple stuff, the stuff mom and the girls at school will like. That's how you build the skills you need to forge swords. Learning how to make steel roses will get you to sword making faster than dreaming about making knives. 

 

[Frosty]

I'm really starting to like you Old School, once we get you steadied down some you're going to do alright. I know you feel like you gotta get going as soon as you can but patience WILL be rewarded. There's nothing stopping you from smithing right now it just might not be on a "London" pattern anvil. Blacksmiths have been working on other anvils for millennia, if you're beating something on it it's an anvil.

Honestly, the only thing being in a hurry is good for is making worse mistakes faster. Some of the worst things I've ever done myself were because I was in a hurry. Well  . . . . Angry is worse than being in a rush so don't make decisions in either state if you can possibly help it.

Quad State is what a month off? You're a young buck you should be able to odd job enough to pay for a more than you'd have to settle for at a place that sell smithing tools all the time. He's going to be pushing what the market will bear, not good deals. Think about a month to bank more money, you can probably catch a ride with someone local who's going for chipping in on gas and if he's a creaky old guy you might get off with a strong back. What a bummer, riding a few hours with another blacksmith on the way to the largest blacksmithing conference in America. Failing that bus fare ain't bad. Once at the conference you'll undoubtedly meet up with guys local to you and you can hitch a ride back with your loot.

You will NOT regret going, no lie. I'd go if I could.

Frosty The Lucky.

[ThomasPowers]

Open a file on your computer and coper over your questions and answers that you like. Just remember to write it before shutting down and name it something easy to remember.  Shoot I do this when I start a new job and all the commands and tricks are pouring through my faulty memory.  (of course I do it on a linux based system and can grep for what I need in the file easily---like the git command to commit a change in your name when you are logged into a system under a different user name...)

[old school blacksmith]

Thanks for the comments! :-) A I'm working on getting safety for me so I won't get hurt, etc. And I really don't know what grade or rating on welding/Blacksmithing glasses I need so can you please give me some direction on what grade I'm looking for. Also I'm working with a coal forge if that's a variable in the grade for the glasses. I'm starting with getting stuff for safety and bricks that's about all I can probably afford for now.

[Charles R. Stevens]

Primarily you don't need anything other than good quality safety glasses, but if you have the bad habit of staring into the white hot fire, a set of gass cuting lenses may be advisable. They do make them in safety glasses style. 

[Frosty]

Ditto Charles, do NOT stare into the fire it can cause cataracts over the years. If you can't help it though, I believe #4 welding glasses will be enough and #5 not too dark. It'll take practice to learn to judge temperature through tinted glasses but you'll adjust don't worry. 

Oh, good safety glasses means they fit closely and have side shields or better still they're the bug eyes and all but seal against your face. 

Everything else you have heals better than your eyes though your ears come in second for wearing out as you get older.  

Frosty The Lucky.

[ThomasPowers]

Note that these are gas welding lenses NOT arc welding ones!

Forges like oxy-acetylene put out IR where arc welders put out UV and so you need a different type of protective lenses. (And many people don't know that even at welding supply stores!)

[Charles R. Stevens]

Xxxx, even my eyed Doctor drew a blank. IR and UV coatings are common in Arizona, but IR not so much in OK. 

But yes gas welding/cutting they come in safty glass style, goggles and full face shields. I have graduated to the later...

[ThomasPowers]

I had a good friend who was an opthamologist and ophthalmological surgeon  and he dug into it and gave me a lecture on "Glassblowers cataracts" at great length.  Best advice is don't spend your time looking in the forge!

[old school blacksmith]

 Thanks for the help! I will let you know if I need any more info on safety items or etc.

[old school blacksmith]

Hey guys I need to know how to identify galvanized steel and iron so it doesn't harm me or worse so if you can send/put a picture of the stuff on here so I can see what the difference is between regular steel and iron thx! Also if you can describe it to me if you have accidentally come across it before when you get your stock it will also be helpful too!

[Lou L]

It's not hard to identify galvanized...usually.  The first clue is rust.  If you see zero rust assume the worst.  In Rust We Trust!

On pipe, round and square stock it will usually have a grainy, flaky texture almost like water spots.  Just stop by and ole chain link fence near you and take a gander at the posts.  It will be silvery, almost white-ish, and won't have a spot of rust on it.

 Untreated steel will rust almost everywhere except in New Mexico according to Thomas Powers.  Seriously, though, where you are it is humid enough for steel to rust a little.  If you get the silver white steel soak it in some vinegar to see if it reacts.

[old school blacksmith]

Hey guys! I've been trying and looking for some fire bricks, that can reach up to 2000 degrees and I was wondering if you guys would know of any? that Lowe's or home Depot would be able to get that high and not be soft. So if you do please let me know! Also I'm trying to hang in there but I feel like I'm gonna explode due to the hard time finding the brick.

[jeremy k]

http://hightemptools.com/firebricks.html  just one of the fire brick suppliers in the country on a quick internet search

Why do you want the hard brick?

[Buzzkill]

obs, it would be well worth your time to look through this post:

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/52244-japob-just-a-pile-of-bricks/

You do not need special firebricks for your solid fuel forge if you construct it and use it properly.  If you are concerned about it, hard fire bricks used for fireplaces and ovens will work fine for the application and are typically available at the big box stores.

[old school blacksmith]

thanks for the guys that are helping me with my brick problem. also because it needs to withstand out door weather. also for the new people who have joined this chat i'm making a charcoal forge so you need to adjust your expression to this chat

[ThomasPowers]

Can you keep the forge dry?  Water in the bricks leads to spalling and cracking!  (and faster breakdown)

[old school blacksmith]

I know but the ones that I'm just looking for are sturdy and not soft because of the shipping or hauling would break them. that's why and I got some advice from a store helper online about the type of brick I'm trying to get and find. He said that it would crack and if I don't want that to happen I've need them to cool down for a decent amount of time before putting any water on it. So at least I have got some good info on the type of brick I'm trying to use!  Also it's going to be a little bit long time to add a roof over my forge due to the amount I get paid! So it's a temporary problem right now and it's a outdoor forge.

[ThomasPowers]

Letting your forge become dangerous and destroying  itself is a temporary problem?  I didn't say you had to have a roof over it.  Why not throw an old car hood over it when you are done.  You can probably find one free if you ask around.  Free  seems to me to be cheaper than having to rebuild your forge again and again! BTW it's the sturdy bricks that are most prone to spalling and cracking.

[Charles R. Stevens]

I'm with TP, rain and forges don't mix, bricks absorb water and explode when you heat them, dirt boxes rot and turn to mud and steel and iron rust away do to the carosive nature of charcoal and coal ash.

[old school blacksmith]

So is there any way for me to give extra protection from the elements besides using heat sealent and a car hood??

[ThomasPowers]

Yes there are  several thousand of them used by people to keep the rain off their stuff since folks had stuff. You do have to watch out for items that are not as heat/fire resistant which I why I'm not suggesting a tarp or piece of plastic.  A piece of sheetmetal covering the forge table will usually do it---depending on how your forge is built.  You might think of having it hinged to one side making it easy to open and close.  (coal forges will generally go out very politely; but charcoal forges will continue to burn till smothered or all fuel is gone.  A good lid will work for either. Having a "dog House the forge can be covered with will often look better but again I worry about heat and fire issues.  A cast iron forge weathers rain fairly well; but wet  coal and wood ashes are corrosive.

[old school blacksmith]

So how do I prevent the ash being corrosive?? besides covering my forge with something that's what I'm trying to say! Also sorry if you didn't understand what I was talking about.

[jeremy k]

Clean out the fire pot after your done forging to prevent any corrosive action between forge sessions.

[old school blacksmith]

what would I use to clean out the ash from the forge to keep it not corrosive??  like water, etc.