fencing12 Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 I decided I wanted to get into blacksmithing and tried to DIY a forge. It is made with a half of a trashcan lined with about an 1.5" of refractory cement. It has one hole for airflow (powered by a hair fan). The main problem, I think, is that it is an open top and this leads to a lot of heat loss. Is there any cheap way to create a top to stop the loss? The forge is around 3 feet by 1 foot. I would prefer to spend under 50 bucks. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 WHAT FUEL ARE YOU USING? Propane? Natural Gas? Charcoal Briquettes? Real Charcoal? Bituminous Coal? Anthracite Coal? Peat? Cow Chips? Corn? Wood? No possible way to give a good answer without that detail Probably 90+% of the solid fuel forges used throughout history do not have a top; so if it's solid fuel that's not the issue. Can we have a picture of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fencing12 Posted July 17, 2017 Author Share Posted July 17, 2017 I'm using charcoal briquettes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 Briquettes are one of the worst forge fuels as they are engineered to NOT get too hot in use. They work better if broken in smaller pieces but real lump charcoal was the primary forge fuel for over 1000 years and is still used today for things like forging Japanese swords. We need a picture of your forge as a hairdryer puts out more than enough air to forge with. Are you putting your stock in horizontally and not at a steep angle? How deep is your fire? Have you searched on the Tim Lively Washtub forge? You've probably already spent more on that forge than I have on ones I make damascus in...A hole in the ground can work. If you are in the USA have you attended any meetings of the local ABANA affiliate? In the UK it's BABA IIRC, I don't know the ones for the other 100+ countries that participate here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the iron dwarf Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 as a guess I would say Chicago but is easier if people put a rough location in their profile. read up on solid fuel forges BEFORE MAKING ONE will save you money and get you a better forge, there are plenty of details on here of cheap forges like the JABOD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wfulbrig Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 I decided to do the same thing a few months ago. I read somewhere that I could use a brake drum and stopped there. BIG MISTAKE. I wanted to reinvent the wheel I suppose. My current setup is rudimentary but gets the job done. I used an old charcoal grill with a brake drum. Then a month ago I decided to bolt a steel plate on top of the drum. I started out using wood charcoal that I made in a 55 gallon drum. I was burning through wood way to fast and use legit coal now. burns longer and hotter. Pipe goes from to blow dryer to a tee, then one nipple goes down to a union with a plug to let ash drop out. Then out of the top of the tee into a flange that is bolted to the drum. This setup didn't cost me anything. Granted my wife got a little pissed about the hair dryer, I had a grille laying around that I didn't use, and I work where I can get all the 2" pipe and fittings I could ever want without the risk of being fired. Between craigslist and purchasing the pipe and fittings you might could come in under 50 dollars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 How do you get the center of a 3' long piece of steel into the hot spot of that forge? And it looks like you need more air control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wfulbrig Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 I DEFINITELY need more air control. This was never supposed to be a permanent forge. Just something to get started on as I had everything I needed without spending any money. As far as "heating the center of a 3' piece of steel" I haven't yet needed to do that. I have made a set of tongs that I put bends in in order to get the center into the hot spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 Cutting a slot out on either side of the grill will get you access to putting longer pieces through. Easy enough. And making a stand of sorts for the hair dryer so you can aim its blast At the pipe rather then directly in it so as you turn it away from the inlet it pushes less air in. There are many ways to get the job done. Just because it isn't permenant doesn't mean some modifications won't help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wfulbrig Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 Slotting the grille would be a great idea. I'm thinking about dismantling and building a JABOD though. As good as this thing has been working for me its hard to get away from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 I'm pointing out that that is perhaps not an example to follow as that forge still needs some tweaking to get the most from it. We get a large number of people here who don't have the experience to see what needs to be done to a setup and so sometimes copy a setup that wasn't finished yet. As it stands your forge is a lot closer to being a good user than some of the ones we've seen posted on youtube as being "the way to do things". Control the air and make a way to stick stock in horizontally into the hot spot and you'd have a forge ready for years of use! BTW try removing the plug to the ash dump and see if that moderates the air enough. My first forge was a lot like Tim Lively's washtub forge; only a decade or two before he popularized it. It had a linear tuyere and I controlled the length of the fire using a "ramrod" that fit in the open end of the tue pipe. It predates the "picture" internet and so I direct folks to Tim's as a suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wfulbrig Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 I understand. My way is definitely not a great example to follow. Just an example of a cheap setup. In the future I'll include a disclaimer. Haha. Thanks for the pointers guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 Try it without the ash dump plug and let us know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fencing12 Posted July 18, 2017 Author Share Posted July 18, 2017 I don't have pics cuz I'm taking classes right now. But I live close to Chicago. The general shape is like a 2.5' by 1' by around 10" half of a cylinder with a single hole in the middle for airflow, if that helps at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Strongly suggest you search on Tim Lively Washtub Forge As for time: I used to forge when I worked a full time job, was getting my second degree in college, had two young children and a 100 year old house that needed constant maintenance! (Now my children are grown up; the house we own was selected so it would not need any work on it for a length of time, my degree was over about 15 years ago and I'm still working full time!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wfulbrig Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 @ThomasPowers Tried running the forge with plug out. It definitely helped. I am currently in the situation you just described there. I'm a full time online student, have 2 kids under the age of 3, work 40 to 60 hours a week at night, have a house that was built in the 40's and needs tons of work, and have still managed to spend a solid 20 hours forging every week. I originally got into to it to make knives and in 3 months I haven't made the first one. I spend all my time working on fundamentals. Finally feel like I'm ready to do some knife work. Guess I'll see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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