hikerjohnson Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 Riffing on the JABOD idea, I decided to use what was handy, namely a pile of scrap 2x and plywood, some old bricks leftover from a neighbor's tumbledown chimney, the wifes long-forgotten hairdryer, and a bit of old fencepost pipe (relax, I am aware of hot zinc issues, and wore a respirator for the welding and first fire, thanks for thinking of me!). The bricks are piled up two-deep on the floor, and arranged so that the gaps between bricks dont line up. Nothing is mortared, so as the bricks burn up, which it will, I can just re-stack it all. The hardware store in town sells smithing coal, and so after a bit of faffing about getting the coal to coke and the bricks warmed up, it works quite nicely! I lost 6" of the rebar shortly after I took these photos, got distracted in the garage and left it in too long, and it melted right off! I just left the dryer on low, and the tuyere pipe swings in front of the dryer to adjust the blast; the pipe stays surprisingly cool in use, and when I was done, I just took it out so it wouldnt burn up in the after-fire heat. I set the dryer off at an angle, so if the blast control line gets knocked off, the fire will die down instead of run away on full blast. It's not perfect, but its not too bad for the investment. This was just a first fire and a test; I'm working on getting my anvil on a stand and so hopefully in the near future I'll actually get to do some work and get to know the forge. Hopefully I can make this little pile of bricks work for awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 The swinging pipe and control rope are genius. Nicely done! One thing to consider would be sticking the galvy pipe in a container of vinegar to dissolve off any remaining zinc. Neutralize with baking soda when you're done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubalcain2 Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 1 hour ago, hikerjohnson said: the wifes long-forgotten hairdryer, As long as it wasn't the long forgotten wife's hairdryer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Stephens Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 As I've been told my whole life, and it has served me well, " Poor boy's got poor way's". Great Job!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 Exelent! Tho a few more bricks may be in order. Another layer to make the pot dealer and another few to make the wall higher. Not necessary mind you, the set up you have is riminisent of the fire pan used on traveling forges, as well as the Viking bellows stone. Nice thing is you can customize it at will, 2or 3 walls and a roof if you need a fernace, 2 walls for a trench, etc. beets $50 in 2" pipe fittings for a brake drum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 12 hours ago, JHCC said: The swinging pipe and control rope are genius. Nicely done! I'll say... love it when a plan comes together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 Nice forge, really well done. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hikerjohnson Posted August 30, 2017 Author Share Posted August 30, 2017 Did a little re-arranging of the forge guts to give some ash below the tuyere and more of a well for coal and coke, and packed some moist dirt around the tuyere to keep the air and fire where it belonged, definitely an improvement. The forge poker is from a little chunk of rebar, and was a good exercise in squaring off and tapering, and hammer control. Not bad for a pile of bricks. Last photo is the firge as it sets now; I need to move the fire closer to the anvil, its about two and a half steps from fire to anvil, too far. Also bought a butcher block brush. All I can say is wow, what a difference in surface finish. These brushes are unsung saviors for newbie blacksmiths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 One trick to make things nicer on the hands is to octagonalize the handle in the grip part. Doesn't need to be a regular octagon but breaking the corners helps a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 And I see extra bricks for customizing the fire fro different projects. Very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 Nice build! I like it. Thanks for sharing it with us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 I have to agree, that is a NICE forge. I"m thinking you could wrap the brick back wall around the sides a little and stand a stack on it. I bet it'd draw nicely without getting fancy. Nice job, I'd like to give it a try. It needs a cover to keep rain off it, wet bricks need a low slow fire to drive off moisture before you put it to work or B-A-D things can happen. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hikerjohnson Posted April 5, 2018 Author Share Posted April 5, 2018 Thanks for the comments and compliments all, this forge has been officially retired. It worked after a fashion, but the dry pipe tuyere burned back too fast for my liking, and the table was ultimately too small to work comforatbly on without having the fire and green coal drifting off the edges. See below link for the new toy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted April 5, 2018 Share Posted April 5, 2018 When you start demoing keep it in mind, it is great to show folks just how easy it it is to build an effective forge with little time and money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 5, 2018 Share Posted April 5, 2018 Exactly Charles, it's easier to hook them with easy to swallow bait. Demos is a good place to use a brick pile forge, it's easy for spectators to imagine giving the craft a try if getting into it only runs a couple hundred bucks. It's why I like having an expedient anvil at demos. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.