I’m new any advice?

[Gub410]

I’m 13 and right now I’m planning out a forge and a anvil I can’t afford anvils so I’m going to use a brake rotor or a piece of I beam . For the forge I’m going to use some old brick from my chimney and a hair dryer for the blower. any advice on metal or anything ? 

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Gub, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in th header you might b surprised how many of the group live within visiting distance.

A brake rotor wont make even a poor anvil but it'll make a decent fire pot for a forge. I beam or other structural shapes are also poor to very poor anvils and make okay for an anvil stand. 

for your first blacksmith lesson I assign you to find barter or buy a piece of steel weighing about 75-100lbs. Something that' is thick in the direction of the hammer blow imagine a piece of shaft mounted on end. Yes? RR rail works a treat stood on end and also allows you to grind useful shapes in the web and flange. It can be flipped end for end to double the number of shapes. 

If by brick you mean red brick it's okay for a charcoal or coal forge but will burn out after a while. It's not a deal killer though and will get you going. Read up on Charles Stevens' posts about side blast forges, they're very effective and economical. Charcoal makes lots of heat but burns fast so fire management is important. Fire management is an important skill for the blacksmith.

One last word. We LOVE pics, shop, tools, projects, etc. Anything you wouldn't mind letting your 5 year old sister looking at. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Gub410]

Thanks for the advice . I will try to find something heavy 

[Lou L]

Welcome aboard , Gub410.  You will be hearing a lot of requests from members here so that we can help you, so I’m going to try to get some of it out of the way now:

The first thing you need to do is read this.  It is important! 

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/53873-read-this-first/

 

You can introduce yourself here... https://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/22-introduce-yourself/

 

For anvil ideas check out this thread: 

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/52308-a-collection-of-improvised-anvils/

 

 

  Please read as much as you can about safety.  Much of what you see on YouTube is not the best or safest practice.  My pet issue is to advise people new to smithing to put more effort into getting good tongs that can hold the 1600 degree steel without it going flying.  Anvils and fancy forges will come.

You need to learn to find everything you need on this forum without help so I won’t provide you the link to ideas for a forge.  Instead, I’ll give you the word you need to search for.  Look up JABOD (just a box of dirt) for an easy to make forge that will do everything you need for a long time.

Welcome aboard,

Lou

 

[Gub410]

Thanks Lou l I will read those

[Frosty]

You've got this down Lou, well said.

I only have one more tidbit to add for now. The Iforge search function isn't very reliable. If you use  your favorite search engine and include "Iforgeiron" in the search terms it''ll usually take you where you want to go.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Charles R. Stevens]

So after reading the pinned posts under solid fuel forges have a look at this thread. 

the pinned posts will give you some understanding of what you are trying to build.  As I said earlier, we want to help you, but just a Little home work is part of the procces. 

A 100# hunk of scrap might be a bit ambitious at first, Vikings used much smaller anvils, a 1 1/2-2# hammer works very well on a 30-40# block of steel, but even a 10# sledge hammer head (even a 4# hand sledge in a pinch) works better than I beam or a disk. We got your back, and we know you can do this.

 

[Gub410]

thanks I read that post about JOPOB earlyer and I’m baseing my forge off that

[Charles R. Stevens]

Make sure to read the whole thread, many of the comments made were concerning tunning the design to make it more effecently. 

If you want to make it just a hairy more permanent one can always use clay and sand to make mortor to hold it together. Now remember wet bricks are a hazard to heat (just like water soaked rock) so build it under some kind of shelter or put a good tarp over it to keep the rain off it. 

 

[Gub410]

All my stuff layed out

[Charles R. Stevens]

So first stand up and put your arm strait down and make a fist, the distance from their to the ground is your anvil hight, just starting out and needing some growing room it’s ok to make it first wrinkle in your wrist high.  We want the hearth of our forge the same hight so we don’t have to lift or lower steel from anvil to forge and we can use the anvil or forge respectfully as a long stock rest. So you need to bulg a stout table to hold up the bricks, minus the pile of bricks, so as a brick is 4x2x8” we can figure this out, a layer of bricks for the floor is 2” thick, this keeps the table from burning, then we need at lest 3” above the tuyere (the pipe bringing in the air) so if we use a piece of 3/4” schedual 40 gas pipe that’s two layers of brick flat or one on its side. So make the table 6” shorter than your anvil hight. You need to make the table stout so the pile of bricks and fire don’t end up falling over from weight or a bump. 

So for me, 6’2” tall  wearing my riding heals, that,s 30”, minus 6” that’s 24” or two feet. I assume as 13 your not as tall as I am.   

I would suggest at least 24” square but no more than 30” at the widest (longer is ok)

[JHCC]

Go with higher rather than shorter. You don’t want it suddenly too low if you hit a growth spurt. 

[Gub410]

I decide the ply was to weak so I found some particle board and Im working on cutting the pieces right now and I switched to wider legs they are about 29’ and the supports are going to be the long piece of wood

[Gub410]

I’ve decided to switch from the japob to a different design because I’m only makeing small knives I will use the frame of in my new design thanks for all the help I will create a new thing if I need help

[ThomasPowers]

STRONGLY suggest you find the local ABANA Affiliate and attend some meetings with a parental unit.  You will speed up your learning curve immensely and often seeing folks working at the forge will calm down parents a lot!  (I have 4 kids and 8 grandkids, so a bit of experience...)

If you look at people learning to drive you will note that very seldomly do people suggest you learn it on your own or by watching youtube videos.  Blacksmithing likewise!

[Charles R. Stevens]

So your making a forge that makes less than a 6” hotspot? I would not suggest a soupcan forge with a propane torch and plaster of Paris 

 

[Gub410]

Thank you Thomas i will try to go to some

[Charles R. Stevens]

Beware of youtoub and instructables. We won’t lead you wrong here, others will

 

[ThomasPowers]

I'd say rather that if someone starts leading you wrong here,  others will dogpile on them!

[Gub410]

I’m make a forge out of a big truck brake rotor 

My grandfather has a piece of railroad track lying around that I will use for an anvil

[ThomasPowers]

Hopefully not a semi truck!   Too big is a problem in smithing!

[Gub410]

Nah a 3/4 ton truck

[Charles R. Stevens]

And that’s a smaller fire than a JABOD? Does he have 2” black pipe fitting s too? Rail set vertically makes an great to anvil. 

But then again, if you burn coal effecency isn’t supper important like it is with charcoal. 

[Daswulf]

On a brake rotor forge, Look for something with around an 8" diameter by 2-3"deep. The rear rotors that have the drum brake style emergency brakes work the best. Usually have a thin outer lip. 

[Gub410]

First part done