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I Forge Iron

True prices for hand cranked blowers


Glenn

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Let us cut through all the hype and provide some hard numbers on hand cranked blower prices. You know what you paid for YOUR hand cranked blower, help us build a data base. Please list the following information

Brand (if available)
Condition (Photo if it is available)
Price paid and year
Location and other details if you wish.

As the number of hand cranked blowers posted increases, so will the data base. No more smoke and mirrors, no more hype, just REAL numbers.

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I have two old champion handcrank blowers.....a smaller one (model unknown).
It was my dad's, so I inheirited it. He paid $15 for it and a small champion firepot in the early '50's.

The larger 'Midway' blower was found in an old barn and given to me.

The little blower is in good shape.........the 'Midway' works, but is 'rough'.

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Lewi_s_house_apple_butter_043.jpg

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Champion 400, free in 2006/2007, fair usable condition, found it at a junk yard laying half covered in leaves, the guy gave it to me.....well he is actually like a second father to me, I'm not really that charming that people just give me stuff.

welder19

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  • 3 months later...

I just got a Buffalo Forge 300 blower for $80, with a user made stand and a decent set of bolt tongs. Not bad for Northern California I think. the gear housing is oily and it turns and blows with a minimum of noise. Looking forward to moving away from the leaky side of the patio (squirrel cage blower is plugged in over on the leaky side)

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I have 3 blowers right now. One is a compact Buffalo. The other two are the mega-Champions(50 plus pounds). I cannot really comment on prices because two were sold to me by friends.Since I am in town, I am using gas, but I am fascinated by coke(as I have noted before , my Dad and his Dad were coal engineers and I nearly skipped law school and went to Jones and Laughlin Steel after bachelors degree.) See, I have a crazy idea. A large cast iron skillet should make a bowl. The only source I have found for the 17" I want to use loses about 50% to shipping destruction. Last one I ordered the UPS guy never tried to get me to accept it. He came to my door, showed me the ugly two piece very small boat anchors and marked up the return himself.

Today, just to see how this would go using a CI skillet, I bought a 12" today. Wally mart at 6 am with calipers checking thickness- I got more than the usual odd looks.Tomorrow, after work I will holesaw 2 1/2"( a treasured carbide tipped from a fab shop- I used little diamond paddles to hone the teeth- CI will kill even the best bi-metalllic) in the center, bolt in a tuyere plate and bolt on a bottom tuyere tube. I am still waiting for the ideal iron plumbing parts to get hooked up with a larger shipping order to this area.- I will be able to offer the lower tuyere component with dump and CLINKER breaker. I have been cutting on framework and will be welding this week, even though it will not be my true conformation. Then I will get to crank these blowers up to see if I have something worthwhile. 1/4" wall thickness is not a lot, especially for commercial coke, but the bowl replacement will be cheap and easy. So, my SkilletForge is crawling along. The blowers are soaking in Stoddard Solvent and then will be tuned and lubed and should be near new. I intend to refill lube with motor oil and STP.

There is definitely a strong tug from those hand crankers.mike

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Hello,
I just bought this blower and shop forge last Friday, pre-auction. The blacksmith who is selling off a lot of his stuff and moving, reckoned he could get A$300 at auction. I got it for $250 (about US$220), which I reckon is OK considering I haven't seen any for sale around here recently.
Its a Rapid brand blower made in Sydney, and was once part of a set complete with anvil and tools. There has been some serious repairs/mods- like the firebox, which is completely rebuilt using mild steel and a plough disc. Also some repairs to the cast iron blower casing.
It turns OK and although I haven't fired it up yet I'm sure it will work fine.

Cheers,
Makoz

7720.attach

7721.attach

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