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I Forge Iron

Old Forge Restoration?????


FieryFurnace

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There is an old forge/blower set being auctioned off tommorrow, in my area. Several of the fan blades are broken off and it has a heavy coat of rust on it. The blower itself is pretty good, it turns freely, and the fire pan is solid. Is it possible to weld an entirely new fan together? Should I get something that is going to take that much restoration, and how much should I pay for it? Would it be worth it to restore it and resale it? Reply quick and thanks.

The Kidsmith,
Dave Custer
"It's not the fact that you're dead that counts but only how did you die"

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How mechanically inclined are you? Do you have a good creative mind...read can you come up with a solution on making blades that YOU can do? Can you find a like blower that does not turn and 'rob' the fan out of it and swap them out? Some blades in blowers are bolted/rivited in which if this is the case GREAT! I would remove all of the bad blades plus one GOOD blade to use as a pattern. Make however many you need using 1/8" plate and replace. You may need to tweak the blades some to match. Just make sure you don't make the new ones any larger as they will most likely hit the sides of the case. As far as the rust, elbow grease and wire brush. Or if you have access to a sand blaster, disassemble and blast the outside. (You will have to take apart anyway to get the sand out and this way is easier, elimanates getting sand in the case/gears) NOW the BIG question, how much to spend.....How much ya got?;) I have paid from $40.00 to $150.00 for forges and I KNOW I was lucky on all occasions!:) Only one of them was I able to light a fire in as soon as I got it home. All the others were 'projects' but were well worth the time to restore. I am currently restoring a "STAR Machine Works" forge that has a pat.date of April 6, 1883. It is a lever type with the wheel and belt. I will post pics soon, I hope.;) eBay has mostly extremely elavated prices on ANYTHING blacksmith related. IMO. Good luck, and we want to see pictures when you get it home!

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Thanks man,
As far as being creative, I built my first forge and just recently restored another. On the second one I had to re-do the legs, build a fire pot, build the air duct, and design a blower bracket. It works like a champion. Oh! it is a "Champion." Ha! My big boy blower (mounted on a solid cast iron stand) was malfunctioning (
The Kidsmith,
Dave Custer
"It's not the fact that you're dead that counts but only how did you die"

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Well, folks, I didn't get the forge. We got some little bull calves at the auction and didn't even stay to see how much the forge went for. Oh well! Thanks for checking back though.

The Kidsmith,
Dave Custer

"It's not the fact that you're dead that counts but only how did you die"

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