Josh Topham Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 Hi, I fired up my homemade coal forge for the first time today - it was not a great success. I have an old steel sink lined with foundry cement, with a leaf blower piping air through the plughole. The whole thing is outdoor and on a wooden frame. I'm burning house coal. My biggest problem is that the fire is quite out of control. Once it's properly lit I can only run the blower for about 30 seconds before thumb sized, white hot coals start blowing into the air. I've tried to weight the smaller, lit coals under bigger fresh ones but the whole thing is so hot within a minute everything is on fire and the showering fireballs resume. This is my second problem: in all the videos I've seen of coal forges there is a firey core beneath a layer of cooler coals. In mine everything on top just burns like a bonfire. Every time I bury the fire it burns back through. All this is meaning I spend most of my forging time messing with the fire and putting out bits of the surrounding shrubbery. The only actual metal work I accomplished today was slightly tapering some rebar.... I've got a couple of books and have googled, but everything I've seen just kind of says "light the forge." Any beginners advice would be massively appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 First of all, Welcome to IFI! If you haven't yet, please READ THIS FIRST!!! Now, your problem is very simple: TOO MUCH AIR. A leaf blower is waaaaaaay too much air for a forge, with results that you have already discovered. Find yourself something much smaller and more gentle. There are a number of good threads here on IFI about improvised blowers -- browse around, and you'll find lots of good info. In the short term, point the leaf blower so that only a very small part of the air goes into your forge. That will certainly help, but you need a more suitable setup in the long run. Also, furnace cement is NOT a good liner for a forge. Check out the threads on the JABOD-type forge for a simpler, less expensive option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 Pictures of your forge will help diagnose other problems beside what JHCC said, too much air with no control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted February 1, 2019 Share Posted February 1, 2019 I know this is an older post, but if you are still having problems try an electric air mattress pump with a ball valve between the pump and the tuyere. you can control the air flow by adjusting the ball valve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 I have beter luck using a “T” placing the valve on one branch and the pump on the other. Helps with the noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sly Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 I used to have similar problems, A simple fix solution is to get hvac metal tape or duct tape and tape off half of the air intake vent and then make a valve by folding some of the tape sticky side to sticky side with enough excess to slap that over the part you taped. You can open and close your make shift valve and if it doesnt work you can just undo the whole thing. The second thing you can do is get a very large part of sheet metal and bend it into a U to catch thrown stuff. Not the most astetic of fixes but its what i did. Older post but theres the 10$ fix to off source blowers with no control settings?... Which is what i end up using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 Charles,I'm gonna try that. The noise doesn't bother me but if I can make it quieter I will. Thanks I couldn't tell in the pictures. I thought it was just a ball valve connected to a short pipe nipple connected to the tuyere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 I have since upgraded Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Charles, I see. Since I have to burn charcoal I will probably change to a t fitting so I can bleed off some air. I originally planned on using anthracite but the tractor supply here can't be bothered with trying to help the likes of me. That's the impression I got anyway. The girls at the customer service desk who look all of 18 acted like they were doing me a favor by answering my questions at all.so I'll be usingcharcoal . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Thomas Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 pnut, have you considered using dry whole feed corn as a cheaper alternative to charcoal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 I've heard about it but wasn't sure if you need to turn it into charcoal first like wood. I know it's not necessaryy and people do use wood in the forge but I don't want a big flame radiating heat on me. I know you can transfer coals from a fire pit. So is it better to use a retort with feed corn? I guess the question is, do you prefer getting rid of all the byproducts in a retort or do you just use corn as is in the firepot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Thomas Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 I use it directly. Radiant heat is no worse than charcoal. Yesterday I posted a link to a video I made on using corn in the subforum Solid Fuels: Coal, Coke, Charcoal, Wood, etc Corn as Fuel thread, page 4 near the bottom of the page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 thanks Dave. I will definitely give it a go. It's going to come down to cost alone. I'm unable to make charcoal right now so I will have to buy whatever fuel I use. I haven't found a source for coal yet. The box monstrosity by me has hardwood lump charcoal for 30bucks for 45lbs. So it's cheaper than mail order coal with shipping but I'm sure I could easily get 100lbs of feed corn for less. I'm not sure I'm guessing but it should be cheaper. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 I watched the video and you were right that was an impressive flame. I didn't know that corn cokes like that. It must be the sugar content in the corn. That seemed like it takes a healthy air flow to get hot also. I'm going to give it a try and see if I like it. . Thanks again David Pnut (Mike) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Thomas Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Mike, For $30, you can get 200 lbs of feed corn in 50 lb sacks at that same TSC. To be honest, In the video I was giving it way too much air getting it started. I should have cut back on the air a lot sooner. Probably about 30 seconds after the first flames appeared. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Never tried corn.. My interest if peeked.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 I picked some feed corn up on the way home from work . Stopped at TSC to get a couple fire bricks and remembered to check into corn prices, Fifty lbs for seven bucks and change. now I need a day off and the weather to ccooperate. I may be asking for too much. ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donal Harris Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 Are there no blacksmithing associations near Dry Ridge, Ky? I believe SCABA coal is $.07/lb. I know nothing of the other ABANA affiliates, but assume most would have similar setups for member coal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 It's about an hour drive to get to the Cincinnati blacksmithguild or I can drive South about eighty miles to Elkhorn coal and coke supplies on the other side of Louisville. Either way gas and time included I might as well use charcoal or spend seven bucks to see how corn works out. I'll probably go to the cbg meeting this month but until then I'm curious as to how corn will work. Cincinnati blacksmith's guild is the closest abana affiliate to me if I forgot to mention it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donal Harris Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 Well yeah. Driving an hour costs money, but fill two drums full while at the clubs pile and then hang out, eat, talk to the smiths who have been doing this a long time. Learn a thing or two. Well worth the gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 The next meeting is at the end of the month.i don't want a Cold forge for that long. At the next meeting I plan on getting some coal or at least making some inquiries about coal and coke suppliers . I'm trying to find someone I can meet closer to where I live so I can carpool with them. My car is old enough to buy beer and has a quarter million miles on it. I have to keep it running as long as possible. I have to think if making a two hour round trip is worth the miles on my car. That's why I'm trying to get in touch with a KY member and meeting them to carpool to the meeting. I need a running vehicle more than I need coal. I do agree I'd like to go just to talk with some other smiths and learn some things from them. Hopefully I'll be able to make it to the meeting at the end of the month.If Not charcoal it is.Im gonna give corn a shot who knows I might like using it. There's a guy on here farther back in the thread named David Thomas who likes the performance of corn so I thought I would check it out. Who knows I May be a corn convert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Thomas Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 7 hours ago, DHarris said: Are there no blacksmithing associations near Dry Ridge, Ky? I believe SCABA coal is $.07/lb. I know nothing of the other ABANA affiliates, but assume most would have similar setups for member coal. In my area, local blacksmith coal runs $.35/lb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donal Harris Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 God bless the SCABA and Byron Donner who stores our pile at his place in Norman. Exspecially at the rate I burn thru the coal. It is pretty good stuff too. Years ago, before my time, they got it from Texas. Brown coal. Not so good I have been told. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 Corn burns a lot like coal, gets hot, gets sticky as it pyrolizes so you can make a closed fire if you like and smells a lot better. Air control is touchier and unless you stick dirty steel or tools in the fire there's no clinker, hardy any ash even. Be aware though if you tell the folks at the feed store what you're using it for a joker might give you a sack of pop corn. Like I said earlier I've only used it once on a lark and found it effective and easy enough to manage with a little adjustment to technique. It's a solid alternative fuel. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Thomas Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 7 cents a pound? SCABA you say, that's Saltfork Craftsmen Artist-Blacksmith Association, right? ... hmmmm. $30 membership... 700 mile round trip at 20mi/gal.... $2.75/gal.... 1,000 lbs coal at $.07/lb... and 12 hours of my life.... hit ENTER and.... Nope. Corn is still cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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