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I Forge Iron

New digs.


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So after almost 4 years on the back porch, I finally got the wife to let me take over the yard shed. I wanted the garage, but I won't complain. This will probably work better for now anyways. 

 

I like a small work space. No more than 2 steps to the forge, & maybe 4 steps to anything in my work area. So the shed is great for that. 

I've got most of my crap moved today & somewhat arranged. I'm not so sure of my stump. It was cut for an uneven porch & is kinda big for this space. I've got a sorta metal stand I started a few years back, but never finished. The little anvil is on it. 

I've never had a hood for my forge before, So having one now will be nice. Still needs to cut a hole in the roof for the chimney & get a better piece of pipe for it. Probably on the high side as well. Its nothing fancy, but still better than sucking smoke. 

Made spots for most of my hammers & tongs. Still got some more to hang. Most used hammers to the right & less unused to the left. I like to keep tongs close to the forge. Got some more to put up yet. 

 

Plenty more to move & do. Small things like electrical outlets. Bolting down the grinder. More materials storage. Finding a home for the mig welder & gas bottle. Then a lota little things. Finally, move things again & again. 

Might make a gas forge at some point soon. 

Its a start though. 

 

Critique & advise is appreciated.

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Have you considered a Hofi style chimney setup? I built one in my little shop and it draws great. I went with this style since there is no need for a roof penetration and the flashing that goes along with that.

I would also consider moving your anvil to the middle of the shop space. I have found this makes using all the surfaces of the anvil as needed in forging much easier. 

I love the stump. If it were mine I would hollow the center of the base out into more of a tripod stand so I could get my foot underneath as I worked on the far side of the anvil. 

Great progress!

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I am really torn on a hood design. I'd really like a side draft setup of some type. Be a hofi (which I really like), super sucker, or what not. 

My issue is a somewhat stupid one, or silly. Not particularly sure which. I live on the edge of town, literally. City stops 500' past me. My little area is the dope capital of the Midwest. Seems like moron around here is cooking the junk. These folk have taken to making their poison around where I live. So We Be got a strong police presence here. I somewhat afraid that a odd looking side draft sticking out the side of the shed will give them the wrong idea of what I'm doing. I know I'm doing nothing wrong, but the police don't always know that as well, and they've kicked my front door once in the last 4 years looking for a drug dealer. Which was not a pleasant experience. I respect to police, but that sucked. A lot.

I know its a stupid worry, but I do worry. Course any chimney on the shed is liable to make them jumpy. So I may as well go for it. 

 

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When I lived in the inner city of Columbus Ohio I found that inviting the police and fire folks in to see my forge at work did a lot to allay suspicions; especially as I invited them to stop by anytime I was working.

In another place/time I once was trying to finish off a project and was working late, it got past 10 pm and had the police called on me.  When they showed up, I apologized profusely and immediately shut down---then spent the next hour talking knifemaking with them...

Getting a forging buddy in the fire or police can solve a lot of issues!

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You sir are a genuine genius. Can't believe that such a simple solution never occurred to me. I know the former sheriff here, so appropriate introductions could be made. I feel like such a simpleton now :)

 

Thank you. Now it's off to read up on hoods. Good times right there.

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I once had a student who came in and wanted to forge a fighting knife, said he had been a Seal....So I asked him what it should look like expecting one of the "zombieKiller short swords".  He told me he wanted it 4" of blade length, standard blade with sharpened clip---said he's "never met anything he couldn't handle with a 4" blade".  I started giving credence to his back story!

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Not particularly of the size. Its roughly 9' x 12'. 

Can't do a side draft unfortunately, as there's structural parts in the way. So I went ahead and cut a hole in the roof for the pipe I've got. I need bigger pipe. Does great once it warmed up. A lesson in asphyxiation before that. I'll be getting some bigger pipe promptly. Also need to get some outlets still. 

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JHCC its funny you should mention that, I started reading through the discussion on the super sucker you made not long ago. Looks like a good setup you've got there & I like it

Regardless, I'll have to make do for a little while. I've had some folks patiently waiting for me to finish some projects. I've been waiting for a touchmark I ordered to show up, & it did yesterday. I wasn't expecting it for another week or two. So back to work it is. Such a vicious cycle. Make money, just to spend it & need more. 

 

A.R. Hillbilly. The stump is about 250 pounds of good white oak. A saw mill I get slab wood from gave it to me a couple years back. Its in serious need of leveling for the new floor. Got some funky shim work under at the moment.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Got around to taking my itty bitty tiny little work table around to the shed today. Had to wait for a nice day to move it, since it takes the tractor to get it to budge. 

Small piece of scrape I brought from work. 1-3/8" A-36 plate, 37" x 61" welded to a couple of split rim wheels from a M35a2. Sitting on a steel military shipping pallet so I can drag it around. 

One of our suppliers at work sent the wrong thickness plate. Told us to just keep it rather than ship it back. My boss sold it to me at scrap value. Think it was around $40 USD, & I already had the wheels & pallet.  Got it to be a rifle target, but the range said no. They were afraid it'd fall over & didn't want to have to move it. Could be some validity to their concern. 

Makes a great bench though. I can hammer on it till I'm blue in the face & I won't hurt it.

 I've got a smaller 3-3/4" post vise I'm gonna figure out how to mount to it once I make a new screw box for it. Got the stuff to make it, just to many irons in the fire to get to it. 

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