SteelyMike Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 Hi, I have used a 205 ltr oil drum to manufacture a forge, horizontally as I manufacture both swords and knives. Apart from having to clear the ash dump method periodically (which needs to be cleared every half hour or so) Is there any other method to alleviate having to clear the pipework so often, as it always seems to block during a critical time of forming. I have the standard T piece below Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 Hi Mike, can you upload a couple pictures of your forge and tuyere (above and underneith) so we get a better idea about the setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 Welcome to IFI Mike, have you read this yet? READ THIS FIRST Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 what you consider as standard may not be the same as what the rest of us think of as standard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelyMike Posted May 16, 2019 Author Share Posted May 16, 2019 On 5/13/2019 at 4:37 PM, Irondragon Forge & Clay said: Welcome to IFI Mike, have you read this yet? READ THIS FIRST Thank you kind sir, much appreciated. Years ago I had constructed my own forges and believe it or not there was one specific type that actually did the job but had to be left behind for some other so called apparent "pundit" to ruin. That was using a brake drum for smaller less intricate work. Lately I've been involved with fine detailing but on a larger scale ie gatework for portico's, schools which requires lengthy steel arched framework complete with bespoke artwork on a large scale, obviously these are done in stages and joined at a later stage. On the topic of annealing / hardening I have no problem, just getting my forge to work better, retaining heat longer (I have an electric blower attached to the forge which may ultimately be my problem of burning fuel faster than it should be. Cheers! On 5/13/2019 at 8:54 AM, Daswulf said: Hi Mike, can you upload a couple pictures of your forge and tuyere (above and underneith) so we get a better idea about the setup. Hi, Will do, just a note here, I have two ash outlets in my forge 1) outlet for the air inlet/ air supply and 2) ash dump in the barrel/forge itself, basically to rid any larger waste fuel / ash. Cheers! On 5/13/2019 at 4:50 PM, Steve Sells said: what you consider as standard may not be the same as what the rest of us think of as standard Thanks Steve, Correction to my wording: Standard for my area of expertise, not in a general sense. Cheers. This is an old photo in the beginning stages of construction, just more elaborate now. This works alongside my smaller forge made out of a brake drum and another using half of a 204 ltr drum, so three in total. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 What size are the air holes in the pipe? What size is the air pipe? Are the ends of the air pipe removable or welded closed? Are you using hard or soft coal? Where are you located? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 Still a little difficult to advise without more info as Glenn mentioned. I can offer a lot of ideas about your forge but you might have modified it to where some are already done. Are there now cutouts on the sides to pass the stock through? Did you line it to get the fuel above the pipe? As it stands it would be very difficult to maintain a coal fire in that without totally rebuilding the fire often, And would be a fuel hog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 Along with letting us know where in the world you are located by editing your profile to show location, you should read this to stay on the good side of the moderators. The quote feature Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 I suggest you forget your idea of standard, and start over with a known to work forge design, the only time you need to heat all of a sword is for hardening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedar Crest Forge Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 On 5/13/2019 at 1:41 AM, SteelyMike said: Is there any other method to alleviate having to clear the pipework so often Yes, I agree with the others, I don't see a clear solution with the design you have, and without seeing the finished work, I will throw out an idea. You could design the pipe to be act like a clinker breaker. I am thinking of the old buffalo forge design. So in your case the pipe would slide though both sides, with a handle on one end to turn it. The " in the forge " pipe cross section could be changed to triangular, or weld something on. The air would be fed from the other end. Then you would have to figure out how to design the holes along the length to get air to flow evenly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedar Crest Forge Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 To clarify, to get a pipe to act as a clinker breaker across such a large area, it would need to be very thick due to the forces, and the handle would aso have to be well built, to stand a chance of working. Then you would need to build up the areas around it with heavy steel. So, the constuction would be on a different level than what you have now. And this is only a blue sky idea, open for debate. I've built a few coal sword forges, hence my interest in this. I only used them for the final hardening though, not to shape the blade. As an aside, I have since moved on, and now use a propane sword forge. An easier design would be to have a solid clinker breaker, and build up your air flow design underneath it. I was just building off of your design though, and taking it for a test spin, no pun intended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 This isn't a hard air grate to manage. I prefer cutting short slots to holes, a hot saw with a stop works nicely but holes are easier to keep to the size you wanted. I cut a disk the same diameter as the inside of the pipe with a hole saw and grind to a close fit. Then weld a rod that extends past the end of the forge and put a D handle on it so you can get a good grip. I make one for each end so they meet in the center. Breaking the clinker requires scraping the outside and running the piston in and out a couple times. Put an ash dump in the center, basically with a tuyere similar to a bottom blast. That's it and while doing a fair job of clearing the holes you can adjust the size of your fire from a few inches in the center to full length or make it a left or right fire. The real downside is the rods sticking out the ends of the forge, cable like for brakes might work but I didn't use the forge enough to experiment further. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelyMike Posted May 17, 2019 Author Share Posted May 17, 2019 On 5/16/2019 at 4:56 PM, Irondragon Forge & Clay said: Along with letting us know where in the world you are located, you should read this to stay on the good side of the moderators. The quote feature Howdy! Based in Bonnie Scotland! On 5/16/2019 at 9:03 AM, Glenn said: What size are the air holes in the pipe? What size is the air pipe? Are the ends of the air pipe removable or welded closed? Are you using hard or soft coal? Where are you located? I have an electric forge blower and to create a strong enough air flow I have 5x 8mm dia holes in the air pipe which creates enough air flow, so that's covered. The actual air delivery pipe is dia 40mm and is able to be removed once the forge is emptied for cleaning. I have a 30mm x 200mm long slot centrally located in the base of the forge/barrel for the ash outlet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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