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I Forge Iron

Gettin' Mighty Close!


Chris C

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I appreciate you suggestions, Frosty, but I've way too much time and energy spent on this cart to scrap it.  I've got the fan mounted and the wiring channeled to the front of the cart where the switch is mounted. Holes are all drilled for the stand that extends the height of the forge.  The extensions will only be 8".  Even though I'm wrapping hazard tape on the extensions, I'm not too worried about it.  If it's too much, a saw and relocating holes in the 2x6 can easily shorten it.

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On casters so you can turn it? Even making it wider it's still darn top heavy and unless the caster wheels are pretty large, it'll trip on surprisingly tiny things. I've come close to tipping mine over and it's only waist high and NARB forge only weighs about 30 lbs.

Why don't you just build your forge on the stand? It'd be easy to see the inside while you line it and you won't have to risk your back and maybe damaging it lifting it up when finished.

Frosty The Lucky.

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Just because you can build it small does not mean it is a good idea. Expand the support structure to avoid a crash.  Putting it on wheels is a great idea so you can just move it out of the way when it is not needed. Make the wheels large enough to roll over things like nails and extension cords or a threshold if needed. Old lawn mower wheels, dolly wheels, or old wheel borrow tires can be used.  

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It has to be easily moveable in my situation.  I just don't have the room to leave it sitting in the middle of the room.  My shop is divided into multiply (hobby) sections and everything has it's place...............though sometimes equipment has to be moved out and into another hobby's space.  In the case of the forge, it will be stored against the wall near an overhead door.  When I want to use it, the door will be opened and the forge rolled into the opening or maybe even outside under the porch overhang.  Just can't use a fixed stand. 

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Okay, here's a quick pic.  The widened stance is great!  Wide angle lens makes them look like they really stick out, but they are only 8" out from the cart.  I'll never have a problem turning this thing over.  In fact, I had to turn it over to fasten the wiring from the fan to the switch on the underside of the cart's top tray and it was almost a comical feat! :D  Now it's time to start getting the pipe plumbed from the fan to the plenum. 

 

p3482905611-4.jpg

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Looks nice.  I'm not an expert on building a forge or a stand for it, so I have no real input. Mine is on an old barbecue grill stand and a piece of sheet metal. Looks like a good size shop. My space is probably a quarter of that. Hope your still having fun with it!

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I'm blessed with a wonderful shop, Goat Lady.  30x40, air conditioning and wood heat.  furniture building section, wood carving section, reloading section, bullet casting area............and a 4x8 workbench I seldom see. :D  There's a 1 1/2 car wide, 2 car long room attached where I will set up the blacksmithing stuff.  It has a garage door, so that will help a lot with the heat involved.  But it's also a storage area for garden tools, acetylene rig, and all sorts of other stuff I need to get to, hence the need for a portable forge.

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Ah you reload and cast projectiles too? Another reason for me to like you;) We actually have a sizable shop but a lot of stuff in it. Drill press, table saw, wood lathe etc. Two chicken brooders in the corner and my lawnmower. I can't even think of everything. So my smithy is located in the far corner away from everything else. 

I use the table saw to rack my hammers on because the frame around it is perfect for holding them

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I was a professional furniture builder for 17 years, so I've a well appointed shop.  www.chrischristenberry.com  Take a look at some of the stuff I used to make.  Now I'm makin' wood carving knives......and gettin' into blacksmithing.........who knew?????

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1 hour ago, CrazyGoatLady said:

Woodworking and blacksmithing seem to go hand in hand

They go tools in hand actually.

This is the last I'm going to say about your forge stand/cart Chris. The pic does nothing to ease my concerns with center of gravity issues nor trip hazards. 

Frosty The Lucky.

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Things are always distorted with a wide-angle lens.  The center of the forge opening is 53".  The wheels are 30" apart.   This is no taller than the forges at our Thursday night group, and they are mounted on the same cart as I have..............except they just have the standard 11 1/2" wheel spread.

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OK then the extension's with the wheels are what about 9 1/2 inches on each side, which shouldn't pose a real trip hazard is that correct.

BTW what cartridges do you reload & cast boolits for? I've been a reloader for over 50 years and have molds for 44 calibers and dies for 36 calibers. I load a lot for my old mil spec rifles with black powder to duplicate the original military loads.

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I'm planning on diagonally bracing the cart............just didn't have any strapping.  The stand on which the forge is sitting was built with pirated pieces from the packing crate from when I bought my zero radius turning mower.  It was all bolted up on this contraption.  Against my wife's wishes I kept the pieces.  She claims I'm a hoarder............I say I'm a collector of things I will use some day.  And I do use those things when the time comes.  Just don't always know when I'll be able to use them.  In this case, I think they worked rather nicely.  I just need some more strapping.  As far as weight on the cart lower down, I have room and plan on putting the propane tank on the lower shelf.

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Well, guys, due to your comments about the weight of my forge body and the fact it's center is 53" off the floor....................plus all the grunting and moaning moving it around the shop, I've started considering skeletonizing it.  It presently weighs 52 pounds.  But I have access to a plasma arch cutter and can cut out 24.8 pounds fairly easily.  I'd replace the removed metal with thin galvanized sheet metal just to protect the soft brick from any abrasive contact of any kind...............plus it would keep shop dust off of it.  (easier to dust metal than that danged brick !)  Not worried about the galvanizing because the refractory and brick ought to keep the heat away from the outside of the forge body anyway.  That would bring the weight of the forge body to 27.2 pounds plus 4 pieces of sheet metal.  I'll have all that brick and refractory materials to add to it, but will have shaved almost 25 pounds off it's total weight.

Any thoughts or comments on my plan?

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