Hello.
My schoolfriend a few days ago found an old electric forge blower in his barn (he lives on a farm) and I was intending to buy it from him, being under the impression that it was a small thing with a broken motor. Boy was I mistaken. He refused payment for it, and said he tested it and it works beautifully. He told me that I might want to divert some of the air away from the forge. I wasn't sure until he held up his hands to show how big the air expelling hole was it's about 6 inches diameter, and the whole thing is darn huge! I'm definately going to use a hose valve to regulate the amount of air put into the forge, diverting the excess back out into the air! It's big enough to fuel two big forges!!!
I totally scored on this one!!! And if I can hurry my forge along, I'm gonna be all set! No more problems about "not enough air!"

If the outlet is really 6" or so in diameter, it may be a grain or chaff blower. These are often used in farm environments and will push quite a bit of air at high pressures - much more than needed for a forge. You will definitely need a damper and the thing may actually need some back pressure to keep from overheating the motor. A simple slide gate should work.

If the motor has brushes, you should be able to control the fan speed to a degree with a rheostat but it might be easier to just do on/off and use the damper. I have a portable forge that has an old Champion electric blower which works just exactly like I described - a light switch for on/off and a slide damper to control the fire, from nothing to full blast.

Have fun - looks like you scored!

Congrats on the score! Sounds like just the thing to plumb up to a coal forge and a gas forge simultaneously, if you've got 'em. Mr. Woolridge's comment on the slide gate assembly is spot on. I set one up on my forge and it's the only way to go. I forged a leaf on the end of a long piece of 1/4 round, and it makes a nice handle to slide the gate with while it is mounted under my forge.

on big fans i close some of the air intake side ,mesh over inlet and tape a pice of leather to close of some air

I am thinking of useing one of those massive 2 way hose adapters, which, when you turn the hose allow you to alternate/ split the air load between tunnels, and send most of the air back away, only taking some for the forge. if not, it'll probably pressurize and pop. Another thing I could do would be to take off the motor (use it for something else) and then put a bicycle wheel above it, with a rubber belt between the two, and a handle, so I'll get the bicycle gear effect on a bigger scale, and not always have far too much air coming out. Whatever I do, I've got a big blower! :D

Did we not discuss some time ago that if you let everyone know what your interest is and how keen you are to pursue it. Good people will assist in any way they are able. Here's the proof.

Now Archie, he doesn't want payment you say? Oh yes he does! Perhaps not in the folding stuff or even jingling stuff but he expects, and we your fellow IFI mates expect, that there will be an exchange of somesort. And to what value? That's a curly question. Do you give him something or do something for him to the value, present or future, YOU put on the blower or to the value he put on it (he gave it away remember). Or is the value he put on it wrapped up in the joy and excitement he saw on your face. In any case the kind jesture is waiting to be returned I'm sure.

As for the blower, I like the sliding gate idea. We wouldn't want to see the forge launched across the shop at a warp speed :shock:

MMMmmmm, forge at warp speed...................FIRE PHOTONS MR. SULU>>>>WEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeee.

Strine brings up a good point. For folks that have given me pieces of equipment or even materials, I usually give them something simple I've forged. If they gave me materials, I usually forge some kind of gift from a bit of the materials they gave. The gesture is always appreciated.

goonna be hammering on tueday, so I might as well make him something. I just brought it home. it is so big I cannot carry it for more than 5 minutes, and you can feel it blowing from about 6 feet away. it is sweet. He wanted time at the forge as payment, in the end, which I am all too happy to give him. I'mm gonna forge him a road-bolt knife I think (instead of a railroad spike, it's a medium carbon steel bolt I found on the side of the country lane in france, this summer. I knew it would come in handy.)
I lugged it into the gym after the christmas concert this evening to show him, and he couldn't believe it. it makes me happy.

now it is time to raid the railroad track near my school. I've been coveting a four foot length in their pile of track lengths (they're all ten feet except the four foot length). the construction workers are not there during the winter, so tomorrow I shall strike! and look for spikes in the process! :lol:

Er .... that sounds more like thievery Archie than finders keepers. And unless your built like man mountain I reckon you'll carry four feet of railway line for about a minute.

Oh and if it's not thievery just take it from right under the noses of the railway workers. You'll soon find out one way or the other.

just ask , or you might be getting plenty of hammer practice on the stone pile ,and those chains have got to be a nusance to work in :cry:

Poor idea, Archie. :shock:

I find it hard to believe that you can't find a piece of track or some other hunk of steel that is even better suited to your purposes for free or for less than $10 at the local scrapyard.

oh..ok...never mind. :oops: sorry.

No biggie. We've all been there. Accumulating tools is sometimes frustrating, but you've gotta keep above the law.

as George Carlin said
"cop didnt' see it, I didn't do it"

Similar in principal to the philosophical question " If a tree falls in the forest, and no cops are there to hear it, does it make a sound?"

:D

I was kinda going on that principle, but I suppose it is better to keep above the law. Truth be told I probably wouldnever have gotten round to it anyhoo, but it was a lesson. The reason I was thinking thus was because the local scrapyard doesn't sell to the public, and the car parts place only sell for specific car repairs (which is wierd) thus I turned to the proverbial railroad track.

Independent garages are the best. Have you checked with the 18-wheeler repair places? I've never been in one that didn't have worn out kingpins, axles, leaf springs piled up someplace to haul off.

I haven't checked those, no. I am testing out a small 3 pound iron weight with one face polished smooth, set upright in a small box of concrete, which should work for small stuff, I hope

Just bought the mterials to finish up the forge to go with the blower. lots of 1/2 inch black pipes and fittings, an a bag of topsoil, and wo of perlite. should work fairly well. I'll see tomorrow.

Archie, could you please tell us what the plan is with the topsoil and perlite. I must be missing something.

oh yeah! I decided to keep it as simple as possible. I decided that, since the simplest forges are holes in the ground, I would make the firepot very adjestable by using topsoil and perlite as a lining instead of clay, or a castable refractory cement. I could alter the firepot to however big was necessary for the job, and thus save charcoal.
the forge is a washtub with fireplace bricks in the bottom, 3 side blown tuyeres, and the firepot is dug/sculpted in the soil/perlite mix. (about 1/2 and half)

Sounds interesting. How do you plan to keep the dirt from mixing with the coal as you work? Brad

Archie Im no expert but save the top soil for plants use cheap Kitty litter (Bentonite clay). As from what I read it looks like your trying to spend as little as possible or make it really primitive" which there is no problem there... I have a gasser made from a coffie can :oops: " But if its the soil Im thinking about; it has way to much organic material in it to do any thing. Look at http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/refractories.html
That would be better than top soil. All these materials can be had for under 20$.
Also check out http://www.vikingdesign.co.uk/tub.html This a link to the same forge your building.

Later,

Pj :mrgreen:


P.s. If you decide to use the materials I stated the forge will be heavy :shock:

I'm also using the perlite, and, looking at it, it seems to be more lik 2:1 perlite to soil. I used dirt from my garden for my first forge, and it worked fine, I just had to patch it up with a bit of water every once in a while. This ability to move the firepot and it's size is what I am looking for, because I am going to do a variety of differently sized projects.
My first trial of a forge with this lining went very well, there was no real problem with mixing, except when it slipped on some ice and smote it's ruin upon the ground and tipped everything out onto the ground, which was somewhat frustrating. :(