Mikeyn Posted September 8, 2019 Share Posted September 8, 2019 Hi guys!! So I finally got around to registering and making a side blast forge, I had the original tuyere melt on me, so today added some bulk to the end of the pipe, you can see the general idea in the video i took of the process today - Forge modifying... I then used dirt and a bit of clay mixed in to build up around the end of the pipe and back wall which seemed to of worked with tonights test burn! we shall see how long it lasts though.. I will add some pics of the forge itself tomorrow when its light..I will also be keeping a diary here in this thread of my journey into forging but for now here is the first project i made (before the tuyere melted and blocked which got sorted today) and the last picture is the modified tuyere end after a test burn tonight. Mikey-out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeyn Posted September 8, 2019 Author Share Posted September 8, 2019 Just found a couple of photos of the "anvil" I made, and the MK1 Bottle forge.. the new photo tomorrow of the current setup will be more clear to you once i update the thread!.. Mikey-out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted September 8, 2019 Share Posted September 8, 2019 Interesting. I haven't seen anyone do this exact setup before. I am looking forward to seeing the pictures you're going to post. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeyn Posted September 8, 2019 Author Share Posted September 8, 2019 Thanks pnut ! .. Its just a matter of using what i could get and making it work as close as i could to the JABOD side blast, Ideally i may need to add some lining to the bottom, but so far, so good!... Mikey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted September 8, 2019 Share Posted September 8, 2019 (edited) Clay soil is cheap, abundant, and works pretty well. I use a jabod and it's still in good shape after six or seven months. The clay has shrank away from the sides of the box but that's it. It's like a block of concrete now. Pnut Also if you mounted your anvil verticallyyou'd have more mass beneath the work which is more efficient. It'll leave a smaller working area but you can only work what's under your hammer. I use a piece of RR track mounted vertically in a bucket of fine gravel. I cut a stump at about the same height as the face of the rail and put a chain hold down on it so I can set work down for things that take two hands like punching. It's been working pretty good so far. Edited September 8, 2019 by pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeyn Posted September 8, 2019 Author Share Posted September 8, 2019 Well today I managed to run the forge for around 3 or 4 hours, mainly straightening out an old horseshoe I had laying around and made another little coat hook, just wanted to make sure the tuyere was going to hold up and not melt away like the bare pipe end did last time. Before starting today I repacked in some fresh clay/earth from the garden, then remembered I had some WED clay, which is a modelling clay, water based stuff, used for doing sculpting etc... ...I thought i would mention it in-case it comes in useful for anyone else, its cheap as chips too!) I thought id see if i could line the bottom end of the fire pot with this stuff and see how it goes. I thought i was taking a bit of a risk as I think i remember reading that clinkers seem to like to stick to clay?.. anyway, I lined it with a bit of WED and fired it up, all seemed to go well, after finishing, I pulled back all the embers and had a quick look for what horror may lurk lol .. clinker wise not much to speak of and nothing seems to of stuck too badly to the clay either! It was pretty dark when i finished but it sort of feels like porcelain in there atm, smooth under the end of the fire poker if that makes sense. I will clean it back and take a look properly tomorrow when its light again and show you how it held up!...fingers crossed! lol Over all I am happy with how it worked with the modifications I made, Moving the "Hood" part back more for more real estate made it much more usable and the little shelf i made by filling in the gap to the back seems to help draw!! win win!!... I feel confident to now give a proper session a go with some new mild steel stock and start to get to grips with making some useful things.. First though i need to weld all the seams up properly (they are only tacked on atm, didn't want to fully weld it if it wasn't going to work, done that before trust me lol!) *Further modifications* What i do need is more work area around the top of the forge, so will keep an eye out for some sheet metal to build an extension on the sides and front, so i can put more fuel there and generally have more room to work with the stock when in the forge etc...also need to take some notes about where i need to cut the sides to lay the work flat in the fire, so as to not burn it etc.. as it is there is no real cut out so it was a bit of a pita to prop the work up when heating. *Today`s effort* Ok I shall update with photos of the pot tomorrow! thanks for reading.. Mikey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted September 8, 2019 Share Posted September 8, 2019 (edited) If you want more real estate on top just fill the front part in and level it off and stand on either side. No muss no fuss. If you use charcoal just fill the front end with charcoal and use a scoop to put it in the fire as needed. Pnut Edited September 8, 2019 by pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeyn Posted September 8, 2019 Author Share Posted September 8, 2019 I left the front part empty so i could hold more fuel there, save me going back and fore the coal bin each time, I had coal falling off the sides of the bottle quite a bit, what I meant is more of a flat work top around it all, its hard to describe but once it has coal in there its crowded!..maybe i can make some fold down sides?, hmm that`s a thought! Mikey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted September 8, 2019 Share Posted September 8, 2019 I have the same problem. Instead of building something I got a wooden table and covered it in red bricks so I could lay hot stock on it without starting a conflagration. I have two logs near my rail anvil. one for hammers and such the other with a chain hold down standing next to the rail at the same height as the face of the rail so I can use both hands. I tried punching some flat bar and it was a joke trying to get it done by myself so I got the log and hold down to make it easier. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeyn Posted September 8, 2019 Author Share Posted September 8, 2019 That is a good idea pnut!!.. I love that extra stump next to anvil for punching and holding work steady! I will keep an eye out for some stumps in the forest i could use thanks for that idea.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeyn Posted September 9, 2019 Author Share Posted September 9, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 Nice little forge Mike, it's good to see who well it draws. I had thoughts of making something similar from a 55gl. barrel but I don't burn coal often so didn't. A couple suggestions: Safety first, Lose the sweats and sneakers. Any contact with hotter than about 300 f. wearing synthetics will melt them and deep fry your hide. Melted plastics are VERY sticky so you won't be able to brush it off and will only spread the contact to what you tried with. Same for the sneakers besides being low tops, drop a bit of trimmed stock on them and it's heading straight to the sole and WILL burn the snot out of you. Yes, blacksmiths cry, want to hear a couple stories? Second is lose the glove on your hammer hand, and using a solid fuel forge I'd lose them both. Every thing between you, the stock and tools is a lose of sensitivity to what's going on. With practice you can tell more about the temperature and condition of the stock by it's feel and sound than by it's looks. The more uncluttered input you can get to your brain the more you'll KNOW about everything on your anvil. That's a darn attractive leaf hook. Do you know how you're going to hang it or is it for something else? All in all very well done. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeyn Posted September 9, 2019 Author Share Posted September 9, 2019 Hi there Frosty!!, thanks for the tips! I have to admit, I was just a bit too excited to get going today that I forgot my steel toe caps (which is basically my daily wear) and i do need a leather apron or some sort of welder coat type deal asap, I burn the crap out of my hoodies when welding as it is!.. I totally agree with you there, my bad! Any suggestions to what to wear for protection?...cotton good?..denim jeans ok?.. (less raggy-ass ones ideally lol) .. See i was thinking the same thing RE: gloves, I started with two beefy gloves i use for welding, then dropped the heavy one off my right hand and went for a more slim fit type glove which certainly helped, but i will keep hammer hand free from now on, its like having marshmallows over your fingers, cant help any really, thinking about it. I might keep the left hand glove there atm, as i can see me picking up a hot bar by mistake until i am in the flow and used to the working around the fire, though i totally take on board being able to feel the material, I will work towards this for sure.. As for the leaf hook, i think i will drill and countersink a hole or two in it, and put it on the back of the bedroom door, next time im going to be thinking a bit before making something, i need to get some new mild steel square or round stock and do something interesting, not sure what, i have been tempted to make myself a decent shop knife too, but not sure on what steel to use yet, i have some old files i could maybe play with, I have never hardened anything before either, I will obviously read up more but know the basics to a degree. Id like to work my way up to playing with forge welding and layering different kinds of steels, but that is a long way off yet, basic control and techniques first, a good foundation of basics has always helped me learn faster in the past with other things, so ill stick to the routine, work my way up bit at a time. Maybe some tongs and a basic shop knife for now!.... Cheers for the encouragement Frosty! Much appreciated! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 11, 2019 Share Posted September 11, 2019 I just calls em like I sees em Mike. I wear a thin leather glove on my left hand because I use a propane forge, they are very strong IR radiators and tend to blow very hot exhaust gasses out the openings. You have to be more careful with leather around a gas forge than solid fuel, by time you feel your hand being burned the leather has shrunk trapping your hand and baking it. A fast soak in the slack bucket, tub, etc. cools it and relaxes the leather. Still. . . When I'm working solid fuel I don't wear gloves unless there are special circumstances. The trick to minimizing your burns is to learn to hesitate a second just before contacting anything you're picking up in a hot shop. Once it becomes reflexive your burns will fall off to scale flakes, and the like. Natural materials are safer around a fire: cotton, wool, linen, hemp, leather, even silk. Fire suit materials are flame resistant, NOT hot object contact resistant. Kevlar even will melt onto you. I double checked to see if I had the numbers right, I didn't but wasn't far off. A site selling: carbon, Kevlar, Aramid fiber gloves say they are proof to 750 f. But they're 18" long armored gloves and I didn't find what the failure temp was. I think this number might be for conducted heat through the gloves but it didn't say. You aren't thinking of wearing a fire suit are you? If you do we want pics, you'll become an instant legend. Don't be bashful, we won't make fun of you or laugh. Honest! Would I lie? High top boots with your pants worn outside to deflect HOT things so they don't fall into your boots. Tongs aren't really a beginner project unless s/he has a natural talent at the anvil. The basic processes aren't difficult, it's putting them together in the right proportions that's the trick. Points to practice: are isolating an area, setting shoulders, flat even refinement mid point, punching and riveting and long smooth tapers. There are some good videos in the Iforge video section. Like many other things pick ONE and follow it, mixing and matching leads to confusion until after you've developed some skills sets. Make sense? The fellow in our club who is the best at making tongs prefers 4140 stock, it's stiff enough he can make tongs thin, light and still strong enough for a firm hold and hard use. I'm not good at making tongs, I scored a bunch early on so I haven't practiced much but on THOSE occasions I have coil spring I "salvaged" somewhere I use for the same reasons Mark uses 4140. Salvaged spring stock is iffy though, it may have micro fractures that will unveil themselves at a later time. If you can work with stock long enough you don't need tongs you're ahead of the game. No matter how long you've been at this, tongs aren't terribly secure and offer little feel. Next time you make a hook, try punching the counter and screw holes before you turn the hook. I changed position on the screw holes from the leaf to the stem as more attractive and stronger. It's a matter of taste though. Punched has advantages over drilled. First the counter sink it doesn't remove metal, it displaces it to the side, the swelling can be very attractive. The slug punched out is small. Best of all it's much faster and you don't have to clamp things to a drill press or mess with hand drills. If you have a hand crank post drill, go ahead have fun with it then see above. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 On 9/11/2019 at 1:24 PM, Frosty said: they are very strong IR radiators I can say from experience that an IR burn is no fun at all. Itches like the dickens, takes forever to heal, and the looks you get... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 Oh yeah, IR doesn't stop at or near the surface like touching something hot. IR penetrates to the bone, that's why I like standing in front of the wood stove on a cold day. Deep heat is good if you don't get injured. IR burns are no fun, I avoid them LOTS. I keep my gas forge openings faced at 90* to where I stand so I'm not being cooked. The next forge will have a way to mount thermal baffles. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 I've seen a few folks wearing Levi's 501s stand too close to a wood stove... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeyn Posted September 13, 2019 Author Share Posted September 13, 2019 Thanks for the tips Frosty, I have a furnace suit from when i used to work in the blast furnace in the steel works here, everything was made sure to go over openings as to deflect hot stuff away from boots, cuffs, collars etc, but i wont be wearing that its far too heavy for this sort of work, btw i think it was pure wool type material iirc..very very heavy though as i said.. I think ill stick to a heavy set of denim trousers and get myself an apron or something similar.. I Have been practicing drawing material out atm, its hard work but im getting better, seems to work better hitting it over a curved surface, faster etc.. getting there guys! today I started making a small knife just to see whats involved, shall finish it up next few days.. Oh i agree about the punching for holes on hooks too, i love the way it swells out, im going to do that next time for sure!!... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 1 hour ago, ThomasPowers said: I've seen a few folks wearing Levi's 501s stand too close to a wood stove... Yeah, you live with wood stoves long enough and you learn the smells: Levis drying, dry, toasty warm, toasting, scorching, smoldering. In my live in a cabin in the woods days more than one local had cats with flat sides from rubbing the wood stove. Fortunately we only supplement with wood heat so none of the dogs or cats feels a need to snuggle up close to the stove. Awwww, come ON Mike are you really going to deprive us of a special memory? You even have the suit. <sniff sniff> I picked up an aluminized fire suit ala airport fire crew and have worn it twice. First to try it on second to take part in an iron pour, it's hung in a locker in the shop since. Mine is lined in wool felt similar to FD turnout gear. Wool is excellent insulation and very fire resistant without treating. It breaths and wicks sweat away from your skin. Heavy stuff though, it's good it wicks moisture, you're going to sweat doing anything in it. Do any spin cast fishing? If so try snapping the hammer in a similar manner as you'd use to get good distance casting a lure. Hold your hammer in a loose grip, I let mine pivot between thumb and index finger and only tighten my middle through pinky on impact. The motion is to crack the hammer like a whip and close your fist at impact, then release it so it can rebound without conducting the impact back through your skeleton. It takes practice to develop the skill so start with a light hammer. The benefits are more power for less effort and rebound damage to your arm. Doesn't work for everybody but I think it's technique or perhaps joint problems. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeyn Posted September 13, 2019 Author Share Posted September 13, 2019 "Cats with flat sides" now that sounds like an album if i ever did hear one!. Oh Frosty, I have too many stories from that place, for reference, Port Talbot steel works (where I used to work) is an integrated steel production plant in Port Talbot, Wales capable of producing nearly 5 million tonnes of steel slab per annum, making it the larger of the two major steel plants in the UK and one of the largest in Europe. My first introduction to the job (an eye opener) after the universal safety courses and videos, gas awareness training etc, was an old guy throwing me a shovel nodding over to a big pile of pellets (round ball shaped sinter - much heavier than they looked!) and said "there you go boy, get them in the barrow and tip em down there" pointing toward a void in the floor... So off i went, toward this huge plant side, the pellets were coming from a leak high up on the side of this massive plant, looking up i noticed these pellets were dropping out of this huge thing glowing white hot landing in the pile in front of me! .. looking around at the rest of the workers i noticed everyone had hardhats but with silver collar bits on them as to stop the pellets dropping down your neck, I was not given one of these when they dished us out our work wear that morning!.. needless to say, i asked but was told to get on with it etc. those twelve hours seemed to go on forever I tell you!! Horrible place that sinter plant, wasnt long before I moved plants and worked the Coal injection plant for a year or so, not so... how do i put this, melty in there! lol , a lot more carbon monoxide to contend with but at least no molten metal to worry about falling inside your clothes lol !.. attached a pic of the sinter balls i am talking about...AFTER they have cooled i must add lol Hey those tips about hammer technique make total sense! ill try that tomorrow Frosty!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 (edited) On 9/8/2019 at 3:17 PM, Mikeyn said: Well today I managed to run the forge for around 3 or 4 hours, mainly straightening out an old horseshoe I had laying around and made another little coat hook, just wanted to make sure the tuyere was going to hold up and not melt away like the bare pipe end did last time. Mikey. Don't know why I've just now noticed this thread, but thought I'd tell you I'm impressed with your forge. Been trying to figure out what I want to do about a solid fuel forge after I get my propane forge finished. I like your concept. Chris Edited September 14, 2019 by Mod30 Trim large quote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeyn Posted September 13, 2019 Author Share Posted September 13, 2019 Hey cheers Chris!.. its a small type bottle, but seems to be working for what i need atm, I will be modifying it a little more to access the stock into the fire at the right height and a little table top thing on the side to help out with that too.. but other than that, it works great must say!.. if you need any measurements let me know, although, its pretty simple as you can see best of luck with yours! would love to see how you get on ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 Oh, I can clearly see what you've done. Pretty slick idea. Certainly different than most I've seen. I had been thinking about the same thing Frosty mentioned............the horizontal 55 gallon drum.............only I was going to use a 30 gallon oil drum. I just haven't decided what to use for a tuyere at this point. I keep hearing comments about large truck brake drums. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeyn Posted September 13, 2019 Author Share Posted September 13, 2019 Large truck brake drum? as a tuyere?.. I just used a bit of pipe and then used the thick threaded part from the gas bottle, seems to be holding up so far!... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 Hmmmmm. Will be watching your progress with this little forge. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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