A. G. Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 So my first forge was a cobbled together proof of concept made of less than ideal materials. But it convinced me to persue blacksmithing further. I am very fortunate to work for my best friend who has a succesful welding operation. Long story posted in the intro section. Short story I run his CNC plasma table. Even though though my first idea was only charcoal the forge was designed for coal as the main fuel and oak charcoal when I make a batch. Making decisions from no experience with a lot of research and pro's and con's lists is daunting. I like the density of coal and figure there must be a reason why it became a preference. So I jumped the gun, put pen to paper and came up with a crude sketch and dimensions based off the scrap plate available for use. Once I had an idea of what I wanted, I designed it in the computer and got the machine cutting parts. The table is made of 3/16" mild steel 33" wide and 20-3/8 deep (2 tenths short of the golden ratio) and 30 inches tall with a tool well on the right hand side. The fire pot is 10"x10"x5" also 3/16" and the tuyere pipe is 4" square tubing. The tuyere grate has 5 3/8"x4-1/4" slots positioned over the pipe. I'm starting to think this is a bit over sized. The fire pot drops in and I can easily modify or rebuild if/when needed. There is an ash pot and a blast gate to help control the flow. The blower is a large squirrel cage from an A/C. I will be wiring it with a dimmer to really be able to dial in the air flow. So far I only have the blower duct mocked up with cardboard to make sure the blower will work as intended which it did. Full fan and full gate is too much and full fan and cracked gate worked well with charcoal. Coal will arrive soon and despite my Tim the Tool Man Taylor air blast I am optimistic. I will be cutting the duct out of sheet steel and wiring the dimmer switch soon. And for the record I will dress the visable welds and paint the legs. I'm hoping the high heat header paint from the auto parts store will stay on the table (not the fire pot). Thanks for your time and any input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 Looks good, it's only missing a fire. It's going to be great for coal. It's going to eat through charcoal like a monster though. You may want to make another grate that will sit higher in the firepot for when you use charcoal to raise the fireball up to level with the table and put a brick on the left and right side of the pot so you can pile charcoal a bit deeper. As it sits now I think the hot spot will be a little low for charcoal and you don't want to have to angle the stock down to get to it. Good luck and good job on the forge. Keep us posted. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 SAY WHAT? A basic hair blow dryer will put out enough air to need throttling down---what the heck is that squirrel cage blower doing attached to it? Dump it and get something reasonable. (A lot of folks have used the blowers from car heaters, 12 V but that's not too hard to come by.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasent Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 That will bring a new meaning to forge fleas! Looks great though. I’d agree that’s going to be way too much air Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 Vesuvius West. I'd set the squirrel cage to blow on you during the TX summer forge days. (A strong breeze is useful to keep mosquitoes from landing and biting on you too. Why yes I have been in both east and west TX in the summer, how did you guess?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A. G. Posted December 9, 2019 Author Share Posted December 9, 2019 Pnut your read my mind on the grate that would sit higher. The heart of the charcoal fire I made was indeed too low. I'll probably make a couple different size inserts and see what works best. I think 2-3 inches higher should do the trick. No fire pictures yet as I was having too much fun to think about pulling out my phone. As for the fan it is what I had on hand. I'm one of those hard headed individuals that is reluctant to buy something until I know first hand that I can't make what I have work. Even though it is over kill I think once I put the dimmer switch on and in combination with the blast gate I will be happy with it. It is very quiet and moves enough air that it could keep the fire hot and me cool, maybe... I also like the Idea of placing it further away. Just to be clear about how my brain works. Don't take me "forging" ahead (see what I did there) as not listening. I hear the advise but sometime I work towards failure so I can gather full comprehension as to why something doesn't work or not work as well as something else. It is a trait that has infuriated many a mentor. Either way it turns out, I will post in detail for everyone to learn from. Jasent, you know that trick with the screwdriver and air compressor blower. Let's just say levitating 3/4" coals is a good way to clear out onlookers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 (edited) I would make the larger grate removable. Pop it in for charcoal and take it out for coal. It looks like a great forge. You're gonna have a blast with it. Have fun and be safe. Pnut By the way. I use a 120v AC matress pump I got from Walmart with a ball valve to control the blast. Works good for charcoal and is sufficient for coal. Edited December 9, 2019 by pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A. G. Posted December 9, 2019 Author Share Posted December 9, 2019 Thats seems like a convenient design. Any qualms with having side walls attached to the larger grate follow the slope up the walls of the fire pot and then go straight up from the top of the fire pot. It would have 3/16 plate instead of fire bricks allowing for coal depth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 My blower (which I have used on charcoal, soft coal, and anthracite) is a salvaged vacuum cleaner, stripped of all unnecessary bits and with a radiator hose connecting its exhaust to the air intake on the tuyere. It originally had a homemade gate valve, but now runs off a variable transformer that I salvaged from a theater that was cleaning out their storage spaces. Go ahead and "work towards failure" if you like, but just know that there are low- to no-cost alternatives awaiting you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 I don't see any reason it wouldn't work and if you do end up having any trouble it's easy enough to cut them off. It wouldn't have occurred to me to go that direction but I try to stay low tech as possible. I use a jabod forge and bricks was the first thing that came to mind as that's what I use along the sides of the trench firepot in my forge. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 My old billet welding forge used an old "handy vac" type thing---old enough to have a solid Al body and a cord on it. Universal motor; so easily controlled with a rheostat. The hose was ribbed radiator hose and at certain speeds it would sing like an organ pipe. Bought it at the fleamarket for US$3 as it didn't have a bag on it anymore---just an Al pipe shooting out air... Gave it away when I moved out here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasent Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 18 hours ago, A. G. said: Jasent, you know that trick with the screwdriver and air compressor blower. Let's just say levitating 3/4" coals is a good way to clear out onlookers! I can imagine. My charcoal forge has thrown many embers while learning. FWIW my hairdryer on low is too much air in my forge. It’s plumbed with 2” pipe and my grate is just a 1/4” plate with some 3/8’s holes drilled in. Charcoal likes slower air than coal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 (edited) Too much air will actually make your fire cooler and cause excessive amounts of scale. Pnut Edited December 10, 2019 by pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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