Built a table for forge, hooked up blower, will have to seal 3inch pipe to 2 inch pipe and am going to lag bolt base to 4x4 to bring level, may shorten stove pipe also. Framed a original Feb 1904 ad for same blower today also.

I would definitely shorten the pipe up to the elbow.

You could use flex pipe like the collapsible plastic vent pipe for a dryer until a little bit before the tuyere and not have to raise the blower base. If you're raising it because it's not a comfortable height then disregard the above. Good luck. 

Pnut

Finally got around to hooking her up and lighting her off

Another video, gonna try coal next

Need to improve couldn't get "fireball" tall enough,  guess with sideblast I have to think horizontal not vertical,  wasn't quite at welding temps, manage to partially weld a tomahawk. 

Why didn't you chop the charcoal down to say 1"  cubes to get a decent fire?  Hard to weld in a fire that's all big chunks as it makes for a more oxidizing fire as there is less surface burning area to consume the O2.

Yes I should of ...but would that have allowed the sweet spot to move taller in height? Airflow into is like 3/4 or inch. The bowl wasn't wide enough to fit tomahawk head into as well, have some more charcoal to use up then will switch to coal, still have to make a rake water can, poker etc

Edited April 27, 20206 yr by Mod30
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Cut up charcoal, and worked much better, was able to get good temps

Looks to be working fine. Smaller pieces of charcoal make a huge difference. I shoveled up three five gallon buckets of charcoal from someone burning brush. I'm glad I got to it before the rain. 

Pnut

Smaller pieces of charcoal make a huge difference. Yes indeed, area that is hot enough to do work is not big enough,  I am going to increase that, and will switch to coal for a while, having about 150 lbs of smithing coal, I personally haven't forged with coal since the 70s in my dads forge, have used propane mostly, my bottom blast using pipe with holes didnt work well, but now I learned that my charcoal wasn't small enough in that attempt also. Good find on your charcoal.im getting very excited about my future projects.

Edited May 5, 20206 yr by Mod30
Excessive quoting

Lots of sources: High School Bonfires, I sift the ashes from my wood stove, and the weirdest one  was when the neighborhood bar catty cornered across the alley  from my smithy burned, I collected several garbage cans from it---with permission.

Still using charcoal,  increased diameter of "bowl" , works well, used a propane torch while hand cranking , blower lights really good. My next and final test will be coal.

On 5/5/2020 at 11:44 AM, ThomasPowers said:

when the neighborhood bar catty cornered across the alley  from my smithy burned, I collected several garbage cans from it---with permission.

An auto parts store burned down about six months ago and I was looking at all of the charcoal with visions of glowing steel dancing in my head but I didn't want to ask someone who just lost their business if I could have any. I've gotten scrap auto parts from the garage they own behind the parts store but they were never overly friendly in the best of times so I didn't want to bother them in a time of stress. 

Pnut

If you show up every time there is a structure fire with some trashcans wanting to scrounge charcoal from the remains; I'd bet that pretty soon you would be on a list somewhere too...

You could probably get paid even. A 6 pack of beer at the FD might get you notice when the fire's out.

 Frosty The Lucky.