Clay K Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Recently bought a house and will eventually be putting my blacksmith shop in the old chicken coop. My plan is to remove the screened portion to make the interior dimensions 140 inches wide x 280 inches long x 83 inches to the lone “rafter”. The back wall measures 58 inches high. The coop has a laid rock foundation with concrete poured inside. How would you guys/ gals arrange things? I currently have a solid fuel forge, but I am almost done with my dabbling at a propane forge and will likely transition to that since my access to solid fuels is not what i thought it would be. I have a post vice i have not mounted yet and an approximately 130 lb hay budden. Another question i have is what you use for fireproofing your shop. I could probably find enough used barn tin to cover the inside, but i worry about the noise level once tin is added. Would a cement board be better for sound deadening? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Approximately 12x24 feet is a good start. You need to plan for adequate ventilation, when using the propane forge to eliminate any CO poisoning (unless you are planning to use it outside). I would use sheet rock to fireproof, although I don't think you will need it. Our shop was a bunny barn with a dirt floor and it has Styrofoam as insulation (half wall). When I first converted it to the forge 30 years ago, I was concerned about that seeing as how flammable Styrofoam is but it hasn't been a problem. You can see the half wall behind the forge. As far as arranging I like a triangle no more than 2 steps between the forge, anvil and post vise, which is behind me in the picture. I like conservation of motion when working. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 One cure for interior noise is wearing good hearing protectors! Put them on a hand forged holder by the door and make it a habit to put them on when you enter. While stray cut off pieces and tong flipped pieces can be an issue, forges don't really push heat too far out. As I tell folks who tell me that I must be nice in warm in the winter forging: "If I can stand here with my groin 18 inches from the hot spot in the summer with no problems; why would you think my feet 36 inches away would be warm in the winter?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Don’t scrap your solid fuel forge, gas is nice but some times you just can’t the job done with one. Acoustic celling Tiles are fire rated, so barn tin on the lower half of the walls with tiles farther up would work. You can either use them as a wall/ceiling covering or frame them and use them as bulletin boards placed to help absorb some of the noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Note if you use barn tin make sure that is a solid blocking at the upper attachment points. Where you do get into trouble is when a hot piece can go behind something on the wall and you can't get to it to put it out---I've seen pouring a bucket between siding and the inside covering trying to deal with a hot piece that flipped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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