Justin Topp Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 Potential new forge I’m looking into buying. To upgrade from my rivet forge. Looks like it will need to be coated with clay right? Anyone used one like it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stash Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 You will definitely want to clay it. Don't get too fancy- just dig it from the yard, get it damp enough to work and pound into place. What kind of fire pot is that? Does it seem to be original to the unit? Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted November 21, 2020 Author Share Posted November 21, 2020 That’s what I was thinking. I believe it’s original as I’ve seen several like that. Just haven’t used one like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted November 22, 2020 Author Share Posted November 22, 2020 Well I’ll be picking it up tomorrow. Should be a nice upgrade to the rivet forge I’ve been using. Here’s a picture in daylight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 That's a good looking forge that looks to be in excellent shape. Any name on the blower? Those cast iron pans are prone to crack without a layer of clay. It looks like a Canedy-Otto Royal (Western Chief) 100 to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted November 23, 2020 Author Share Posted November 23, 2020 No cracks in the body according to the seller! First order of business will be claying it up for sure. I only have this one picture but it definitely looks to be a Canedy Otto blower to me. Based on the shape at least. I’ll post an update on what it is when I receive it. The forge table is 2x3 foot. So I shouldn’t have to worry about everything falling off now like I do on my rivet forge that is 18 inch diameter. Excited about the table more than anything else. And having a larger fire compared to the rivet forge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 23, 2020 Share Posted November 23, 2020 I had a table like that 30+ years ago, rusted out firepot. I dropped in a PTO cover which didn't last long and then found the Axle covers from a appx 1937 Banjo rear end, they had been made into jack stands and I bought them for US$3 at a fleamarket. Been using the first one 30 years now and have the second one as backup. My table cracked badly and I finally went went to a constructed steel table to hold the firepot. Much lighter to travel with and doesn't break under abusive conditions. (Like some idjit pouring water on hot cast iron! I think that was the incident when I went out and bought the "No Tools Loaned" skull and cross bones stickers...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted November 23, 2020 Author Share Posted November 23, 2020 I’ve got my rivet forge to travel with if need be! I’ll be sure to keep from using water to stop fire spreading. Shouldn’t need to becuse I use anthracite but it’s good to know that. Thanks for the warning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted November 24, 2020 Author Share Posted November 24, 2020 So this absolutely has to be clause right? Looking at it in person the fire pot would get pretty small once its coated in clay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 You don't need to clay inside the fire pot, just the forge body. Clay it a little higher than the lowest point on the cutout. You can almost see the old clay line. Make it high enough so you have a level length about 4"-5" long. That way you have a level support for your iron that is not in the fire pot and long pieces won't sag. And you can get ~ 4-5 pieces of half square centered in the fire pot at once. Lol, you can have too many irons in the fire, but it's just as bad to not be able to get enough in as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted November 24, 2020 Author Share Posted November 24, 2020 That solves that! Thank you very much! something interesting I’ve found is the blowe was probably a later addition. The forge perfectly matches a CO forge that was one of the style that had a lever instead of a hand crank. The blowers air connection appears to be homemade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshj Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 I'd agree, but if it works? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted November 24, 2020 Author Share Posted November 24, 2020 Works great! Lots of airflow. I prefer these blower over those lever crank anyhow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 Well I had my first fire in it today. And this thing is a huge improvement over the rivet forge I was using. The fire pot is great. Clinker doesn’t fuse on the cast iron like it did on the cement in my rivet forge. Not one piece of fuel has fallen. Where I dropped tons of fuel on the rivet forge. And the table is wonderful so my tools aren’t just scattered on the floor or in the water bucket where they used to fall. Need to get a bigger electric motor to properly burn anthracite. My larger CO blower is the only thing with enough air Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 Yep... now all it needs is a nice comfortable turned wood handle for the crank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 It gives me an excuse to play with the lathe. Don’t get to do that very often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 Excellent. Great to see it in action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 Most devices from this age were made to be pretty interchangeable. It doesn't really matter what the picture in an ad showed: lever, treadle, etc. pump or hand crank, recuperative stack turbine driven blower, bellows, or an Emu flapping it's wings at a funnel. An air blast is what counts. You have a perfectly blacksmitherly set up. Good job. Enjoy. Frosty the Lucky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 Looking at the catalog it says they can be supplied with any of their blowers so probably original. Regardless it’s a great forge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted December 12, 2020 Author Share Posted December 12, 2020 Something tells me it’s not supposed to do that ...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted December 12, 2020 Author Share Posted December 12, 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelonian Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 Did that just happen? If so, were there any signs of there already being a small fracture from before? (like rust in the end of the crack) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted December 12, 2020 Author Share Posted December 12, 2020 Yea it just happened. Looks all clean. And there was a fairly loud snap. This was after 4 hours of normal forging Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted December 12, 2020 Author Share Posted December 12, 2020 Crack closed most of the way when it closed. Should be easy enough to braze back together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 Was the pan lined with clay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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