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I Forge Iron

New Replacement Forge


Jay.bro

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Hello everyone and happy holidays.

So I had to leave all 3 forges behind when we moved from Arkansas to South Dakota about a year and a half ago. We recently were able to buy our own house that has a garage and I finally got around to deciding to build my replacement one today. It took about 50 bucks for all the pipe and attachments. I work at a Ford dealership so I got a brake drum and a brake clean barrel for free from work when they were being thrown out. It is a work in progress and I still have to build a better ash dump flap since it has a cap on it right now. I have to also cut a hole for an ash pan and maintenance access for later.

I plan on making the big hole on top useable as a way to pull up a handle and it will be the ash dump lever. I repurposed the cut out piece as the grate of the fire pot to save money on a cast iron grate for the bottom and I bolted it to the rotor with a floor flange in between them. Also I know the up pipe for the blower(hair dryer) is too long I plan on cutting it in half and using one half for the ash dump pipe with an ash flap and the other half as the up pipe with a holder to help support the blower. I could do a full write up on it but it has been hashed over several times on here and I just wanted to share that I can finally forge again. Let me know what you guys think about it. I do plan on using feed corn as my primary fuel source since I can get a 50lb bag for a little over 5 bucks here and I've read some info on it that it works quite well like a happy medium between coal and charcoal.

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Early on I used a cast iron floor drain plate as a tuyere in my forge and discovered that it did not last very long.  It basically disintegrated.  Since, I have used a mild steel plate, about 1/4" thick, with 1/4" holes drilled in it.  It lasts for years before needing replacement.

You will probably need a hood to take the smoke away.  Another 55 gal drum with modifications should work.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

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I figured when I burn through the metal that I cut off the drum I would use some mild steel plate purpose cut for it I just cold punched the holes in the metal for this one to get it built and so as not to waste anything I had on hand. I agree on the hood as wel,l unfortunately I have to either wait until my job gives me another brake clean barrel for that or attempt to find one I do plan on building a good for it at some point.

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I have been planning on a hood I want to use a barrel one of 2 ways either I want to do as George suggested or I would like to cut a barrel in half long ways and use both halves so there's more workable space in the forge for longer material I'm looking at both since I'm still figuring out how I'm going to set up my smoke stack in my garage. That's the only reason I haven't dedicated to a design yet. I am thinking about removing one of the small windows and using having the stack exit through it and put the chimney all the way up the outside just over the peak with a whirly jig on top like you see on the top of storm shelters. I'm just not sure if I wanna do that or cut a hole in the roof.

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I've used this hood since october of 2014. (I marked the date on the side).still works great. It is 2/3rds of a 55 barrel with thin sheet metal curved on the inside to add to draw and only gets lifted when I need pass through. It is friction fit and stays where I put it. The stack goes straight up tho and follows the guidelines of past the peak per feet that I cant recall at the moment. At this point since then the pipe is ready to be replaced as it is just the cheap galvy put together pieces from lowes making a 10" pipe going up. I had a simple cover over it that rotted out two years ago that I replaced with the whirlyjig you mention. Whirlyjig is going strong so far. 

If you can go with thicker pipe. Tho what I used lasted years. 

And to say, if you are going Out then up, look into the super sucker hood. 

I originally ally meant the pipe to go out the window behind it and with a super sucker and the right diameter pipe I could have before I knew better. Not to say I'm unhappy with what i have. It works well. (When the gas furnace isnt blowing the smoke out, which i build a flapper onto, to guide it away from the forge.) 

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I was looking at the black stove pipe at lowes for it yesterday when I got all of the supplies but I think it's only 8" diameter which I've read is not big enough. I read the whirly jig helps with draw but it was on an instructable so idk how reliable it is. I know there's a formula for the perfect sized pipe but I think I can make it work without any math lol.

My windows are pretty high up on the wall so I figured if I cut the barrel at an angle for the hood and used the angle to help the pipe get out the window it wouldn't be as detrimental as 2 90° bends in a stove pipe and would eliminate the need for the shelf I've read about needing to put inside it. Wind blowing by the stack shouldn't be a problem to help with draw it's almost always blowing here and really hard. I think what I read about the stack is at least 1 to 2 foot above the peak then add the whirly jig to that but it's been a while since I researched it. That's a great design on your hood. Is the thin sheet metal inside your hood what I've read called a smoke shelf or how did you set that up?

Btw I like the brass tea pot on top of the hood.

 

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Size of chimney pipe is dependent on how big a fire you will have.  Bigger is not necessarily better.  If you have too large a diameter chimney for the size fire the smoke will cool before it gets out and the chimney will not draw well.  On the other hand, too small does not have enough volume and will not draw either.  I don't know of any way of calculating this beforehand.  I would say that an say that an 8" diameter chimney will do for a small to smallish medium sized forge but that is a SWAG.  Medium to large would probably need a 10" or 12" diameter.  Only experimentation will tell for sure.

I would try 8" or 10" for your forge as illustrated and then, if it didn't draw well enough I'd install a turbine chimney cap.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."  

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Okay I can start with a 10 inch and see how it goes. I believe a few of the places here have 10 inch black stove pipe. I've read that corn forges produce a lot of smoke and have a fairly big fire but I know a lot of it depends on the forge and blower. Is the turbine cap the whirly jig thing we been talking about?

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7 hours ago, Jay.bro said:

Is the thin sheet metal inside your hood what I've read called a smoke shelf

It's not a shelf but helps with draw from the start. There is too much open area around the hood before warm air starts to draw up the stack. So a smaller area of open space starts to draw faster.  Once it is warmed up it will draw without the extension. This was a temporary fix honestly but it works out that I can slide it up out of the way once it's drawing to work bigger stock if I need. No need to do anything working smaller stock. 

 

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Oh okay I think I read about ppl using what they called a smoke shelf and they'd build a small fire on the shelf to get the draw started and reduce the hood area as well. I'm not sure it's required but I have never needed a hood before. I used to just forge outside but now I have a garage and I know how winters get here so it's gonna be nice plus I can use it like a heater for my shop if I need to.

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Stove pipe here (in the big box stores) comes in 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and some places 10 in diameters.

You can roll your own from sheet metal.

Chimneys do not have to be round.   Look around in your area not what it is called, but for what can work as a chimney.  For instance they have made chimneys from brick or years. They are usually square on the inside.  They sometimes use a terracotta or clay liner.

Look for chimney liners, which are flexible and can be inserted inside an existing chimney. 

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I've considered welding a hood with a square chimney since my wife bought me a welder for Christmas and a hood its not a super fancy one just the $100 usd one from menards that's a stick welder. I figure I can use it to practice my pattern welding and if I need to I can weld a hood together I just need to find some sheet metal to use if I go that route I think I can ask my shop foreman if we have another brake clean barrel and see what I can come up with from that. I have watched quite a few youtube videos on forge hood builds but it's been awhile honestly I do need to brush up on my welding skills though it's only been about 12 years or so since I've touched a welder...

Would the ceramic chimney inserts work with a square chimney for a forge though? I always thought that if it was extreme heat they got really brittle.

 

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I litterally forgot all else I was going to say when I read "brake clean barrel" in the context of it being around flame. Phosgene gas comes to mind and it is Nothing to mess with. 

Please read up in the safety section on it and be very aware of its potential hazards. 

Anyway make sure it is not the kind that can produce the gas. Even trace amounts can cause it.

 

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Anyway, we aren't talking about extreme heat on the chimney pipe. The hood will get the hottest. I've only even smoked the paint on my barrel hood when I was burning a bunch of cardboard it it. And I wouldnt really reccomend that. The ash cleanup was a pain. Durring average hobbiest forging time my chimney above the barrel hasn't gotten too hot to touch. It's not like it's an enclosed woodburner chimney.

The heat does radiate out from the forge a bit but with proper ventilation and need of air coming in to replace the air going out the forge hood/chimney, it doesnt heat much space in cold weather. 

I think the smoke shelf is utilized in "some" side draft hoods or chimneys. I haven't read anything on over top hoods having any sort of smoke shelf. 

I used the flat snap together stuff and made a 10" pipe from 4" and 6" sections put together. At the time with my limited knowledge I couldnt fine the other components for larger but know where to ask now.  I'd probably go solid when I replace it but it lasted a good while so I'm not upset with the decision. It got me forging a good while to learn more of what I need and want. I will deffinately not go under 10" pipe and might go 12". 

What glenn mentioned on materials.... ever see washers or dryers out for the trash? Good bit of sheet metal on those and other things people throw out. and you don't Have to weld something together. Sheetmetal screws work and there are other attachment methods like rivets or even cutting tabs to lock the pieces together. 

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I have thoroughly cleaned the barrel with vinegar and dawn dish soap and a scotchbrite pad after I aired it out with my blower and cut the hole in the top of it I have a toilet scrubber handle that holds the scotchbrite pad beautifully. It is the one supplied by worth but I still have the paperwork that was on the barrel so I can look at the sds provided on it.

 

Thomas I believe I am still for some reason associating chimney with wood stove chimney and thinking like that instead of exposed pipe chimney.

 

I have a shop vac for clean up just have to make sure it's cool before I use it for clean up of ash on cardboard and ashy material. As far as using it as a heater I plan on using something like a large pot of water and just use it like a mass heater using the humidity to warm an enclosed space. If I'm using it as a heater I won't use my blower except to start the fire and get it to a useable heat. You just gave me an idea with mentioning the appliances. I have a broken deep freezer sitting right next to the forge right now that I didn't have a solid plan for other than maybe as a large cooler but it's way too large to thesably fill with ice and sodas so I already have something I can use. I know I don't have to weld anything but I do need the practice.

I think I was looking at building a side draft forge when I was last looking at how to build a hood so I think you are spot on with the smoke shelf info.

I think this is a project I'll tackle next weekend if the wife is okay with me buying some more grinder wheels. That's why I didn't finish the forge build on the barrel door this weekend because I kinda had to use my leftover wheels and chewed through them rather fast. I know I'll have to get some anyways I plan on making my wife a hair pin when I get it put together and working properly. Then it's on to revisiting my quest to make some tongs.

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The big box store has metal 55 gallon drums for $20 each.  With a little looking some businesses are happy to get rid of 55 gallon metal drums, for free.  When flatten out, the 55 gallon drum body is actually just a 3 foot x 6 foot sheet of metal, between 20-16 gauge steel (0.9 and 1.5 mm).  This can be cut by hand using shears or a hammer and chisel. 

Did you see the metal 5 gallon buckets in the alley behind some businesses.  Or that bunch of 1 Gallon metal paint cans that are 7-1/2"H x 6-1/2" diameter ?  How many metal food cans do you throw away each week ?  The metal is out there and being discarded on a regular basis.

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