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I Forge Iron

Tiny Buffalo


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A while back I posted a picture of my coal forge and it had some butts in it. Smoking is my only vice left and I never gave it a thought when posting the picture. It took a while for the good fun kidding to subside.

BTW: You might want to edit your post to remove the quote.

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Twisted, most us us have some personality quirk or habit that others will tweek us about on occasion.  It's just good kidding amongst friends.

For me, smoking is one of the few bad habits I never cultivated.  A lot of people start smoking in their early teens and I got scared off at about that point in my life.  The adult advisor of my Boy Scout Explorer Post died of lung cancer and we would go to the hospital weekly to visit him.  It was not a pleasant experience to see him waste away.  So, I was demotivated to start smoking even though it was the thing in the '60s.  I did smoke a pipe in college for awhile to look intellectual.  And I have seen many of my friends really struggle with quitting.

So, if you get a gentle dig about being a smoker it is not malicious and is meant as kidding.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

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I didn't see the original quote but as a rule of thumb quotes should be kept short, the relevant sentence or phrase, to minimize band width use.  Just think of the quote feature as having to avoid retyping the relevant text without quotation marks.  If it is something you'd type out if there wasn't the quote feature it is probably of OK length.

BTW, I think that is going to be a cute little forge, good for taking to demos.  Also, I liked the ad for a BBQ from Buffalo Forge using what seems to be a modified rivet forge.  I'd love to find one.  I've been asked if I cook on my forge but I always say that coal grilled steak does not appeal to me.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

 

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Thank you for the explanation on the quote feature  using, I’ll make sure I figure out how to reduce it. 
 
thank you also on the forge! I’m gonna keep posting step by step pictures as I build it, encase anyone else finds one of these tiny blowers and needs ideas. Also I agree with you that coal flavored steak does not sound appealing lol. 

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I field strip all my butts when away from the place. The filters go into an empty water bottle or my pocket to be disposed of properly. However in the shop they go into the starter fire for the coal forge or if the fire is established into it. Some folks have told me that harms the fire but I haven't noticed that in 30 + years.

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I think I’m gonna cut a plate to match the flange on the air supply and weld this coupling to it then weld the pan to the coupling. Then drill the holes in the plate so I can bolt it to the air supply flange.
     Then I’ve gotta go find some clay, I was thinking about using Oklahoma red dirt clay, it’s everywhere, it free and easy to find, but it’s also full of little bitty rocks so I might get lazy and just buy some fire clay.

Also I haven’t figured out how I wanna do the legs yet, I’d like to make them removable with sockets for them to slide into and set screws to lock them in place. That way this mini forge can be completely disassembled and moved portably. 32533FCC-90D4-41A2-9ED4-D43490298A58.thumb.jpeg.b7e78efd0f1d9c0b6c34ad39400e9c85.jpeg

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Why not folding legs.  Set screws seem to me like something which would be a pain to mess with at the end of the day when it is time to pack up and go home.

Or removable legs held in place by spring pins?

Set screws may be more secure, but feel like something which are more useful when something must be permanently set in place, but you want the possibility of removal if the need arises.

Joey van der Steeg did a video on a portable cavalry forge. Have you seen it?  It was designed to be easily set up and then later taken down for transport when the unit had to move. I just don’t remember how the legs worked or even if it had them. 

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DHarris, thank your for the ideas! I have not seen the video your talking about but I have seen those ww1 Calvary forges. The legs I’ve made are sucker rod so that’s the easiest way I thought to attach them. But Im curious what do you mean by attaching them with spring pins?F1CAE5AC-CF93-4DAA-999D-1DE7CA7A33B6.thumb.jpeg.376fb1997a4bd3e6abfdd188d5cbee4c.jpeg

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I was thinking the handle material from the pancake compressors may be strong enough for legs on such a small forge and would be a lot lighter than sucker rod. For portability, you could weld pipe unions to the forge and pipe nipples to the handle material and be able to quickly screw/unscrew the legs. Could even set three legs angle out with 1/4” rod bar hooked on the ends to brackets on the legs  to prevent them splaying out. 

David

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An image search for "Safety Snap Pins" will show you more types than a boy's wildest desire can use up. Mc Master Carr has a great selection.

Why don't weld use a Floor flange to the bottom of your pan and bolt the blower to it? You'll need to match the bolt holes, there should be a corner to corner distance that matches well enough. This is a forge air tight is not necessary but you DO want to be able to remove the blower without having to deal directly with rusted bolts or breaking welds. Hmmm?

Every time I see the title of this thread the voices ask if tiny buffalo have marketable size wings.

Frosty The Lucky.

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Thank you both!

Goods, I really like your idea of making the legs screw on and off, still want to use my sucker rod legs so I have more weight on the bottom preventing the forge from being top heavy, but your idea about welding couplings on so I can thread them off and on is great! I hadn’t thought of that. And it a lot easier than drilling and tapping set screws. 
 

Frosty, I like your idea about using a floor flange that’s a lot less headache than what I was over thinking,agin I hadn’t thought about that either! 
 
I'll probably use both of those ideas, thanks for y’all’s help 

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Pnut, Lol I can see how that might sound on a here, I send out several trailer loads a year but I sincerely doubt there’s anything in there you would find very useful, it’s mostly blown engines, lawnmowers, atvs, old generators,  chainsaws, random parts and other small engine related machines ect… there’s lots of aluminum and cast iron and some steel, my repair shop generates a lot of junk metal and I don’t really care to keep it or I would wind up with acres of it lol. I do give anything in the scrap trailer  away free to anyone who asks and wants to dig through it. And the retired guy who hauls it off makes a little money on it so it’s a win win for everyone.
   Although I did have one ifi member come by back in the spring and load up a couple bucket loads I haven’t heard back from him yet to see if he was able to get any use out of anything he took. 

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Legs and scrap;

Legs, I would do simple equally spaced sockets around the perimeter of the forge pan that they slip into with a depth stop welded to the leg. The legs can stick up a few inches past the socket which would provide posts for a windshield, or hood with sockets, to be dropped over them.  Having the legs out that far will provide a lot of stability, easy to install / remove, and wouldn't require tools for assembly.

Scrap; do you have an art scene locally to you? Sounds like you may generate some items good for scrap sculptures. I myself would be interested in some pistons, con rods, and valves for some projects.

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BIGGUNDOCTOR, I think I’ve got a small pile of chainsaw pistons that I saved for a project that never happened if you want pm me and I’ll mail them to you I’m never gonna do anything with them. 

As far as the bulk of the machines, they  go to the scrap trailer mostly intact I don’t really have time to tear them down and separate the different metals since I’m not in the salvage business

but maybe in the off season when things slow down I can scrap out a few and pull some  pistons, rods and valves for you. 
 
If there is a art scene locally I’m not aware of it, but like I said anyone who swings buy my shop is welcome to anything they want to drag off the trailer.
Also i have probably around a 100 pounds of brand new chainsaw saw chain of various sizes and lengths that’s odds and ends off the ends of chain reels if anyone wants to come buy and take a bucket full. I also throw out god knows how many used saw chains over the period of a year. 

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The chain is great for "Damascus" billets for knives.

No need to pull items out. I was thinking of when you replaced items like pistons , or valves, the old ones would be available. What size engines do you mainly work on?

When you get a chance, send me a picture of the pistons in a message, and I'll see if they look like the style I am looking for.

 

 

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I work on hand helps up to 30+ hp but I do get the occasional backhoe, skid loader and other large machines,

I don’t really do many overhauls anymore because it’s almost as cheap for the customers to buy a new engine with a manufacturer warranty as it is to pay for all new parts and gasket sets and seals then labor, freight and tax on top of it.

So unless someone owns a very high end machine with an expensive engine then most people just op for the new engine or just completely replace the whole machine.
 

I’m not at the shop this evening but I’ll find those pistons this week an pm you some pictures. 

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