Time make another Pancake!

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Alright y’all, I’ve found another little blower and tuyere pipe this time champion made, just a little bigger the the tiny Buffalo,

I’ve decided to use it to build another portable pancake forge! 

For those who don’t know Ive built a few of these before and learn something new each time I build a new one! 

this one I’ll be changing up a little of the design and adding some extra features,

a special thanks goes out to Frosty, JHCC an Irondragon!!! For y’all’s helpful tips and tricks I used on the last build and this current one! 

so I started using junk pancake air compressors several years ago to make light little portable forges and the first few were functional but not perfect but with each new one they get better! 

I started with a salvage cheapo pancake tank, cut the handle off using a 4” angle grinder with cutting wheel,

then split the tank above the welded seam it makes for a ruffly 3” deep pan, Give or take on the particular tanks you mess with

this one is 3” deep an 15” diameter,

depending on if I’m using an old tuyere pipe or fabbing one out of steel pipe changes the center hole size, but I use hole saws an a power drill to cut the center out,

this forge im using a champion cast iron tuyere pipe with a 2-1/2” opening,

an then had to drill holes for the bolts to go through,

there’s also a third hole that was a little tricky, to put a bolt into to other end of the pipe for extra support, I just used some odd washers for spacers to take up the space between the pipe and the pan,

This as as far as I’ve got on the pan so far, 

yesterday I picked up some 7/8” sucker rod short leftovers from a coral that had just got built, I’ll be using some of this for the legs,

I want this forge to set lower then the previous forge does so I looked over some antique rivet forges I have setting around to get an idea of the leg height, 

stupid me didn’t take into count needing extra for the bend and cut a couple pieces to short lol,

so this afternoon I’m going to start work on a second set of legs 

but here’s what I got so far with this forge, 

 

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Okay got the new legs cut and bent, it’s so windy today I barely need the blower! 

 

[FatBadger]

What did you cut the primary hole with, if I may? 

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

A hole saw, or at least that’s what I call them lol,

i use different sizes depending on what tuyere I’m hooking up

[FatBadger]

I'll try to catch up, thanks.

[Scott NC]

  I'll follow along with interest.  This may be an option for me.  

Edited February 20, 2022 by Nodebt
Fix a thing

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

18 minutes ago, FatBadger said:

I'll try to catch up, thanks.

Lol, not much to catch up on I’ve only just started on this one! 

If your interested there’s a thread I did last year building one of these using a blower an tuyere off a Buffalo grill like the one you have,

Scott, to bad you live so far away in the land of pines, if you was closer I’d load you up with some junk to build one or two of these! 

im always on the lookout for these pancake tanks people throw away! 

here’s a picture of the odd ball spacer I used for the third bolt hole,

 

[FatBadger]

This gives me plenty to start with. I'll have a look at the other thread, thanks.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

So far I’ve had good luck with these, they are light enough to move easily, especially if your taking it somewhere! 

They seem to use a lot Less fuel then my big table forges with the deep fire pots, 

I took the tiny Buffalo pancake forge to the BOA meeting last weekend and forged with it for a couple hrs and I think I only used about a 1/4 bucket of fuel? But I wasn’t paying much attention, 

today I used it to heat those three 7/8” pieces of sucker rod and make a fire poker out of 1/2” and I used two coffee cans of coal, so I’ve been happy with the fuel mileage lol

[JHCC]

Nice! 

The angled bend on the feet is fine for solid legs, but for anyone using pipe, I'd strongly recommend bending a longer curve. That angle would create a weak spot in the pipe, and you don't want it to collapse and send hot coals across the ground.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Thanks JHCC,

yes I agree, I’ve looked at the old rivet forges I have an their pipe legs have a a much longer curve! And Almost 8” horizontal to the ground 

these 7/8” sucker rod legs that I’ve been using are quite heavier then pipe and I was gonna try and mimic the old style legs but I was struggling trying to hold them over the swage I was using an hammer them, I really needed an extra person to hold it for me so I could shape them like that,

so I went back to what I’ve done previously and just bent them in a vise, 

I haven't had any trouble from the previous legs I’ve made that way and it’s nice to have all that weight under the pan so it’s not top heavy, 

but your right if I was gonna use pipe I’d most definitely make a much longer curve!

[KMADDOX]

I need to gather things and build one of these. 

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Materials are pretty easy to find, if you scrounge around you can probably build one of these for anywhere from free to $20,

if your really motivated an you have everything laid out you could build one on a Saturday morning, really all you need is a angle grinder, drill and a little welder, for the fab part,

then for the refractory is you choose to use one, clay, crushed fire brick an wood ash, 

here’s a picture of another one I’ve started, it’s a deeper pan, and the tuyere is 2-3/8” pipe welded, it’s even easier to build because you don’t have to drill extra holes to mount an old cast iron tuyere pipe

[Scott NC]

  Now I have a blown pancake compressor on my watchlist.  We just moved in and it's already getting hard to hide the "junk".... 

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Junk? That’s what goes in the scrap trailer!

Everything else is (material) or (stock) lol

those pancake compressors are pretty common because they are cheap and the people that buy them normally just use them around the house for light work, air up a tire ect…

but they dont hold up well and when they quit working most people throw them away,

At least that’s the story around here,

anyone who works with pneumatic tools buys a real compressor that doesn’t burn up after 20 hrs of use,

but harry the home owner likes those cheapo pancakes from harbor freight so there’s a never ending supply of burned up pancakes which I’ve found are really good for forge making! Lol

[Scott NC]

  Lol, that's why I put the quote marks around the word junk.  I just cut down an ugly dish network sattelite dish in the front yard and am cannabalizing the nut's,bolt's and pipe from it.  Stuff has to be pretty useless for me to pitch it.  I'm hauling a load to the transfer station today before hitting the store, maybe I can talk the guy there into keeping an eye out for a expired compressor for me.

  The farm back home looked a little Sanford & Sonish but I gotta be a little careful here.  Organization and camoflauge, you know?

  Look forward to progress on this project.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

There’s junk and then there’s junk… what ya got there is Junk Junk! Lol I love that show! 

I was thinking about welding the legs on today but we’re currently in the middle of a two day ice storm and I forgot to bring it in before it started… so I either have to wait till that stuff thaws out or I gotta but the ice to get it out lol
 

[Scott NC]

  Been in the 70's here lol

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

In timeline or temperature? Lol

[Scott NC]

  Are you saying I live in the past?   Tell me what day, month and year it is and I will answer your question.    Now I'm afraid to use an emojicon without refering to your list.  Smiley face is safe cause I'm always happy.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Lol, make up your own uses for the emoji’s! 

hmm how about august 13 1973?

[Scott NC]

  Yes, I am drawing a blank on that date....... No, I was mentioning the temperature. 

  My own use of emoji's may not be a good idea..... 

  

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

 We’ll have it your way then!

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Busy season hit so I’ve had a lot of projects on the back burner, 

I just got the legs tacked on, gonna finish them up today and weld on a bracket for the blower,

It’s supposed to be hot this week so I’ll throw the clay mix in there and let it bake all week in the sun

[Scott NC]

  I'm following you on this.  A gentleman at the recycle center saved me back a compressor.  I can't help but ask, is it the camera angle or is that one leg bent oddly.  I suppose this will require clay so I'll have to drive to the next county?  We have sand here and I don't want to use cat litter.