Can a forge be built from rammed earth?

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

My preference is bottom blast for coal and side blast for charcoal. That is why I have built both and the fire pot in both is a ducks nest because that is what I like.

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.
Semper Paratus

 

[anvil]

I met a blacksmith from Alaska, one of two brothers, both smiths in Anchorage at the first ABANA conference at Flagstaff long ago. He told me that there were few smiths in Alaska and most used propane because shipping from Seattle made is pretty cost prohibitive. I doubt thats changed. 

You are correct on ash,, and without a doubt the ash removal problem is far better solved with a bottom blast. Sheesh, at the very least gravity works on your side, and it all falls down and goes out the ash hole with a quick flip of the wrist.    Far better than dropping down a door, raising your fire up and raking it out horizontally. John, If I were to build a side draft, I would line it with castable refractory.  

Theres no reason that one or the other type of blast works better than another in this case. I doubt charcoal is any different there as here. Basically its too expensive to buy for more than casual use or bragging rights, and too time consuming to make. So I'll take what that smiths told me a few decades ago and guess that most smiths in your area,,, including you most likely,, use propane. Fits what you have said about your experience above with both types of blast. So no matter what, Frosty, I appreciate your suppositions and am glad to respond to them based on my experience as a full time smith.  

[Frosty]

They died many years ago and the remaining brother was largely inactive by time I had time and a place to pursue the craft more actively. I went to the estate auction and wasn't interested in their propane forges, they were way too large and gun fired. I picked up a few tools, the tongs went before the auction so I got some top tools, a couple bottom tools and met a few people. Mostly collectors. At the time the only other smiths I was aware of were farriers who did a LITTLE side work at the anvil. Just so you know, I've lived here more than 50 years. 

You should really back off the issue of a bottom blast being superior to a side blast, especially for charcoal it is just plain incorrect and illustrates your lack of experience using them.

Everybody knows you are a full time "traditional" blacksmith and very good at the craft. Unfortunately being an expert in one field does not translate in being expert in all. 

Burning charcoal in a bottom blast, spreads the fire to the entire firepot and if you have it mounded above the firepot it spreads through the entire mound. Charcoal in a bottom blast is horribly wasteful for no benefit.

On the other hand you can burn virtually any solid fuel in a side blast without the limiting factors of width and depth of a firepot. The exceptions would be a trench or a side blast introduced into a fire pot. IN the case of one in a pot, cleaning could be an issue but I can't opine because I have never used one. Not going to guess either.

Please explain how well light easily airborne ash falls against the air blast? Shut the blast off first, right? You can rake ash, clinker and crud out from under the fire without disturbing or stopping the blast. In fact opening a channel under the fire with a poker and tattling it often lets ash to be blown from the fire without raking. 

I am done with this thread.