whittler Posted January 23 Posted January 23 I have a smoker grill that I no longer use. Can anyone point me to a possible DIY coal forge tutorial or plans? Quote
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 24 Posted January 24 Might try here as there are lots of threads on how to build one. https://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/267-jabod-just-a-box-of-dirt/ I can’t control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sails ~ Semper Paratus~ Quote
swedefiddle Posted January 24 Posted January 24 Good Morning, I took a 'Barbie', about the same size and made it into a 'Wood Burning Forge'. A family in Washington (the state) has been promoting their Wood Fueled Forges at quite a few North West Blacksmith Association Conferences (NWBA). They work well and you don't have to Coke the Wood, beforehand. It is a case of K.I.S.S. I love it!! Neil Quote
Ohio Posted January 26 Posted January 26 I didn't build a coal forge, but I did use a grill for a charcoal/wood forge. In addition to a JABOD (Just a Box of Dirt) forge thread here, Torbjörn Åhman builds one ion his youtube channel. JABODs and JAGODs aren't hard to build, they really work, and you'll quickly learn what works for you and how to adjust the design for your process. Plus, if you decided blacksmithing just isn't your thing, you've spent next to nothing other than a bit of time. Quote
Frosty Posted January 27 Posted January 27 It's sure good to see you posting again Ohio, I missed you. How are things with you and yours? A forge is literally a "fire place," all you need is something to hold enough dirt to protect the container from the heat and a length of black iron pipe to deliver the air blast. The rules of thumb are simple enough. What works well for dirt in a JABOD is 3+/- parts clayey soil, (NO rocks or large pebbles!) to 1 part sand or crushed ceramic "grog". The sand/grog provides passageways for steam to escape when you build a fire and it allows the clay room to expand and contract with thermal cycles without cracking and falling apart. Only make the mixture JUST damp enough to pack hard with a mallet, end of a 2 x 4, etc. Do NOT make mud, mud WILL check as it dries! Pack a minimum of 4" of dirt under the fire so the heat won't damage what you use for a stand or burn the box if you use a wood box. Place the tuyere pipe (air pipe) horizontally through the box so it is 1" - 2" above the bottom of the trench. This is a "Side Blast" as opposed to a bottom blast, forge. Orient the tuyere 90* across the center of the trench aimed SLIGHTLY downwards. Some folk put a fire brick across from the tuyere as a fire back, some drill a hole in one to put the tuyere through. Don't get carried away, it's just a box of dirt and one of the really beautiful things about a JABOD being, when you're done for the day and the fire is out you can dump it into metal buckets so it's light enough to carry out of the weather. Hmmmmm? No matter what you burn, wood, coal, moose poop,(don't laugh, it works) etc. it does NOT require much air blast in a JABOD, a shop vac is so completely, ridiculously too much air it'd be silly if you were running 5 forges off one. So are mattress inflaters but those CAN be made to work by aiming the output away from the end of the air supply so a small fraction provides the air blast. The hand pump mattress inflaters work well and a box bellows is really simple, a box knife, some tape and an old vacuum cleaner hose is plenty. Anyway, your old BBQ will make a Cadillac of a forge, wood or coal and it'll have plenty of space on the forge table to hold and coke coal. Charcoal is a little trickier as if it gets burning you have to douse in in water or it WILL burn until it's all ash. How likely is it to get a spark or burning coal into your ready pile of charcoal? Seriously really likely, a little too much air blast and charcoal sparks and pops vigorously. We call those "fire fleas" and they love getting into things they shouldn't. Putting an airtight lid on your charcoal stash is always a GOOD idea, it will keep it dry too and charcoal CAN suffer compost decomposition, generate heat and spontaneously combust. Fireproof, airtight storage is best but dry and away from structures works. By charcoal I'm not talking about briquettes, those are compressed cakes of powdered charcoal and ae made to produce low heat for the BBQ. What you want is plain wood charcoal, you can buy it or make it. Making it is easy and there are threads devoted to making charcoal. Let us know, lots of us have experience here. For first projects I show folks how to make a wall mount coat hook. Unless, like you, they want to build a forge. Then I start them out with a set of basic forge tools, poker, rake, shovel. Tongs can come later. Also, hand forged fire tools sell, especially when the blacksmith can custom make a set to match the customer's fireplace, fire doors, etc. I've run on more than long enough, I even slipped a trip to WallyWorld into the middle of my ramble. Frosty The Lucky. Quote
Ohio Posted January 29 Posted January 29 (edited) On 1/26/2025 at 7:28 PM, Frosty said: It's sure good to see you posting again Ohio, I missed you. How are things with you and yours? We're doing well, Frosty. Thanks for asking. Busy. This manuscript has not been writing itself. I've had time to do woodworking but every little metalworking, uncluding blacksmithing. I did get a 100# of two kinds of brass for casting once I get the Wonder Hut (me metal working shop) in order. I had the Wonder Hut in order and then I decided to re-do stuff. And replace the ambient lighting. Sigh. How you? whittler The charcoal Frosty mentions is the real stuff. You can make a charcoal kiln (I have a thread about how I made mine, nihittlercknamed Burnie) or you can get 20# bags at your local grocery store that will work well enough for you to find out if you want to try it. What a JABOD/JAGOD is good for is you can make it quickly, fire it up, and see if blacksmithing makes you happy. Whatever you do, have fun and good luck. Edited January 30 by Mod30 Remove @ name tag Quote
Frosty Posted January 29 Posted January 29 You've been away for a while and seem to have forgotten. Tagging people on IFI isn't allowed, it causes problems with the OS in ways the moderators and Admin have to correct with code. I'd forgotten about the manuscript and no, they're a solid job of work not a fun vacation. We've been doing alright, the big news being. I broke my leg curling a few years ago and it healed a little crooked so I'm a bit of a gimp. Deb's doing well but on edge at the moment. She's going in for "reverse" shoulder replacement surgery in Feb and we'll be working on her therapy as she recovers. The dogs are good, Baxter is a healthy 14 year old dachshund and Ronnie is a very affectionate, crazy athletic 4 year old dachshund. Qiviut the cat remains hidden self upstairs except when he appears to be loved on for a couple minutes when I go to bed. Our temps have been in the mid 30s to 40s most winter till this morning, it's 2f. outside right now and feels it! I haven't done much of anything in my shop except look for something in quite a while. Especially since breaking my leg, I can't spend a lot of time standing on concrete anymore. Looks like snow maybe, they've been predicting it for better than a week and we have maybe 3/4" yesterday, so far. About 70 miles up the highway Talkeetna got 3' or so yesterday and it's still snowing. I expect I'll be happy we got the plow truck running again, I may have to use it. Snow when it's this cold is fluff and hard to plow, it won't stay on the plow. <sigh> I visited my little Sister in Phoenix in December. Phoenix in December is nice (weather wise) and the older we get the nicer warm sounds in winter. Frosty The Lucky. Quote
Ohio Posted January 30 Posted January 30 On 1/29/2025 at 9:54 AM, Frosty said: You've been away for a while and seem to have forgotten. Tagging people on IFI isn't allowed, it causes problems with the OS in ways the moderators and Admin have to correct with code. Crap. You're right. I forgot. Do you want me to come up there and fix your limp? I'll need a hammer, maybe two, some caulking, a stapler, and some bits and pieces. Fix you right up, my guy. Been cold (not Alaska cold, but still) until today. Smells like the rain's coming back. We had almost two solid months of rain, and then three weeks of too cold and dry. Funny, the rain usually means it's warm enough to be in the Wonder Hut, which is heated and insulated but I'm a big baby. I like what you said about using the smoker as a forge because it has extra room for tools, etc. It's funny how everybody wants to make the entire container a forge instead of separating it into workspaces. The forge doesn't need to be big (usually) but it needs to be controllable so it can get to heat and use fuel efficiently. Solid-fuel forges are fun but only if you can get to heat quickly enough to get work done. Unless you're like me and just like fire. Quote
Frosty Posted January 31 Posted January 31 No Torch?! I'll pick you up at the airport, I have to run into Anchorage 02/06 anyway, it'd be nice of we could coordinate. You'll love the drive out if it's a nice day the scenery is spectacular. Frosty The Lucky. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.