sqeezplay Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 well this is a funny story.. so i happen to mention something to a farmer about my blacksmithing.. and he knew someone, who knew someone that had a old forge, and blower, so anyway's, i paid $50 for a blower/tongs/firepot. but theres a problem with the firepot, it's 65 pounds solid steel.. no threading on the bottom, nothing.. so should i sell it for scrap? or should i keep it??? it's a beast, its about 12 inches round. and 65-70 pounds of steel. so i want to know how much it's worth.. i don't need it so i'm thinking of sellin..Edit: photos added Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten Hammers Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 Squeeze, I got a few questions. Is the forge/blower in good shape ? I assume you say the pot is round. Is( or has there been ) a connection for an ash dump/tuyere ? /sometimes there would have been holes for the tuyere to hang from bolts and sometimes there may be a flange that a split washer affair would couple to and the tuyere would hang from that. We need to know if there are NO holes or are there bolts broken off ? Does the pot have a grate ( or 3 sided deal that acts as an air divertre/clinker breaker ) ? Is there a handle sticking out from the bottom of the pot ? I WOULD NOT pitch this pot. THis sounds like it may be a Canedy Otto pot but I may be wrong. Does the blower have castings on it to show you anything about who made it ( and does the blower freestand or is it hanging from the forge ) ? Tuyeres/ash dumps can be made pretty easily. Holes may be drilled but this is an area that can be a major problem sometimes. Let us know what the bottom of the pot looks like ( on the outside) or better yet snap a pic and show us. Congrats on the find and we'll see if we can get this sucker makin fire for you. Ten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten Hammers Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 As a footnote to my last post, does the blower handle move ? IF SO I would NOT crank it . Just see if it is free moving. Then, you may if you choose ( my advice ) pull the cover off the blower housing and look inside. If there are no problems ( that is mass dirt/mud dobbers ) I would then just go get some Phillips Super HD 30 wt oil and pour it in sparingly and very slowly move the handle to get things lubed. I know folks that have been lucky, found a blower and just cranked away. I also kknow folks that have damaged babbit. We need to know what the blower looks like before you proceed OK ? Good luck and let us know. Ten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sqeezplay Posted February 19, 2006 Author Share Posted February 19, 2006 haha wow.. ok too late for tellimg me not to turn the blower.. it works, but it was full of mud dobbers.. anyway, the blower is a champion, and it is on a three legged stand, there is a bottom assembly for the forge, it consists of a 5" tall, 4" round tube, with a cap on the bottom, and a cap on the top, in the top cap there is a hole and a rotating grate (three bars of steel) the only thing missing is a pipe to go from blower to bottom assembly, besides that i think it's all there. like i said before, there is NOTHING on the firepot, it's just a smooth piece of steel, no bolts, no holes, nuthin. it just sets perfictly on the top of the bottom assembly. so what do i have? is it a fake or a antique? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 First firepots are usually cast iron and not steel. If it is cast iron you need to treat it like it. Cast iron is brittle so don't drop it/hammer on it. Note that cast iron has very little value as scrap, steel is much higher! Usually the clinker breaker is the grate for the forge and so would not have a connecting pipe but fasten on to the firepot---these bolts often rust off---whey folks keep asking if theye is evidence that they were once there and have rusted away.. If the clinker breaker will fill the hole and has mounting lugs you will need to drill new bolt holes in the firepot for it and mount it in place. Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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