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I Forge Iron

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Posted

I built my first forge today and fired it for the first time. It seems to work real good, but then again this is my first time forging at all, let me know what you think.
I used a 12" brake drum, hair drier, 2" black pipe and fittings, 3/16 plate steel, and an old table saw sand. Heres the pics of the forge.

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Posted

Here's the pics of the first fire (charcoal). I really need to find some coal, charcoal burns way too fast.
And some of my first forging experience, just hammering some rebar with my makeshift anvil.

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Posted

Looks like a forge to me.

A couple things though.

Your fire needs to be deeper or you'll start running into excessive oxidization.

You don't have to put the blow drier all the way into the pipe. If you make a trough or two bar rack to support it beyond the end of the pipe you can move it out and even partially block it to control the air blast.

Looking good.

Frosty

Posted

The firepot should be about 4" deep FOR COAL, deeper for Charcoal. If that's the depth of the inside of the brake drum, that's great. But it would probably be nice to have the flat table surface flush with the TOP edge of the brake drum.

If you need to make it deeper, you can bend a piece of flat bar into a ring that sits around the top edge. Again, I think the table should be close to the top - of the flat bar, in this case.

The drum has to hang, or be supported underneath.


But these are just improvements; suggestions. What you have looks very serviceable.

I have changes I would like to make to mine, but I also have projects I want to do, so I just keep putting them off, and my plans continue to evolve.

Posted

That's not a bad looking little forge you got there. I think I would go to Grainger's and get a little better blower then a hair dryer though. You're right coal would do you better as a fuel. Ain't it fun to bang iron?:D

Posted (edited)

Very nice. Much better than my first table of thin sheet. That stand looks sturdy. I'll post a pic of a simple hot cut that works pretty well on the web of the track anvil. If you weld some tubes to the sides of the stand and bend up a long piece of bar stock, you can make a rest for you work too. That was the problem I had the first time out. Not enough table space to rest the longer stock. Nice job! Rob.

Here's what I was talking about:
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Edited by piglet_74
Posted

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I think I will definitely move the drier like you said Frosty, it's impossible to regulate the flow of air right now.
GOATMAN, thanks for the link. I plan on doing something different with the table later, this was just a quick deal so I could get started.
I was looking for a real blower, but didn't want to wait and order one, I'll use the hair drier for now and spend my money on an anvil, hammers and stock for the time being.

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