Show your DIY forge

[nine4gmc]

The knives and blacksmithing thread here along with the new show forged in fire has literally sparked a new flame under my *** to get a forge together. I picked up a decent 260# Hey Budden anvil almost a year ago today and it has been sitting idle waiting for some action.

If you have a homemade forge, please post up pics and details for us wanting to get started. Links to plans welcome too, thanks!

 

[HMCFab9]

No pics to show yet, but I am getting started on a forge also.
I have the firepot / tuyere built & I just picked up a nice used stainless steel gas grill to set it in (& to have it be mobile).
I also have my coal & a new set of tongs ready & waiting.... just need to find the time to get back at it.
I need to find a better blower and a good anvil, but the free hairdryer I got might work for now.

There are several sites with lots of good info. One place with equipment for sale is CentaurForge. I haven't gotten anything from them yet, but it sounds like it's a good place for supplies.

I'm looking forward to others posts to see what they have built.

 

[zkling]

Thought I saw a thread on this.

Don Fogg, used to have a really nice vertical gas fired forge how to on his site but last time I checked I think it has been taken down along with his old forum.

Like many tools it is going to boil down to what you plan on doing with it. He is a knife maker, and that was my use as well, so his vertical forge was designed primarily for knife making and specifically for welding. They don't have the accessibility of a traditional open firepot coal forge.

 

[RivennHewn]

Plenty to read:

http://www.anvilfire.com

 

[nine4gmc]

HMC, I keep forgetting about tongs, I would look funny firing up a new forge and having to use my Channellock 460s

Z, I would like to start with knives and see where the road takes me. I'd like to see some different ideas with the pros and cons to make sure though.

I need to locate a coal supply in the meantime as well.

Riven, thanks for the link, I'll check it out on my computer when I get a chance to sit down for a while.

 

[zkling]

If knives and other mostly straight ~2x2" cross section are you main goal, a vertical pass through blown propane or liquid fuel fired would be a good choice.

The traditional coal fire pots are very versatile, especially for spacious shapes, but the coal is a pain to deal with, especially if you live in suburbia like myself. Propane or even natural gas is so clean and easy to use in comparison. Although costs can add up if used frequently. Thus it helps to essentially build a forge around your intended projects. To big and you are just wasting fuel and time to heat.

 

[nine4gmc]

We have a natural gas hookup on the patio roughly 40' from the shop, it's a pipe from the attic that feeds our BBQ grill. If I went that route, I may could tee off of it, I would need to check local codes. Propane would be real easy, I still have the tank from the BBQ grill from before converting it in the storage.

 

[Seppala]

I've worked for years with a coal forge and still prefer it. Now in semi retirement I'm working weekends in a tourist type demonstration shop. I get a lot of questions from hobbyists on how to build a forge and where do I get coal. zkling's advice is dead on. Beside the smoke generated by a soft coal fire it's becoming more difficult to find good smithing coal. nine4gmc go with a gas forge. With your outdoor outlet of NG you have the advantage of a cheaper fuel price than propane.

 

[gungatim]

OK, here's mine...two rims, top cut and welded on the bottom. air is from a blower motor from an inflatable snowman and controlled via HF router speed controller...total cost: $10...I burn coal when I can get it, hard to find but it's out there...when I can't, good old fashioned lump charcoal works nearly as well.

 

[Fluxion]

Here is a couple pics of the propane forge I built out of a Harbor Freight air tank and a pic of my coal forge but I didn't build it. I'm thinking of selling the coal forge, I never use it.

The burner in the propane forge is a Riel burner that I built and it works pretty good, it will reach welding temps at about 20 psi of propane. The insulation is 2 layers of 1" Inswool with a 1" hard fire brick forming the floor of the forge. The whole inside is coated in a couple coats of Satanite then a couple coates of ITC100. There is a rear door that I can open for longer items to pass through, just can't see it in the pics.

 

[nine4gmc]

Awesome guys, thanks for posting!

Keep them coming!

 

[nine4gmc]

Fluxion, care to briefly explain the shaft that the propane hose goes to?

 

[zkling]

He's running a venturi or naturally aspirated propane burner. I'd highly recommend a blown burner (forced air), especially if you are going to run natural gas. I doubt you will have enough pressure on your gas line to run a decent sized venturi burner. Which is something you will want to check first, you gas pressure at the source you plan on using.

 

[Fluxion]

Fluxion, care to briefly explain the shaft that the propane hose goes to?

That shaft is just a 1/8" pipe ******, I think 4" long. I brazed one end shut. in the center of the ****** is a hole drilled and tapped to 1/4-28 and a Tweco "14T" MIG welder tip, I think its a 0.023 but I may have drilled it out. The MIG tip is the propane jet and it is centered to shoot straight down the burner tube. There is a lot of information here: https://www.abana.org/ronreil/sitemap.html

BTW I just realized it's a Reil burner not Riel, lol.

 

[bczygan]

I've got a small anvil with a corner knocked off and an electric motor driven Champion blower like this:

What next?

 

[nine4gmc]

bczygan, the leg bone connects to the hip bone and the hip bone connects to the, well you get the rest...

 

[Bob Warner]

Some of you may have heard the phrase; "You can tell the quality of a blacksmith's work by looking at his tools." That is because most tools are made by the blacksmith himself. I recommend you make your own tongs but if you need a set to get you started there is a guy that makes the CHEAP in my opinion.

All tongs are $37 and he makes a lot of different types. Some designed specifically for knifemaking.

I have not bought from him but have seen his web page and his stuff looks good.If you buy or not at least it is a good place to get ideas for your tongs.

http://gstongs.com/index.html

 

[nine4gmc]

And bump!

 

[Whiskeymike]

Gungatim, did you insulate the wheel? If so with what? If not, what stops it from melting through?

 

[HMCFab9]

If anyone is looking for tongs, I just got mine from quick & dirty tools.
Great quality for a decent price.

 

[gungatim]

Gungatim, did you insulate the wheel? If so with what? If not, what stops it from melting through?

nope, no insulation. coal burns from the bottom up, not top down like wood/charcoal. the air blows from the bottom, all the heat comes up. even the air grate underneath does not melt. google brake drum forge, which is essentially what mine is, only bigger. I've made rookie mistakes of leaving something in the heat too long with too much air and burned up the iron I was working, but the wheel itself never gets anywhere near hot enough to glow, let alone melt.

 

[tcds]

Here is my forge and the burner I made for it. The forge is made form a helium canister that you can buy for kids parties. Found it in the scrap metal pile where I work. Insulation is a fire brick in the bottom and perlite with a Sodium Silicate/water mixture as binder.

Found the burner plans on line at Backyardmetalcasting.com

 

[rodbuilderjim]

Hey guys
My 14 yo son wanted to learn blacksmithing and so my dad had built a car rim forge years ago so we decided to built him one. We are using lump charcoal from HD and it is working good. Using shop air in the stand tube for now till I get cheap hair dryer. I made him do all the work teaching him how to use the cutting torch and practicing his MIG welding. Not pretty but gives him something to learn on.

 

[nine4gmc]

Awesome, how thick of plate did you use at the bottom of the fire pit?

 

[nine4gmc]

Weekend bump!

 

[toms73novass]

here is mine:

old propane tank side entrance for the heat so it swirls the flame rather than directly on the item. Since the picture I have a sliding front rest so I can support longer items.

 

[nine4gmc]

Nice!! Any info in the build process Toms?


Sent from my iThingy using Tapatalk

 

[toms73novass]

The build is in this thread : http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3879295#post3879295

 

[Showkey]

Built in 2001 using a heavy duty milk can as the body. Two "water pipe burners". Fire brick and kiln insulation. Propane fuel.

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First forge project:

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[bonneyman]

Hey guys
My 14 yo son wanted to learn blacksmithing and so my dad had built a car rim forge years ago so we decided to built him one. We are using lump charcoal from HD and it is working good. Using shop air in the stand tube for now till I get cheap hair dryer. I made him do all the work teaching him how to use the cutting torch and practicing his MIG welding. Not pretty but gives him something to learn on.

Great to see a young man wanting to learn an old trade. Kudos to him and you!