Red Neck Coal forge

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I have seen several forge builds here and other places.  Many like DSW's have come out real nice.  I opted to try for quick and dirty, just to try my hand at smithing without a large investment of time and money.  If it is something I enjoy  will build something much nicer.  I used a 5 gallon drum, a brake rotor and a hair dryer.  I had a hard time figuring out how to get it burning, and wound up cheating with a shovel full of coals out of the wood stove, but once I got it burning, It seems to make good heat.  Now I just need to buy an anvil.I punched a hole in the top and side of the drum.  Welded a plug in the rotor.  dropped the rotor into the hole on top and stuck a hair dryer into the side.  Nothing fancy.  Just wanted to see if it would work.  4th pic dryer is on high.  5th pic is low.  Thinking about making a hood, and a lip around the the top out of another drum. Attached ImagesBruce DeLaetHeavy Equipment Mechanic and Welder1948 SA-200 short hood1949 LincWelder 1801963 SA-200 red faceMiller S-32-P
Reply:That's pretty redneck!  But it appears to be working.  Need to find a some old drum brakes, for a bigger fire-pit.Check out my channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkz...bZg8AYNXGqBjZQ"Both oligarch and tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of arms." - Aristotle
Reply:Maybe a rotor from a truck, like a 1 ton or bigger pickup. My buddy has an auto repair shop and always has truck rotors laying around. I just might try this myself.
Reply:I remember years ago seeing plans for something very similar to this. Looks like it worked well. Actually I think I like the rotor better than a brake drum since you have a smaller fire pot and probably will have better heat control vs a massive fire.The problem with your fire, might be your coal. I know the soft bituminous coal the college had lit up with just some newspaper rolled up like a big mushroom with the coal piled on top. I can't get my hard coal to light anywhere near as easy. Usually I'm using scrap wood and charcoal to get it started most times..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:You are right on the money with the type of coal.  I am still trying to figure out where locally I can get bituminous coal.  I was burning anthracite to see how it worked.  I got 100# for $14 at a local hardware. I have found a few places on the net selling and shipping it, but I am not going to pay $.50 - $1 per pound to get it.Bruce DeLaetHeavy Equipment Mechanic and Welder1948 SA-200 short hood1949 LincWelder 1801963 SA-200 red faceMiller S-32-P
Reply:I think the college gets it trucked in by the ton so it's no where near as expensive as getting it mail order. That said they get quite a bit of it, so it's still not exactly "inexpensive". You might try looking around and see if you can find a blacksmith association or other blacksmiths in your area and see where they are getting their coal or coke from. You might find someone who is also getting it bulk and will sell you some. I'm hoping I can talk to my instructor and see if I can't get a 55 gal drum full next time they order some, but right now I'm simply going to make do with the 3 55 gal drums I got for free from a friend. Sort of off topic a bit, but I wrote this Pm reply to another member on Thursday dealing with tools etc that might have some useful info in it for you. The same places I find old tools, I'm always also on the look out for anvils, forges and blowers. I often have seen them on CL, but usually people want way too much for them most times. You might also want to add an old post vise to your shopping list while you are at it if you come across any at a decent price.I lucked out and picked up some hammers over the years at old tool sales and from a guy I know whose dad had a ton of old tools. You can get by with a fairly basic small sledge though to start. Go with maybe a 2-3 lb one. You will need to dress the face of the hammer anyways to round the face. For a "peen", I looked at a couple of the HF ones. I'd have preferred them without the fiberglass handle, but they would work and be cost effective to start out. A nice selection of ball peen hammers would also help. See if you can find decent older forged ones rather than the cheap cast HF stuff, but they would work to start out while you look for better stuff. I've got about 3-4 decent ball peens in different sizes, but I'm really looking for a nice BIG one right now. Every time I go in the used tool store hammers are the 1st thing I go over and look at.Not to beat on the subject, but I'm always on the look out for places that sell old or used tooling. Shops, antique stores, flea markets, pawn shops, you name it. Old punches and chisels are prime tools if you can get them cheap. You can reshape them as needed. I buy as many as I can, often for $1. Old files are another good one. Decent files in all sizes will help if they are fairly sharp. Remember many times you will file HOT steel, not cold, so a semi dull file will still work. Keep your sharp "cold" steel files separate from your "hot" files. Also remember never drag a file back against the work. always push and then lift to return. Also you really will want wood handles on the files or at some point you'll end up with a tang jammed in your hand. I bought a cheap box of handles years ago, but a wood dowel and some wrapping will work fine. Also old files are good stock even if they are rusty junk. They are nice and hard and make great "tool" steel for projects and tools. Clamps, hammers, pliers, tongs, vises, anvils... I can go on and on.The best places are the ones who keep everything and sell it cheap. I still go and browse antique shops even if many times they are pricey. You may find a bargain or you may find a super nice hard to find item. I'm on the lookout for a nice cone myself for doing rings for example.Tongs. I have a few I've picked up over the years here and there. I got a very nice set from my instructor. I'll have to look at who actually made them. They are very similar to the large Billy tongs Pieh sells. I'll see if I can remember to look at mine at the shop tomorrow,http://www.piehtoolco.com/contents/en-us/d1050.htmlEdit: I found my tongs They are "Tom Tongs" the Wolf jaw style that I have up in the shop.I've been real tempted to buy a set of these quick tongs to use as a pattern. They look super easy to do with basic tools and if you know someone with a CNC plasma, you could crank out a ton of blanks. At $10 a set, it's worth the money in my opinion just as a pattern. I haven't had the chance to try and build one myself yet, but I'm pretty sure I can do it even without the pattern.http://kensiron.com/quick_tongs.htmlI've got a ton of links on doing tongs.http://www.blksmth.com/tong_article.htmTechnus Joe has a bunch of good youtube vids...Mark Aspery has some really good tong videos on Youtube. They helped me out a ton trying to figure out why I couldn't get mine right at 1st.David Roberts has some good stuff as well. .I've also been tempted to get Bill Epps video on making tomgs.Oh besides Pieh and Centaur, here's another supplier to keep your eyes on. They used to have some nice close out hammers, but it looks like they are all gone now.https://www.blacksmithsdepot.com/pag...and_Pliers.xmlIf you get the chance, definitely go. If possible have him show you how to do a tong blank, and have him make you a template "blank" you can use as an example. I kept the "demo" blank my instructor made to show me, and I use it to judge mine against. Take a camera and a note book and tape measure. Look at a bunch of the tooling. Most can be built easily with a bit of thought and some basic measurements. My coal forge build shows a bunch of tooling that I've made so far and I plan to do a lot more when I find some more scarp to work with.
Reply:Upstate Ny is close to PA coal country.Amish get there coal from somewhere.Allegany County has a Farrer(horseshoer)He does alot of horses up around Rochester.
Reply:I have no doubt it is around.  I just got what was quick and easy to see it burn.  Now that I know that it will work, I need to get a few more toys to go with it, like an anvil, then I will address the coal.  Right now, it is cold and I don't have walls on my shop, so I don't see much happening in the near future.Bruce DeLaetHeavy Equipment Mechanic and Welder1948 SA-200 short hood1949 LincWelder 1801963 SA-200 red faceMiller S-32-P
Reply:Nice down and dirty! I'm looking forward to doing some forge work in the future! I'll probably be in this vicinity when I give it a go! In the meantime I'm working on a lot of other techniques.Seeing your child exceed your expectations through a spark you created is the most wonderful feeling in the world!Miller Syncrowave 250 Millermatic 180Too much other stuff to list!