Fired up my forge for the first time today

admin

I have been building a coal fired forge out of a big brake drum (on another post). i had no clue what I was doing just doing something. It got hot, boy did it get hot. I was playing around with an old file and ended up melting it completely and also melted out the 3/8 steel grate I built.Making as much progress as a one legged duck in the middle of a pond, just going in circles.
Reply:Here are some pics of the file or whats left of it and the remains of my grate. Also a little rake I made ( not to impressive)Making as much progress as a one legged duck in the middle of a pond, just going in circles.
Reply:I guess ya done,TOO GOOD on yer build here.Also, don't forget, even a one legged duck CAN swim in a straight line in the middle of a pond if he wants to. I have seen it done before, though the little fella wasn't much good on dry land, except to hop along.
Reply:I tend to be the one going in circles. LOLMaking as much progress as a one legged duck in the middle of a pond, just going in circles.
Reply:Doesn't take much to burn steel in a forge. If you start to see sparks flying out of the fire, it's too late. FYI if you do burn your steel, it's junk. Chop it off and start over... been there done that...I seem to remember someone here mentioning you might have trouble with your grate being too thin. I wonder who that might have been...       Keep this in mind. You don't need the air blast running full blast all the time. One you will burn up a ton of fuel that way. #2 it's super easy to burn your steel. You may need an air gate to choke down your air flow to a more reasonable level. That or run the air blast, then shut it down when you are actually forging, and kick the air back on again when you are ready to reheat the steel. If you need to walk away to do something else, either turn the air way down, or shut it off. If you don't, chances are you'll burn whatever it is you are working on.Otherwise it looks good. Just keep practicing..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:Looking at using a cast iron grate like for a drain, I think someone else may have mentioned one of them. I can get one that is big enough around but they are only about 1/4" thick. How well will that hold up? Would it burn up?Making as much progress as a one legged duck in the middle of a pond, just going in circles.
Reply:too much air out of that hair dryer you using...
Reply:Yeah, I kind of figured that out. It was fun learning though. I have to build a way to gate off some of the air and also not run the air when not heating my steel. I will learn. Atleast I know that the forge will build enough heat to get something hot. Making as much progress as a one legged duck in the middle of a pond, just going in circles.
Reply:good job, simple and effective... you could make a little 1/4 turn vent like on a smoker... might even be able to just drill a hole here or there and get the same effect..tackleexperts.comwww.necessityjigs.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/mach...dingequipment/
Reply:Was looking at making a flap for the bottom of the tuyre so it could be cracked open to let some of the air escapeMaking as much progress as a one legged duck in the middle of a pond, just going in circles.
Reply:Where did you get the brake drum from? A junkyard?Looks good though. One of these days, I am going to start doing that.Millermatic 211PowerPlasma 50s
Reply:I picked up the brake drum from a local trucking company. He didnt even want to talk to me until I told him that I wasnt looking for scrap metal and that I actually had a use for it. I explained what I was going to do with it and he gave me one. It was free all I had to do was back up and load it up.Making as much progress as a one legged duck in the middle of a pond, just going in circles.
Reply:Originally Posted by bhardy501Looking at using a cast iron grate like for a drain, I think someone else may have mentioned one of them. I can get one that is big enough around but they are only about 1/4" thick. How well will that hold up? Would it burn up?
Reply:Those small shop vacs at Home Depot for about $29 are brush type motors and can be speed regulated with a dimmer switch.  I use one on my sand blasting cabinet and use the dimmer to keep the speed slow enough not to suck the sand out of the cabinet, but fast enough to remove the haze.  Just use the exhaust port instead of the suction port.Miller Syncrowave 350Millermatic 252/ 30A spoolgunMiller Bobcat 225g w/ 3545 spoolgunLincoln PowerArc4000Lincoln 175 Mig  Lincoln 135 Mig Everlast 250EX TigCentury ac/dc 230 amp stickVictor O/AHypertherm 1000 plasma
Reply:I had the same trouble as you, I ended up putting a layer of clay through the bottom of my forge, about 50mm deep. I also re made my grate from a piece of 10mm flat s/steel with 6mm holes drilled in it, its lasted over 3 years. Good luck.With Passion , anythings possible!!!
Reply:Way too much air. Start looking for a hand crank blower or a shaded pole blower that has a shutter.
Reply:Just curious, how did you cut the side out of the drum? Yours looks alot like mine.  I use that little vacuum cleaner, on "blow" mode for air. The blue tape on the end is how I have adjusted air flow.  I know, pretty amateur. Well, I am! Attached Images(Retired) Professional firefighter, amateur everything else I try to do...Oh yeah:  Go Big Red!   (You know: one of the 12 members of the Big 10 cuz we left the 10 members of the Big 12...)
Reply:The big side that is cut out I used my 4x6 band saw and cut down the sides as far as I could and then used my big grinder to grind a deep groove between the two cuts. After I ground the grooves I used the BFH (big freaking hammer) to knock out the piece to be removed. Then used a grinder to clean up the edges. The hole in the back was blown out with my big torch. My small Victor wouldnt blow through it. Not very pretty but it made a hole.Making as much progress as a one legged duck in the middle of a pond, just going in circles.
Reply:I once worked with an old Thai blacksmith.  I worked the "bellows", which were more like butter churns made from hollowed out logs.  His forge was two lumps of clay mud, sitting on the ground.  Very much like these pictures taken in Maha Sarakham, Thailand, January 1964. Attached ImagesLast edited by Oldendum; 12-23-2012 at 10:55 AM."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Originally Posted by bhardy501The big side that is cut out I used my 4x6 band saw and cut down the sides as far as I could and then used my big grinder to grind a deep groove between the two cuts. After I ground the grooves I used the BFH (big freaking hammer) to knock out the piece to be removed. Then used a grinder to clean up the edges. The hole in the back was blown out with my big torch. My small Victor wouldnt blow through it. Not very pretty but it made a hole.
Reply:why did you cut the slots? And what size pipe did you use. Looking to build one just like it. Any help with my build would be great. Thanks
Reply:For shop vac speed control (just plug it in and twist the knob):http://www.harborfreight.com/router-...rol-43060.html
Reply:If you cut slots or windows on each side, you can put long pieces on and across the forge.