Playing with my forge

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I found a little time today to play, so I put a redneck hood on my redneck forge.  I did learn that there is no quick forging, since it took 30 - 45 minutes to get the forge hot enough to use.  I scrounged up some heavy steel for a temp anvil, and some misc. steel to play with.  I started to try to make some tongs, but I think I will start over, since it looks cracked near the end, I think because I left the head on the bolt, but hey, It was fun. Attached ImagesBruce DeLaetHeavy Equipment Mechanic and Welder1948 SA-200 short hood1949 LincWelder 1801963 SA-200 red faceMiller S-32-P
Reply:Originally Posted by delaet20I started to try to make some tongs, but I think I will start over, since it looks cracked near the end, I think because I left the head on the bolt, but hey, It was fun.
Reply:I believe you are right on the money.  So basically I needed it a lot hotter and it would have welded?  I am still happy for a first attempt.  The pipe is just over my head.  when I decided on a more permanent and get the wall behind it tinned, I am going to run a chimney out the wall.  I pointed it that way, because it went with the wind last night.  I used 8" because I had the old piece of pipe laying around.  IFI says use 12" or at least 10".  It did not handle all the smoke at light up, but seemed to after that.Bruce DeLaetHeavy Equipment Mechanic and Welder1948 SA-200 short hood1949 LincWelder 1801963 SA-200 red faceMiller S-32-P
Reply:In class we were taught to stuff a large balled up piece of burning newspaper under the hood at start up to get the air in the chimney pipe to heat up and draw better. It often also helped to light up the green coal smoke as the volatile gases cooked out, but the fire hasn't gotten hot enough to light them yet.As far as welding, yes if you got it up to a welding heat and fluxed it you could have welded it. Forge welding with a coal fire isn't easy however. I'm still working on it. The is a very fine line between welding heat, and burning the piece. You need to get the center to weld 1st, so as the joint closes, it seals from the inside out and forces out all the flux and impurities. If you find any true wrought iron from back in the day, it will forge weld without the flux etc because of the silica in the material. I've been practicing with short 1' chunks of 1/2" rebar for welding and trying to do rings, so I only have to handle one piece of metal with the tongs, rather than 2. As soon as I get consistent upsetting the ends and getting good welds, I'll move on to two individual pieces. Setting them both down on the anvil and pinning the right one down with the piece in my left hand while I grab the hammer and start the weld.You don't have to actually weld it, to avoid the problem however. If you reshape the material so it doesn't fold over itself and form a cold shut you won't have an issue. Here's another area I'm working on. Usually when I draw down an area like you did just in front of that wide flat at the end of your "tongs", I tend to make an occasional ridge in the material that I inevitably fold over and form a cold shut. The trick is to work the material hotter so it "flows" better from what my instructor told me, as well as to run as few a number of heats as possible. When you upset material on the anvil, you shorten the material and thicken it, usually so it's larger in diameter. Basically that's what you would need to do here. Heat it up, then upset the material to push the washer material back into the main head without folding the "ears" over and forming a cold shut. If I was trying this, I'd probably work it to a yellow heat almost at welding temp, then quickly work with light blows on the washer to try and upset the material back into the main head of the bolt.It's definitely fun. "Unfortunately" with the weather being so warm here lately I've had a chance to actually work outside rather than having the time to play with forge. Wednesday they are calling for real rain vs this dripping damp weather we had yesterday, today and probably tomorrow where we get this of again on a again showers. If so I might get the chance to go ply with mine while the weather is still warm..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:This guy is from Alleghany County in New York State. Attached Images
Reply:I will have to try that, the other option I was considering, was just to cut the nut and washer off.  Thank you for your help.  I will post more pics when I find time to play again.  I am looking forward to getting into a class this summer.  I hope it works out.Bruce DeLaetHeavy Equipment Mechanic and Welder1948 SA-200 short hood1949 LincWelder 1801963 SA-200 red faceMiller S-32-P
Reply:If you go to cut the head off, try and cut it hot for practice. There are several ways to cut hot steel. You can use a hot cut hardie in a vise or hardie hole on the anvil. A hot cut is simply a big semi dull chissel. I'm using an "new" bucket tooth we had left over from the old backhoe. I ground a rough bevel to the tooth so it has a sharper edge and am using that until I get a bigger anvil and make up a permanent one. You can also use a cold chisel in a vise, or cut it on the face of the anvil with one. The nice thing about a hardie is that the vise or anvil holds the chisel. You just line up the hot stel where you want to cut and whack the back side with the hammer.If you do cut on an anvil, use a piece of scrap to protect the face, I've got a chunk of 3/8" I welded 2 "ears" on so it stays on the anvil better for this. To cut, I put the protector on while the steel is heating, then usually hold the length of steel with my legs while I hold the chisel in my left hand and the hammer in my right hand. It's one of the reasons you want your anvil face just about a bit below waist level, so you can hold things with your legs as well as you hands when working alone.Oh and never beat on the anvil with a cut hardie in the hardie hole. It's way too easy to slip and loose a finger... My instructor would ream you a new one even from across the room if he saw someone do that. It's real easy to want to do that when doing nails for example. You want to shape, then cut and head as quick as possible, and some times we'd forget to pull the hot cut out. I got in the habit of chucking my hot cut in the vise next to me instead. I could shape the tip and start the cut, then reheat that one while I worked the next one. Then I'd pull out the 1st one, either finish the cut, or break off the nail with the header or pliers and head the nail while the 2nd was reheating in the forge. This allowed me to work faster and stay safe.Working with both hands also allows you to do punch work on items to add decoration and detail. It's a good skill to work on even if you don't need to. Our instructor really only wanted us to use the saw to cut down the full length to manageable pieces and when we needed precise cuts for finish work. He prefered we hot cut rough length when possible to work on basic skills..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:Bruce,You have a good start on forge work, and a nice little forge set up. When you are working out side in the cold it helps to pre heat your anvil before you start work, Around here in the north part of Illionis I use a 3/8' pice of plate with the sides bent down to fit over the anvil, I start the fire in the forge and place the plate over the top of the fire like it would set on the anvil. Put the air into your fire and get the plate red, this will help get the fire going faster also, once the plate is hot place it on your anvil and place your stock in the fire to heat up. When you have stock set to work pull the hot plate off the anvil and out of the way then start working.A warm anvil will not pull the heat out of you work like a cold one will and you can get more done with a heat.Have fun Joe
Reply:Interesting that you say that about the height.  I always wondered why they were so low.  I thought they would be more comfortable if they were higher.As I don't have a hardy hole, I had thought about welding a cutter over the eve of my poor man's anvil, but I like my fingers and see your point.Also an interesting thought on heating the anvil.  I never would have thought of or about that.Bruce DeLaetHeavy Equipment Mechanic and Welder1948 SA-200 short hood1949 LincWelder 1801963 SA-200 red faceMiller S-32-P
Reply:Let's see your "anvil". I've seen several home made anvils where the welded on a plate to hold a hardie on the end or side. The easy thing to do though is just stick it in a vise. You don't need to pound the crap out of hot stuff usually. If you can find a blacksmiths post vise, that's even better as they are made to be pounded on..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:Anvil is a little bit of a joke.  I was using the broken piece of loader bucket linkage that is pictured at the top.Bruce DeLaetHeavy Equipment Mechanic and Welder1948 SA-200 short hood1949 LincWelder 1801963 SA-200 red faceMiller S-32-P
Reply:First time I've seen a dog bone used as an anvil, like many others, I started with a small piece of rr track.Got a real anvil now, worth every cent of the $25 I paid for it.Wish I could find some coal for sale around here."The reason we are here is that we are not all there"SA 200Idealarc TM 300 300MM 200MM 25130a SpoolgunPrecision Tig 375Invertec V350 ProSC-32 CS 12 Wire FeederOxweld/Purox O/AArcAirHypertherm Powermax 85LN25