back garden blacksmithing.

sausage100uk

Settler
May 4, 2013
538
0
United Kingdom
Today I finally managed to get hold of a big enough sledge head to act as an anvil (50p at the boot fair) so I had a go at rigging up a back garden charcoal forge.

Brake drum fitted into a BBQ with electric pump air flow from underneath.




Used a 1 1/2 lb ball peen hammer (that I also picked up today for £1)


1kg of charcoal and a 50p file later...

https://www.flickr.com/gp/135799346@N03/Jq7XV4

not just need to fiddle with securing the "anvil" and rigging up a better air supply.
 
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mick91

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 13, 2015
2,064
8
Sunderland
Looking good. If air flow is your problem try your supply coming in from the side angled toward the wall of the forge, the air will vortex round the inside and you'll get more even heat. I ran into that same problem. Heating directly under I got a big hot spot in the middle and much lower temperatures around the outside.
 

VaughnT

Forager
Oct 23, 2013
185
61
Lost in South Carolina
Drill/chisel a large hole in your stump and insert the hammer head. Then backfill with silicone caulk, masonry adhesive, etc.

image.thumb.jpg.1da1119bc4e8b718b1f7faccc2d6f8e9.jpg


You can do a ton of work on an anvil like that, so don't feel like you need a fancy shop to make some really nice stuff. The most important thing about an anvil is having the most mass possible directly under where the hammer hits. A lot of mass three feet to the right doesn't do you any good because you're not hitting three feet over to the right.

If you sink your stump into the ground so there's zero wobble and bounce, that sledge head will act like a 60b anvil.

Forge on, hoss!
 

spader

Native
Dec 19, 2009
1,330
102
Scotland
Great stuff.

I am currently also setting up back garden forge. Forge will be built with some surplus bricks and broken satellite dish.
For fan, I am looking at rechargeable ones available on Amazon as not keen on using hair dryer running mains cable across the garden.

Going to look at a 3cwt 100 year old London pattern anvil for sale locally. Needing to raise some cash to purchase it.
 
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mick91

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 13, 2015
2,064
8
Sunderland
Great stuff.

I am currently also setting up back garden forge. Forge will be built with some surplus bricks and broken satellite dish.
For fan, I am looking at rechargeable ones available on Amazon as not keen on using hair dryer running mains cable across the garden.

Going to look at a 3cwt 100 year old London pattern anvil for sale locally. Needing to raise some cash to purchase it.
For a fan look at high volume low pressure like an airbed pump. Cheap as chips both to buy and run
 

spader

Native
Dec 19, 2009
1,330
102
Scotland
For a fan look at high volume low pressure like an airbed pump. Cheap as chips both to buy and run

Haven't thought about the airbed pump could work as forge fan. Thanks for your tip. Will look into that too.

The rechargeable fan I was looking at Amazon was about tenner, but I was looking into even to hack out one from old dead PC, and connect some AA batteries to run, which would be cool in that FREE and recycling point of view. :)
 

mick91

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 13, 2015
2,064
8
Sunderland
Haven't thought about the airbed pump could work as forge fan. Thanks for your tip. Will look into that too.

The rechargeable fan I was looking at Amazon was about tenner, but I was looking into even to hack out one from old dead PC, and connect some AA batteries to run, which would be cool in that FREE and recycling point of view. :)
4c70265c945b7f478fd109a415eef3a5.jpg

That's what a simple airbed pump can achieve. I've forged and smelted in that
 

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