Building a small forge

[whats wrong with you all]

My project these next few months is to build a forge for working with files and possibly some tool steel stock.

It is only going to be small as I don't have much room in the garden at the moment.

I found this stainless steel pan for £1.50 in a second hand shop, and will be using this hopefully.

The pan is 26cm wide at the top, tapering down to 20cm so it really is only small.

I was thinking of using the bucket forge technique and lining a bucket with fire cement, but I'll only be using this forge for 3 months maximum as then i'll be finishing university and moving so no need for it to last particularly long.

For bellows I'll be using either a foot pump or a hairdryer, depending on which one I find in a charity shop first.

However the biggest problem I'm having is finding a bit of steel pipe to connect the bellows up, what is made of steel that I could repurpose for this? I'm trying not to buy anything new, instead recycle things I can get second hand.

I have found these websites to be quite useful in planning the forge

http://ironangelforge.blogspot.co.uk/p/lessons.html
http://www.bucketforge.co.uk/hc/home.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71s6HpuG_hQ

Any advice from those with any experience would be gratefully accepted!

Cheers,

Chris.

 

[Home Guard]

Hey Chris. Roughly how deep is that pan? I'm a lil' concerned that once you've insulated it (which I imagine you're going to do) and put fuel in it, you won't have any depth left?

 

[VaughnT]

Amazingly complicated for what's supposed to be a simple forge. If you have a small plot of land and are only going to be around for a few more months, make a simple ground-based side blast forge and start heating metal in minutes.

Watch this video and then duplicate the guy's forge. It's nothing more than a slight depression in the soil. The back wall has a small hole through it for the pipe to come through. Then pile on the charcoal and start working. If he can form a tool like that with his forge, imagine what you could do!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2r_PGzD_B0

 

[Everything Mac]

I've used a cheap barbecue from tescos which worked fine. I'm not too sure how good that pan would be to be honest.

I like Vaughn's idea to be honest.
Andy

 

[Shovel]

Do a side burner I made one that wasn't from an old sink and while it gets really hot, it's a lot harder to clean out.

 

[Dave Budd]

the first forge I cobbled together was a paving slab with a bunch of house bricks layed atop each other and a bit of scaffold pipe poked in the back, hairdryer pointing towards the pipe for air. There are many ways of doing things and a forge is just a hole to stop fuel rolling away Whatever you decide to make it from, a tuyere doesn't have to be a solid pipe. It could be made from a bit of sheet metal rolled and wired into a tube (such as a cheap baking tray or aerosol can).

Most of my forges these days (apart from the permanent ones I use at work) are just shallow holes in the ground

 

[whats wrong with you all]

Amazingly complicated for what's supposed to be a simple forge. If you have a small plot of land and are only going to be around for a few more months, make a simple ground-based side blast forge and start heating metal in minutes.

Watch this video and then duplicate the guy's forge. It's nothing more than a slight depression in the soil. The back wall has a small hole through it for the pipe to come through. Then pile on the charcoal and start working. If he can form a tool like that with his forge, imagine what you could do!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2r_PGzD_B0

The small plot of land in question is a tiny concrete coutyard: no soil to dig it!

I wasn't planning on insulating it. I know it won't last very long, but I don't expect it to.

I figured it would be ok since this guy made one out of an uninsulated baking tray

If I had soil, I would go for the ground forge, but I'm not sure how I can at the moment. Thanks anyway though!

I've used a cheap barbecue from tescos which worked fine. I'm not too sure how good that pan would be to be honest.

I like Vaughn's idea to be honest.
Andy

Why would a cheap barbecue work, but a thicker steel pan wouldn't?

Do a side burner I made one that wasn't from an old sink and while it gets really hot, it's a lot harder to clean out.

What is a side burner? I've not heard of that before.

Do you mean a metal sink or ceramic? I didn't know you could use ceramic, that's interesting

the first forge I cobbled together was a paving slab with a bunch of house bricks layed atop each other and a bit of scaffold pipe poked in the back, hairdryer pointing towards the pipe for air. There are many ways of doing things and a forge is just a hole to stop fuel rolling away Whatever you decide to make it from, a tuyere doesn't have to be a solid pipe. It could be made from a bit of sheet metal rolled and wired into a tube (such as a cheap baking tray or aerosol can).

Most of my forges these days (apart from the permanent ones I use at work) are just shallow holes in the ground

That's a brilliant thought about the tube, I hadn't even considered that.

I'm in aberystwyth at university, so there are loose paving slabs all over the place at the moment!

A thought. I live right next to a shingle beach. Could I use just a scaffold pipe and a foot pump and just make a temporary forge every time? You are allowed fires on the beach so in theory forges will be fine!

Thanks all for your input so far!

 

[monkey boy]

here's my little forge

 

[whats wrong with you all]

here's my little forge

Nice! Is there a problem with the hair dryer getting too hot when it is that close to the fire or not?

Your forge is pretty much the same as how mine will look I think.

 

[Dave Budd]

don't use the beach. Shingle (or other stones in soil for example) tend to explode when you rapidly heat them! Plain sand just moves around and doesn't work at all well, I had that trouble my first year at the Moot (its a big sand dune and I didn't know!).

Uninsulated pans will work, obviously, but thin metal will warp and that means that you will either have fuel jumping out or the pipe lets go, or it just burns through in two minutes. Thicker and more robust shapes like your dog bowl should work better, but access to the hot spot will be limited to a couple or three inches tops.

A hole in the ground can be built up you know. I've used a fertiliser sack rolled down to form a 2 foot across flower bed and just made a forge in that

Like I say ANYTHING that contains the fuelwill work, how well and how long will vary of course.Try something and see what happens

 

[Monikieman]

What about hoover tubes from the recycling centre/council skips?

Some of those ash/fireplace hoovers have a flexible steel hose. any good?

 

[Monikieman]

I read something about using a car brake drum and the pipe going in the bottom. That's what's on my 'list'.

 

[whats wrong with you all]

don't use the beach. Shingle (or other stones in soil for example) tend to explode when you rapidly heat them! Plain sand just moves around and doesn't work at all well, I had that trouble my first year at the Moot (its a big sand dune and I didn't know!).

Ah yeah course, all the moisture Good job I didn't try that.

What about hoover tubes from the recycling centre/council skips?

Some of those ash/fireplace hoovers have a flexible steel hose. any good?

I've been looking around, but nothing that has seemed suitable yet. But that metal beer can tube above looks ideal, I'm going to try that.

I read something about using a car brake drum and the pipe going in the bottom. That's what's on my 'list'.

yeah there's a brake drum one that looks a lot more sturdy than mine, but I'm not going to be using it for long so don't want to invest too much time/money into it. Otherwise, I'd go for that, more long lasting option

 

[VaughnT]

The small plot of land in question is a tiny concrete coutyard: no soil to dig it!

You don't need dirt to dig down into. Note that the video shows the forge is actually mounded up a few inches, maybe a brick's thickness, with a depression in the top.

Your links show a bottom-blast forge that's incredibly complicated, but the video you show has something simpler going on. It's a side-draft forge just like in the video that I posted, except it's been modified to western standards. Okay. I can run with that idea.

I don't know how deep your pot is, but I wouldn't do anything do it. Make the air supply come in over the top of the rim so you have a nice deep fire.

 

[mountainm]

Exhaust pipe from the scrap yard?

 

[laro13]

I'm thinking of using an old cast iron wok.
Drilling some holes in the bottom and attaching a piece of pipe to the bottom.

 

[mountainm]

I'm thinking of using an old cast iron wok.
Drilling some holes in the bottom and attaching a piece of pipe to the bottom.

I bet there's a few on here coveting that wok.

 

[laro13]

I bet there's a few on here coveting that wok.

It's just a picture I took from the web, mine is a bit more rusted.

 

[whats wrong with you all]

I'm thinking of using an old cast iron wok.
Drilling some holes in the bottom and attaching a piece of pipe to the bottom.

I'm sure that would be an excellent forge...

But what a waste of a nice cast iron wok!

Put up some pictures when you've made it, I'd like to see how it looks.