Bought that buffalo forge in California yesterday, just got home and got it in the garage. Gonna have to work on a few issues. The blower works great and is all there but there is a 3 inch triangle piece missing out of the pan. Are these weldable or are the pans cast. Will also have to replace two legs. Is there any site were I can get info or parts from? Thanks
Some pans are cast some are not.Cut a piece of steel a little larger than the whole. Put the cut piece over the whole and patch with refractory cement. then line the pan with clay. they are supposed to be lined but a lot of people dont know that and run them with out linning them.
Brokenhawk , cast iron can be weled if its not too contaminated , but I think in this case its best to go the cement route. Once you line it it"ll work for years , I have one with a Oylimpic crank blower that works just fine . By the way , you might want to check the grease in the blower bearings ? [hmm]
thmbsup flwa
Thanks for the info. I did not know they were lined. I'm gonna take it completely down and rework and regrease everything before i use it . I think an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of trouble.
[hmm] Hey Brokenhawk,how big is the forge.I'm picking one up this week my stepfather left me.It about 3 feet across sits on 3 curved legs and gots a hand cranked blower.Maybe same kind.
Mines about three feet high, has six legs and the coal bowl is about 18 inches across. I'm gonna go out and take some pic's and try to post.
dntn Cooool
Here is a pic. Put some crc rust breaker to take it apart and redo it all.
Hey the photo thing worked, tried 3 times.There is a chip out of the bowl i need to fix
Sweet - I wish I could find stuff like that... But never do... just my luck
Don't give up Red Badger. The last day I was in cali, I looked on craigslist and there it was. He actually had three of them this one was the only one left by the time I called.
BrokenHawk, Cast Iron can be welded but it's a little tricky, the piece either has to be preheated in an oven and kept at heat while being welded and post heated to relieve stress and the heat reduced slowly as cast iron contracts severely when cooling which causes cracks at the the weld hence the need for pre and post heat. I can be welded cold if one welds in very small increments and the weld bead tapped with a chipping hammer to distribute the cracks throughout the weld. Being a welder for over 30 yrs I have been called upon to weld cast iron many times as it is a dying skill in our disposable society and most just save themselves the trouble and purchase new, I however, enjoy the challenge and possession of the knowledge. Don't know if this helps any, but in any case good luck.
To weld cast iron use Nirod. Get the rod with the highest percentage of nickel in it you can buy. Stitch weld it like Naultrick says and peen the beads as you go.
Sound advise. Thank you. Will have to find someone in my area who does it. I'm just learning how to weld. This is beyond my scope.
When bolting this thing back together should I use stainless or regular bolts. Will the temps affect them?
good question brokenhawk. thmbsup
Use steel bolts with anti sieze ( coper coat ) on them
What yuo have is a farrier/farmers forge. They are for small stuff and are not ment to be used on a continuios basis. They were for small repairs around the farm or used by a traveling farrier that would only be using it for short periods of time at a run. dont run coke in it. Tha type of forge is best used with coal. Coal of course turns into coke, but if you run straight coke you will have continuious high heat in it.
I would not weld it. Patch it as described before and line it well with the proper clay. Dont use bricks. Fire bricks will stand up t a regular fire well but will melt in the constant high heat of a forge. I tried to line a forge once with fire bricks, after an hour of running the bricks had melted all the way through.
Good to see so many here that understands the problems of cast iron welding. Really good cast iron takes to welding fairly easy , if as was said , the pre and post heat is done with care. I used to be able to weld cast iron with gas but it has to be good stuff and clean . I havn"t done it in many years ? I"d need to do a lot of practicing before trying it on a pet piece . used to make my own filler rods . I have used the ni-rod sticks and they do work . One of the problems I have is my eyes are pretty bad and I can"t detect the proper heats .
[hmm] flwa
Use to work at a coke refinery at bakerfield I know that stuff runs extremely hot. I was actually surprise to hear that some use it in forges, that stuff burns at the temp must metals melt.
I had the same forge for years as a back-up for my truck mounted coal forge,you would do well to us stainless bolts as they won't rust as bad and they are more tolerant of heat-That forge is actually a riveters forge but will work fine for small projects,A lot of farriers used to use them but most use gas now I liked coal as it is hotter.You could mend the chip with an oversize piece of sheet steel or stainless just drill and tap for screws or use steel pop rivets to fasten it ,overlap it about 3/4''.
Yeah I think I will still build a bigger forge and keep this one for lighter or smaller work. I really like that 55 gallon drum one that guy built. Either way when the weather gets a little better I'm gonna start to get my forging area in my barn finished. Got it full of crap right now.
Quote from: BrokenHawk on March 16, 2011
Use to work at a coke refinery at bakerfield I know that stuff runs extremely hot. I was actually surprise to hear that some use it in forges, that stuff burns at the temp must metals melt.
You must be refering to area 3.
I have tried running that coke in my forge. Not a good idea. To many impurities and it smokes and stinks. I work in a facility here on the coast that produces petroleum coke. It dose not work.
Different kind of coke. The coke produced there is petroleum coke. The coke you burn in a forge is is caol that has been coked. Coking burns out the VOcs in the coal and leaves you with coke. When it comes to buying coal or coke. I alsways buy coke. For one you dont have to coke it to make coke,it already is coke. It dose not stink like coal dose. And last pound for pound, when you buy coke you are getting more. If you had a pound of coke and a pound of coal. You would realy only have 3/4's of a pound of coal because you are going to loose quit abit of it to the coking process.
I did not know that. Learn something new every day. Thanks
Quote from: BrokenHawk on March 16, 2011
Yeah I think I will still build a bigger forge and keep this one for lighter or smaller work. I really like that 55 gallon drum one that guy built. Either way when the weather gets a little better I'm gonna start to get my forging area in my barn finished. Got it full of crap right now.
Which 55 gal drum one? I am looking to get into a little smithing and want to learn I joined the local group here in OK but they don't have time for newcommers - they hold a newbie class once a year and tell you about it a week before they hold it, then limit the class to 10 people....
Badger
Bring you camera, pencle and paper the the encampment at this time it looks like we are going to have rwo and maybe three blacksmiths there.
It was an old thread here. I'll see if I can findit.
Badger its on "The making of a blacksmith" Thread By VAscout. About 7 or 8 listings below this one.
way to dig it up. thmbsup
Thanks I usually have a good grasp on where things are on here but I totally missed that one....
Must be overworked and underpaid here... have to talk to the boss.... cuch oh yaeh I am he....
dntn Give yerself a raise, it's on us thmbsup
Quote from: NAULTRICK1 on March 18, 2011
dntn Give yerself a raise, it's on us thmbsup
Why thanks... I'll be nice and take a 50% raise....
oh yeah 50% of nuthin is still nuthin....
Went yesterday to the hardware store, bought the nuts and bolts to repair the forge, was surprised to learn that two 3 foot pieces for the legs, of 3/4" galvinised pipe would run me $10.00 each. Than I asked how much for a six foot piece from the lumber yard. $20.00 'shok'. I need to go to the scrap yard today and buy it by the pound.
Fixed the legs with two pieces of metal from a steel hammock stand. Went by my old work site today and one of my old coworkers want's me to fix her porch roof, she said to pay me did I want her late husbands three anvils, one has to be moved with a back hoe. Man sometimes it's funny how things happen.
it's probably cheap this way. if she had to pay by the jug, she'd go broke. ROFL ROFL
Just ordered a couple tools from this site, momma let me put it on the card hdslp.They have a nice site http://www.centaurforge.com/
OOps just noticed old salt already listed this site.
Used the forge and the anvils today, tried to make a tree fox cooker, close but no cigar. Didn't have coal used briquets and wood. Gotta lot to learn. But had alot of fun. ;D
Tried to make a squirrel cooker today getting closer. Gonna look online for smithing basics tutorial to read. Been reading alot from this site.
Have you checked at the Library? There were several books on blacksmiths. Just a thought.. thmbsup
Quote from: crazell on April 05, 2011
Have you checked at the Library? There were several books on blacksmiths. Just a thought.. thmbsup
Already looked.good idea tho
Got the squirrel cooker half way done ran out of coals, will try to finish up this week. Will post photo's
Charcoal briquet's can be used but they burn up fast and the blower blows them away as they are a compressed powder,A lot of stores are getting"Chunk" 'charcoal now this will work much better for you and it's also a little cheaper,I alway's buy it for cookouts anymore ,I only use the briquets if I have to.
The chunk charcoal is that like the one they call wood charcoal?
Picked up a bunch of blacksmithing tools today from a nursery, shes into old time stuff has them hanging all over the place. Picked up four different hammers and five different hand forged tongs as well as some other tools that might come in handy. Got them all for less than the web sites were charging for one set of tongs. thmbsup