Making a forge

[Steven9851]

The show I think you are refering to is called Forge and Anvil it comes on HGTV for those that have satalite and maybe cable.

[FrankG]

Yepper thats the one !

[Ranger]

Let me look into it. I will get back to ya. I'm thinking all it is is clay mixture, but I will look for sure.

[Thumper]

Wildbull, I recommend Portland cement. It's pretty heat resistant (and recommended by other smith's)....but mix it properly or you get 3/4- gravel after a couple of heats.

[FrankG]

Check this out for simple .
http://www.beautifuliron.com/forge_brakedrum.htm

[FrankG]

Home Depot should have it .

[standingwolf]

wash tub was my first worked great.
I didnt have acess to any adobe so i use red clay mud scraped off my dirt track car after a satuday nite race, worked great. so if u have lots of red clay dirt thatll work or 100 percrnt clay cat litter works also,but soak it first in water before you use it or itll crack.  just my 2 cents worth from trial and error.

[Red Badger]

OK who's got a million dollars they'll give me to get into this?  I lin see that 'cause of my perfectionistic frame of mind I'm gonna have to larn to be a smith, cooper, cobler, gunsmith, and who knows what else to enjoy this pastime they way i want to enjoy it and to keep the history alive....

[Thumper]

FrankG, a wheel barrow is a great way to make a portable forge, I've seen it done at a couple of demo's. Anyone interested in the satellite show out here in the West, go to the "RFD" channel (254 I think).

[Jesse168]

Does anyone here still use a hand crank bellows for their forge ?

I came across one of the old hand crank bellows years ago and would like some ideas of how to best use it.

Jesse

[voyageur1688]

  Aint got a hand crank bellows yet, but do have a hand crank blower.
Voy

[Jeremiah]

Some great links....thanks.  I am wanting to build a coal forge soon, but still haven't decided the design I want or size.  Very useful stuff....and somehow I had missed the "Blacksmithing" section of this forum yesterday (I am new) but luckily for me, Red Badger pointed me in the right direction!

[Red Badger]

Here is the washtub forge I made for less than $50.00,  I use my air compressor on it as I don't have a hand cranked blower yet... just dialed the air down to about 10 psi and it works great....



I used the cheapest 100%clay kitty litter I could find and put it in a 5 gal bucket with water until it tuned back to clay mud. the 1 inch gas pipe has several 1/16 hoes drilled into it and I did add an adjustable regulator to dial in the air pressure,   2 years now and still going strong.

[West Texan]

My first forge was like the wash tub forge but using a 5 gal metal pail with 3inches of the Portland Ina shallow cone in the bottom. I cut a round "window" about 8 to 10 inches.  A blow dryer was the air source. Those blow to much air so you have to have way to modify the flow. I used wood for fuel. I had a piece of rail road rail for anvil,  locking pliers work as tongs. It is a cheap set up but you can do lots of forging. My next was a break drum forge.