A SIMPLE FORGE FOR FREE

[paul atkin]

Having one of those days when you wake up with an idea and wont rest until youve sorted it. This is ideal for forging hooks, dont know how long the tin will last but who cares you will need 3 bricks, one tin with holes drilled in the bottom, and some sort of a blower, i am lucky enough to have a vac with a blow facility

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[paul atkin]

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[paul atkin]

i know its made from an old drill bit but it was all i could find, looks quite pretty though, all i used was a sledge hammer head as an anvil and a lump hammer, and the grinder, it took about 30 mins once i had got the tin hot enough.

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[axel]

'Liking the patio - just like Battenburg cake!

[DavidFisher]

Shows what can be done on a small scale with simple materials. Great job, Paul. Sometimes it easy for folks to get discouraged from trying things because there seems to be so much complicated equipment involved. Your experiment is encouraging. Is that coal or charcoal in the tin?

[paul atkin]

Shows what can be done on a small scale with simple materials. Great job, Paul. Sometimes it easy for folks to get discouraged from trying things because there seems to be so much complicated equipment involved. Your experiment is encouraging. Is that coal or charcoal in the tin?

charcoal david they are very easy to make no rocket science, heat and bash to shape, sharpen then i curled the end with some long nose pliers when red hot, heated again till orange then dunked in water, heated again then let the colours run till straw and quench. i need to get some proper steel now, will report when i have tested them ps its also great fun

[paul atkin]

'Liking the patio - just like Battenburg cake!

its a bit cracked now

[derekh]

My dumb question for the day.

As with other forges, what stops the tin from disintegrating during heating ? Is the intensity of the heat lifted off the bottom surface by the air injection ? I'm interested and curious because only this morning (Oz time) I was talking to a blacksmith friend about getting my own forge but baulked due to setup costs. I would substitute the cake tin for a plough disk that can also double for a BBQ base.

cheers
Derek

[Nicola Wood]

That's great Before Robin got himself a proper forge he used to do bits of forging using a blow torch and a small heap of fire bricks salvaged from inside an old night storage heater. The fire bricks are great for concentrating and holding the heat - maybe you could use some around your tin? or maybe that would just make your tin melt!
Nicola

[paul atkin]

My dumb question for the day.

As with other forges, what stops the tin from disintegrating during heating ? Is the intensity of the heat lifted off the bottom surface by the air injection ? I'm interested and curious because only this morning (Oz time) I was talking to a blacksmith friend about getting my own forge but baulked due to setup costs. I would substitute the cake tin for a plough disk that can also double for a BBQ base.

cheers
Derek

Hi Derek, simple answer is i dont know, but the tin is still ok to use again, if it burns through i will either buy some more chocys or get something a bit thicker made up.

[robin wood]

Nice one Paul. its good to demystify forging. The bits that burn away tend to be where the air comes into the fire, that is where we get the high heat, around the edges are not so hot. Do you just have holes in the base of the tin?

I used to forge in a very similar set up but just sitting the fire in the centre of the bricks. You should have bricks underneath as well, not concrete slabs which can explode if in direct contact with heat. My air inlet was connected to a metal tent pole, this gradually burnt away during use but I could just keep shoving it a bit further in.

[paul atkin]

t. Do you just have holes in the base of the tin?

.

yep, and quite a good supply of old tins, buckets, and an old bbq, should keep me going for a few years

[bryan]

hi

take a look here : http://www.zoellerforge.com/

a good job for cheap forging

and search : one brick forge on gooogllle

easy

[paul atkin]

great stuff bryan thanks, that will be another days messing about sorted

[Fuzzy]

My dumb question for the day.

As with other forges, what stops the tin from disintegrating during heating ? Is the intensity of the heat lifted off the bottom surface by the air injection ? I'm interested and curious because only this morning (Oz time) I was talking to a blacksmith friend about getting my own forge but baulked due to setup costs. I would substitute the cake tin for a plough disk that can also double for a BBQ base.

cheers
Derek

Great idea Paul!
Derekh- For the most part, it's the atmosphere of the fire. Near the edges, the fire has too much carbon in it, making it impossible for the oxygen to combine with the steel. Over time, with enough heat, it will disintegrate. You can make a forge out of nearly anything- even a little sand pit with a grate in the bottom works quite well. Your plough disk should do marvelously! I've forged knives and tools in many a makeshift forge, and they have all turned out without a flaw. As for fuel, charcoal works well (don't use the pressed bricks for the grill that are at the grocers unless you really have to since the glue and sand in them can hurt your project and give you an awful headache), but wood can do in a pinch (if you can stand the heat-the flames put more heat at you than the steel). Charcoal is easy to make, but takes a bit more time and it helps to be in the country (it generates large sums of smoke). Blacksmith's coal (not stoker/heating coal) or coke is really nice, but sometimes hard to find. Good luck with your forgings, let us know if all turns out well.