forge for munk

firkin

firkin

Joined
Jan 26, 2002
Messages
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and anyone else for that matter.

Parts list:

length of steel pipe
old barbeque or metal tub
hair dryer or hand-crank blower
lots of wood ash

pix, plans, discussion here:
http://www.ckdforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=10293

this project appears to be in my price range.

Looks to me like accumulating the anvil, tongs, and hammers at farm auctions or where-ever is the hard part to getting set up.

Of course, I'd have to scrounge the ashes here in So. Cal.---or do a LOT of cooking with the 'que first.

I reckon if I went all over the neighborhood asking for ashes, and then started hammering all day in the little backyard, somebody would freak and call the cops--
Weed-blowers, power mowers, housebuilding are all OK, but I sure hammering steel would cheese somebody off.....
 
Firkin,

You can use dry sand in place of wood ash. Lots of sand near you.

Pounding on hot steel makes surprisingly little noise; it's when you miss the hot steel and hit the anvil that things get noisy.
 
Art,

If I use sand, won't I need to line things with some type of refractory material to prevent rapidly burning through the thin metal of the pipe and tub?

It's my understanding that the ash acts as a much more effective insulator than sand. Don't know if I can find suitable clay around here, but I've seen similar simple designs lined with comercial furnace mortar or something too. Not quite as cheap, but the product didn't seem too pricey as I recall.

Pounding on hot steel makes surprisingly little noise; it's when you miss the hot steel and hit the anvil that things get noisy.
Click to expand...

This is encouraging, even if I can be a bit of a spaz.:)
 
Firkin,

Tai is no doubt right that the ash is more effective than dirt or sand, but since the heat rises rather than spread downward and sideways (unless you use an air blast from the side) sand should work well enough to get started.

Save your ashes as you work and gradually replace the sand with ash.

Tai has also shown pix of the same forge using gas -- he changes back and forth. He's been discussing the forge at www.dfoggknives.com in the "Bladesmith's Forum"
 
 
THis is great. Thanks Firkin and Art and Ripper. I recieved my first khuk in April or March. Since that time, with all the cutting I've done, there is actually a slight raised area on my right forearm that could be mistaken for a muscle.

If I pounded steel...who knows?

Now I gotta use my left arm more often so it doesn't get left behind. An old bike, (and I don't mean motor) accident left me with an atrophied left side.

munk
 
Thanks, Art and Ripper.

Guess I'll have to find someplace to look for an old anvil or a chunk of RR track or maybe a large engine piston??--After that, it looks like most of the other stuff can be improvised with all the info on the web and a bit of elbow grease tempered with an occasional think.
 
Hi firkin,
Speaking of anvils, I copied this from another forum:

"A "standard" anvil (London pattern) isn't necessary. The vast majority of forging through the ages has been done on tiny blocks of iron or a handy rock. The Nepalese khukuri-makers to this day are using sledgehammer heads set at ground level to make their blades."

Also you might look at this Harbor Freight anvil or make a Japanese style as suggested here.

Regards,
Greg
 
Another item that makes a great body for the furnace is an old discarded brake drum from a tractor trailer. I know people that have used those. You can sometimes get them from the shops that work on tractor trailers for the scrap cost. Just a thought. They are some heavy duty though!!:eek:
 
A good steel yard has amazing possibilities for stuff. What I use for a make shift anvil is a piece a scrap that I got from a local steel yard for about 10 dollars. Its 12" diameter round about 10" high. They also had a variety of steel pipe, etc...
 
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