Forge idea... think it'll work?

[Parke1]

Hey everyone,

I've been kicking around the idea of building a forge, although I'm not sure if it will wind up being a coal or gas one. I've been trying to find things that I could build a forge from, and I came across something last night. It'd be a pain to transport to my house, but it just might work.

In my parents basement they have an old coal-burning incinerator from the early 30's. It's a cylinder about 4 feet tall, although the interior dimensions are much smaller. It has a door at the bottom which allows you to shovel out ashes as well as light the coal. The coal sits up higher on a steel grate, and you dump in your trash from a large hinged door on the top. The burn chamber (for lack of a better phrase) is completely lined with fire bricks, making a space about 18 inches deep and 10-12 inches in diameter.

Do you think this could work as a forge? I was thinking I could put the heat source in the bottom door (be it burning coal like the incinerator was designed for, or by pumping in LP), and hang the steel in from the top somehow. I could also mount the whole thing on its side, so that way I'd be sliding in steel from one end.

If it's not a good idea for a forge, how can I utilize the fire bricks in building my own? I haven't purchased Mr Goddard's book yet, since I'm a little shy on funds right now, but I definitely plan to.

Also, what device are you guys using to monitor temperatures inside your forges when using them for heat treating?

Thanks a lot for the advice!
-Parke1

 

[Alarion]

Doesn't seem the best design for a forge to me, but you could easily modify it to get a good gas forge. All the structure and lining is already there.

 

[J.McDonald Knives]

i think it should work for a forge with a few mods. you can check out the design that indian george uses and get a better idea that way. http://www.indiangeorgesknives.com/building_a_forge.html i spent about $200 on mine and i use a blown gas forge. also check out the other designs that are on darren ellis's site. http://forgegallery.elliscustomknifeworks.com/ good luck with the forge and have fun.

 

[Peldor]

You have to be careful that the firebrick is the soft type. If I were designing an incinerator i would would want it to be heat proof not the same as a forge, I would use the cheaper hard brick just because you don't want the body of the incinrator to get hot, you want the brick to last a long time no matter what you put in it and your really not interested in holding a lot of the heat in one spot for a long time.
Just double check that, even if you could just re-brick it and still get a free forge body!