Heating Steel

[swampwolf]

I have a question about heating steel. Is there any way to get steel hot enough to work without a forge? I want to try my hand at making a tomahawk without buying special tools. I have general shop tools.



swamp

 

[AwP]

For small things you can just use a torch, but a tomahawk is too big for that. You don't need to buy anything to make a charcoal or coal forge if you have decient scavenging skills though, and only the lining would need to be bought for propane.

 

[B . Buxton]

awP told you what you needed to know when he said charcoal, you will need a blower like a hand held hair drier and a pretty deep pan to put the coal in and fire up, also lots of charcoal. I started out forging using charcoal, made a simple forge out of an old BBQ I had. I placed a pipe in the center for my air supply tube, I Attached a gate valve on the end that I attached a hair drier to so I could control the air flow and it got plenty hot. I never made anything but railroad spike hawks then because they were small and could be made with a lot less numberof heats need to get to or close to welding heats when you split and drift the eye hole, but then after that, a good hot forging heat is all you'll need. Have fun, but watch out, that fire and steel pounding is very addictive.

Bill

 

[swampwolf]

Thanks alot for the info guys. I kinda suspected what yall said about the hawk being too big to work without a forge.

I have another question that I have always wondered about. My grandmother has an old small forge that has been passed down through her family. It has its own stand, a crank, belt drive blower and it is aprox. 18 in. dia.

If this thing gets hot enough for forging, why doesn't the coke burn through the forge?


swamp

 

[AwP]

If this thing gets hot enough for forging, why doesn't the coke burn through the forge?

A) heat rises
B) cast iron firepots are usually intended to be lined with a clay of some sort
C) hot enough for forging isn't hot enough to burn through, you'd need to be messing with welding heat alot to risk that