Is this a good buy?

[sharpstick]

I saw a nice little forge at a junk store near my house. It stands about waist high on three sturdy looking steel legs. The pot is approximately 18-22 inches in diameter. It has the hand crank blower that works great and appears to be quite heavy duty. It has the ash collection chute with a spring loaded trap door for easy cleaning. It appears to have been well used, but there are no rust holes and the metal still looks great. The guy is asking $100. Right now I don't need a forge, but I plan to get one in at some point. Is this a good buy that I should look at now? The guy might come down in price, I didn't ask him.

 

[John Andrews]

Sounds like a rivet forge, same as in my back yard, and they work great! And they are getting hard to find, also. It has been suggested to me to line it with fire clay, which I have not done yet. Years ago we used the rivet forge on a regular basis, to heat rivets for replacing sickle mower blades. Also made while we had the coals hot were other projects such as spears, gigs,arrow hunting heads, and a million other fun odds and ends kids and dads like to pound out. You are getting a good deal for that price, according to what I hear they are going for now, but I would still TRY to talk him down some more, though.

 

[Reg ELLERY]

A good price is what you are prepared to pay.

I have a couple of these forges. I had a lot of fun making railway spikes into letter openers, wire into letter openers spring steel forged blades. I even made damascus on it once. It uses a lot of arm power to keep the heat up for damascus. and you have to be carefull
that you don't get it too hot. Gas forges are easyier to control.

I would not get rid of mine for anything I would not sell it for $100
unless I knew it was to a knife maker that I knew. I have loaned one to an old mate of mine but he knows it is comming home to me.

The only down side is a suply of charcoal. Look at some of the black smith sites and you will most likeley find a design for making a charcoal maker.

 

[Raymond Richard]

Sounds like a good deal and if you can talkem down that will make it even sweeter. I sure hate to see something like that end up as a lawn decoration.