Most efficient charcoal forge design?

J

JZknives

Joined
Feb 7, 2013
Messages
204
I have been scouring the internet for information on specifically CHARCOAL (not regular coal) forges and their designs.

I am having trouble finding a place that has a collection of the different designs in one place and the logic behind them.

Most of the results im getting are just rehashed designs of of the same brake drum forge , which are more suited for regular coal.

I have seen the japanese style forges , and the more nordic style forges made of wood with the big rock to reflect heat

If i was going to have a forge that ran on charcoal.... What would be the most efficient (least amount of charcoal consumption) to reach welding tempatures?

lots of suggestions are welcomed.

Also i have left over ITC100 and apg 36 , but not alot.

No firebricks , just regular ones.
 
Do a Google search for Tim Lively's washtub forge. He's a master of the minimalist bladesmithing setup, and the washtub forge is flexible in allowing you to choke down to work a small area at a time or use the full length of the forge to heat the blade for heat treatment.

It can be lined with a 1:1:1 mix of sand, wood ash, and plain cheap unscented kitty litter, with some chopped up straw mixed in.

Here are some pics from when I visited Tim when he was living in Marble Falls, Texas.

023.jpg


022.jpg


025.jpg


024.jpg


That's his entire knifemaking setup at the time. No electricity usage at all.

I'd also highly recommend his "Knifemaking Unplugged" video, which includes in it making charcoal and building one of these forges from scratch, as well as making a big ol' Bowie and sheath.
 
Storm Crow said:
Do a Google search for Tim Lively's washtub forge. He's a master of the minimalist bladesmithing setup, and the washtub forge is flexible in allowing you to choke down to work a small area at a time or use the full length of the forge to heat the blade for heat treatment.

It can be lined with a 1:1:1 mix of sand, wood ash, and plain cheap unscented kitty litter, with some chopped up straw mixed in.

Here are some pics from when I visited Tim when he was living in Marble Falls, Texas.

023.jpg


022.jpg


025.jpg


024.jpg


That's his entire knifemaking setup at the time. No electricity usage at all.

I'd also highly recommend his "Knifemaking Unplugged" video, which includes in it making charcoal and building one of these forges from scratch, as well as making a big ol' Bowie and sheath.
Click to expand...
yes I own the DVD its great.

I just dont have the money for a champion blower.

I just want to review all of my possible options , the only thing i dont like about tims setup is its a sit down setup.
 
Easy enough to adapt to a standup setup.

Hair dryers are probably the most common blowers for a beginner forge. You can also build one, assuming the requisite determination and skill, or build a lung bellows, or an Oriental-stlye piston bellows. More'n one way to skin a cat. :)

Tai Goo (whose videos I also recommend) has a different kind of washtub forge, with a side blast and the firepot made of straight wood ashes that he can reshape as needed. Mike Deibert adapted the design for his school in Nicaragua, using barrels.

http://www.esvoministries.com/ESVO_Ministries/ESVO_in_Pictures/Pages/ESVO_in_the_Beginning.html
 
They'll compact to a certain degree, but when you're burning charcoal you are continuously supplying fresh wood ash to your forge lining. Tai's been using his setup for years with no issue that I've heard. You can dampen the ashes a bit and shape them around into different fire pots as needed.

Air source is always the most difficult aspect of a solid fuel forge. The basic forge is just a fire in a hole in the ground with air coming in through a pipe. anything more complex is just raising the hole in the ground up to a more convenient working height. :)

See?

[video=youtube;xwW8DVrm3yE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwW8DVrm3yE[/video]

[video=youtube;LuDfTrLzhI8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuDfTrLzhI8[/video]

As for an air source, here's a basic homebrewed one:

[video=youtube;FBY1TServiw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBY1TServiw[/video]

I've also heard of folks using bathroom vent fans for the same task.
 
If you know anyplace getting demo'd or remodeled look for those air hand dryers. Dan garves pointed that out at one of his hammer ins and a great idea.
 
I second James' recommendation of Tim Lively's design. I've used that same thing for quite awhile and it works handsomely. Since I built my new set-up a few years back I built a charcoal style forge and I use charcoal in it. Works great! Basically what I'm saying is that for charcoal a side-draft forge works very well but I wouldn't be afraid to use a bottom-draft forge either.
 
Great resources here!

Anyone is going to have a hard time claiming they don't have enough money to get set up for forging once they see what's going on in Central America and SE Asian:)
 
John Frankl said:
Great resources here!

Anyone is going to have a hard time claiming they don't have enough money to get set up for forging once they see what's going on in Central America and SE Asian:)
Click to expand...

ya I really want to get a new anvil (my railroad anvil is garbage and i cannot get it flat no matter how hard i try)
 
Just one. I think using a muffler to avoid direct blasts of superheated flame evens the heat. I've melted steel in a charcoal fogre, simple because the air was directed on a particular point on the blacde. A muffler avoids that. Get a ungalvanized pipe with an end cap, and watch your air flow ( it's amazing how so little air will create a virtual blast furnance, not some thing you want). One last thing, do your forging on cloudy days or in the evening, it's easier to see the colors run.
 
David Stifle said:
Just one. I think using a muffler to avoid direct blasts of superheated flame evens the heat. I've melted steel in a charcoal fogre, simple because the air was directed on a particular point on the blacde. A muffler avoids that. Get a ungalvanized pipe with an end cap, and watch your air flow ( it's amazing how so little air will create a virtual blast furnance, not some thing you want). One last thing, do your forging on cloudy days or in the evening, it's easier to see the colors run.
Click to expand...

what do you mean by muffler? is there like a diagram i can use for referance?
 
A mufffler is a ungalvanized pipe, usually with a end fitting. You place the blade inside the pipe. The entire pipe heats up, heating the blade by indirect heat. The diameter of the pipe is dictated by the size of the blade. Basically, a chamber placed within your forge. I don't think a diagram is needed, but open to more questions.
 
David Stifle said:
A mufffler is a ungalvanized pipe, usually with a end fitting. You place the blade inside the pipe. The entire pipe heats up, heating the blade by indirect heat. The diameter of the pipe is dictated by the size of the blade. Basically, a chamber placed within your forge. I don't think a diagram is needed, but open to more questions.
Click to expand...

oh okay i understand now i thought you were talking about a car muffler
 
LoL, yeah, let me know when you find a 57 T-Bird muffler exhaust system. One note, I pretty sure a charcoal forge would work equally well with coal, if you are lucky enough to get good forging coal.
 
David Stifle said:
LoL, yeah, let me know when you find a 57 T-Bird muffler exhaust system. One note, I pretty sure a charcoal forge would work equally well with coal, if you are lucky enough to get good forging coal.
Click to expand...

im a member of a blacksmith guild , we have a giant dumptruck pile of it. I would use it because it lasts longer , only i cant stand clinkers or the smell of it. I have neighbors so i only use coal at hammer in's at the club.

Thats why im asking for the most "efficient" forge design. I want the most heat output with the least consumption of charcoal (it goes fast).

Should i make like a clay refractory hood over the thing to keep heat in? (wouldnt this also help with firefleas?)
 
Putting a hood over it seems like a good idea, but in actuality it increases the heat so dramatically it literally melts steel before you even realize that's what has happened. Keep in mind, you need to read the steel, by the color, (and at night) so when you enclose a coal or charcoal forge and apply air to it you have absolutely no way of reading how hot you are getting your steel.

Also, not all charcoal is the same. I've made my own charcoal, and no way it looks like store bought stuff.

After re-reading your last post about limiting consumption, it all depends on how fast and how much air you apply, but I'm sure you know that. What I do, rather than actually hooding the charcoal with some sort of metal or refactory, is I simply create a hood with split fireplace wood. In other words, I have a firepit of charcoal with two split logs on each side, and then I place one to two spilt logs over the top. You get a very efficient firepit, and one that needs very little forced air.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top