Should I get it?

[Bordo]

I was browsing the web this morning and happened to find an old forge for sale I was wondering if it was worth me trying to get and how much these things go for so I don't end up over paying if I do.

Doesn't seem like I can attach images... (membership thing maybe?) So here's the link to it:

http://cnj.craigslist.org/tls/3042739950.html

 

[deker]

It's in decent shape, and a good price if the blower works well. You'll need to line the firepot with refractory or clay. Picked one like that up for my uncle a while back.

-d

 

[Rick Marchand]

If the blower is smooth running and there is not any advanced rust damage, $250 is a good price..... around here, anyway.

 

[Nebulae]

for $250 I set up a propane forge that works great, but I would tend to trust rick.

 

[deker]

One other comment. Do you have a good source of blacksmithing coal? Heating coal isn't the same thing. Heating coal is anthracite or "hard" coal, and blacksmithing coal is bituminous or "soft" coal. One of the members of my local Blacksmith Guild (The Blacksmith Guild of Central Maryland) did an excellent write up of what to look for when shopping for coal.

I only bring it up as I see you're in Brooklyn, so a good coal supply may be harder to come by locally than it would be for me here in PA. Of course, if you have a pickup truck available, one trip a year could easily set you up for a year with coal. Check with folks sort of close you to (like the blacksmiths at Peter's Valley in NJ for example) to see where they get their supply.


-d

 

[Rick Marchand]

You can use hardwood charcoal, too. I recently aquired a small forge similar to yours and use charcoal. I'm sure mineral coal is more versatile with its ability to form coke but I get along very well with what I use. You are going to need to line it and form a pot. Mine is still on the verge of being too shallow(the one in the link looks much deeper) but I I only use it for public demos and when I'm feeling frisky... lol. I lined mine with a homemade refractory and it is holding up great.

 

[Salem Straub]

That one does look as though it needs some mud in the pan. The tuyere sticks up above the floor. I think what I might do though is alter the pan or the tuyere mount so it's flush with the floor or below without needing any fireclay. Clay can be a nuisance in a forge.

That pan kind of looks like it's not original- many of them had cast pans back then, and this one is put together with little angle braces? Not that it matters, but it's a little bit deep for its width. You'll definitely want to cut out a lower section in the lip in the front and back of the pan, to allow longer work to sit right in the fire, even if the floor comes up an inch or two with clay.

Also, although it's not common, some guys even prefer to use anthracite- it just makes a different type of fire than bituminous. More of a heap of coals like a charcoal fire. It'll work if that's all you can find. Deker's right though, bituminous coal is better- though with either type you need to watch out it doesn't have too much sulfur in it. A lot of good coal sellers will know the approximate impurity content and even the "coking button" of their coal.

$250 is probably a decent price, over here it's about the same.

 

[Rick Marchand]

Tai and Kentucky advised me to build a deep fire pot to gain more control with heat and oxidation. Blacksmiths using mild steel don't really have the same needs as Bladesmiths using high-carbon, alloyed types. Insulating the pan/pot will also allow the forge to burn fuel more efficiently. I have just under 20hrs on mine but the difference was like night and day after raising the bed to make the pot deeper. Keep in mind that I am using hardwood charcoal.

 

[Phil Dwyer]

I like a little more table space than a forge like that has (or doesn't have). It's nice not to have coal/coke/charcoal spilling off the edges onto the floor, to have a place for extra fuel piled and ready to add to the fire box, and a place to set tongs and steel and stuff... Guess it depends on what you want to do.

 

[Salem Straub]

Oh yeah, a deep fire pot is really nice- I just prefer it if it's made of steel rather than clay. On a forge of this type the easy way is to use clay, but I'd still build a steel duck's nest for it if I could. That clay will start to break up after a while.

Blacksmiths like a deep fire too, it really helps with most forge welding. Say Rick, what did you use for your homemade refractory? That'll come in handy maybe for Bordo, since if he gets this and does that it could save him some real bucks over castable refractory.

Phil's right too about that being a little small of a pan. But, you could add some metal around the sides as well if you're handy.

 

[Rick Marchand]

Oh yeah, a deep fire pot is really nice- I just prefer it if it's made of steel rather than clay.

Gotcha... I misunderstood.

Say Rick, what did you use for your homemade refractory?

I used perlite(most gardening centers have bags of it), furnace cement(3000F stuff) and wood ash. I added a bit of water to the cement and mixed really well(no lumps, milkshake consistancy) before adding it to the perlite a little at a time. The mix should not look "wet". The cement is just the bonding agent and shouldn't completely saturate the perlite or it defeats the purpose of using a light airy granual. It would be better to get the cement in powder form but I used a pint of the ready mix stuff. I probably could have done without the wood ash. If you intend to go this route, email me for a more detailed description. I spent about $20 at the hardware store.

Phil's right too about that being a little small of a pan. But, you could add some metal around the sides as well if you're handy.

I had thought about building a table and canibalizing the little forge, but I bought it specifically to be portable and "look" period for demos. Agreed, it would be tough to use everyday at this size.

 

[Salem Straub]

Cool. I'll have to remember that mix myself. I can understand wanting to have a cute and fun travel forge, looks just right. I have a little propane travel forge but it's just not as atmospheric (although it is atmospheric). Since you use charcoal it would be more spectator friendly than the coal I'm currently burning, too.

 

[Rick Marchand]

Cool. I'll have to remember that mix myself. I can understand wanting to have a cute and fun travel forge, looks just right. I have a little propane travel forge but it's just not as atmospheric (although it is atmospheric). Since you use charcoal it would be more spectator friendly than the coal I'm currently burning, too.

The coal forge seems to "fit in" better at reenactments and demos.... this is what I have been getting away with for that last few years. Now I have all the garb(clothing) and my site looks less modern.