As an Instructional Designer of about 25 years and building computer based training for the military, I think your video was very well done. The information presented was pertinent and accomplished your teaching goals, which you stated at the beginning of your video. The pace of your delivery was great and the diction used was appropriate. Your use of photos and teaching aids showed the importance of the shape, size, and design of a forge. The best I've seen so far on youtube. I believe you also taught at the level of your target audience but spoke intelligently. Great, great job. Thank you. I want to get into forging and making my own knife blades and advance into swords.
As a blacksmith, a young one, I still have a lot to learn. Every time I watch one of your videos, I end up with a new idea, a new understanding of the matter, or a renewed motivation to work old fashion way. Cooling the top of a scroll with the temperature inertia of the hammer to be able to bend the rest of the bar without scrolling the top anymore, pure genius, I had to "meet" you to think about it. Really, thank you for your videos, they are clear (I'm french and I understand pretty much everything), precise, and the things you talk about are very relevant. You inspire me, Sir
This is unbelievably helpful! All the other DIY forge videos require, at the very least, a basic knowledge of welding or having a fully kitted out workshop. Subscribed and will definitely be checking out your other videos!
Great information. I have been watching Blacksmith Videos for a couple of years now and you're the first to talk about the fire fundamentals in depth.... Thank You!
I've been watching quite a few of your videos. Compared to all the other blacksmithing videos yours are by far the most well thought out, concise, and thorough videos. So many other videos you have to fast forward through to find relevant information and even then the information is full of holes. Not so with yours. Thank you! Keep making more videos!
@@kayearth6644 thats awesome! I would love to meet a skilled blacksmith in person and have a lesson with them. Dennis is fantastic. Learning a lot from his videos
75 years ago I loved turning the hand blower on my Fathers forge. He wasn't a blacksmith, he was a welder that from time to time needed to make "minor" adjustment. Thank you for the trip down memory lane.
I’m currently gathering a bunch of scrap iron to build a… unique forge design. So far, what I got is some galv. Piping with a flange to link up the bellows, which will be an old air pump. And a semi truck’s brake drum.(fire pot?? More like fire pit!) What I really need is a regular car’s brake drum, which will easily fit onto the 2” flange mentioned, as well as some kind of iron grate that won’t melt so easily. Then just go from there. Using the bigger drum and whatever else I can find. I’m hoping to maybe snag an old cast iron sink, that would be golden. EDIT: the semi brake drum would help greatly with forge welding! I could maybe cut open the sides so that it would fit anything inside, but the rim can still pile up plenty of coal for welds.
Thank you so much. I have been collecting scrap metal for ages. to start blacksmithing and metal art work. My son in law blessed me with a bunch of heavy steel. and so the adventure begins.
just started knife making in the last few months and just upgraded my forge and this video gave me some great ideas thank you for the explanation on the fire pot it helped so much
I have been making a new forge following your advice, and am excited to use it when I can finish it up! Thus far I have been using a sloppy configuration of bricks and coal :P your videos have been very helpful!
I have build my own forge out of scrap and is struggling with too much air, too high pressure, but not a big enough fire or hot fire. I now have all the information to make adjustments in order to get the right result. Learning and progression is so motivating. Thanks!
I do not know anything about forging but i am very eager to learn. This video gave me the best advice. Rarely you can find kindness in this twisted world. Thank you so much. Merry Chrismas!
thank you, I've built a small verge with break dis after a few weeks of digging through info but this really let me know what I need and is info I have not come across. I will implies went this new info on my next build. thanks so much
DF thanks for sharing your great insight. It was so good to hear you are a fan of using bellows. We do some Nepoleonic reenactment and use 150 year old bellows. The control we have over the forge fire is amazing. We use charcoal and can forge weld small objects if needed. Please keep these great videos going. Cheers Michael.
I built my own charcoal forge a year ago, and I've been looking to upgrade for some time. This is the most informative video I've seen that covers the principles that are critical to building a successful forge. Thank you, sir!
any idea how fast you go through coal? I need to have an idea about the cost so I now when to add a coal forge to my business. More sources of info and all that...
This info couldn't come at a better time, im building a more permanent forge and i was going to re-use the brake drum i used in my first mini forge for the fire pot. Looks like i have a trip to the scrap yard lined up then for some 1/4 inch plate lol, thanks again.
Thank you Dennis for the very useful video. I have recently decided to try my hand at blacksmithing and making blades, I have built a Japanese box bellows and a loose packed brick forge on a timber stand, with a square brick firepot. Your video has helped tremendously with this build and design, all this mostly out of excess material I already have lying around in my garage. I also welded up a grating with ash dump and air supply pipe. I am using anthracite. The forge works quite well but having re-looked at your video the square shape of the firepot is not ideal. Have been experimenting till now. I now plan to go out and buy some plate which I'll cut and weld into a correct firepot shape which should be able to slot right into the square firepot. I am looking forward to trying it out. Thank you again some very interesting and useful videos.
I have a cast iron bed forge, that after adding a 2 inch bed of clay to it went from "ok" to "really freaking hot" if I need it that hot, the big wide bed allows me to use bricks like you mention to make as deep or shallow as I desire. So I agree, fire depth is needed.
i am making a crossbow from a leaf spring out of a tent trailer. i've cut down the bow to about 2 cm to reduce the draw weight but now i have to temper it. i'm going to make firebrick and plan to make them on a sheet metal formed base (junk yard salvage) and run a pipe up hte middle and form the sheet metal around it. then the home made firebrick (5 parts perlite to 1 part Portland cement) and a buddy of mine says i should add 1/4 cup of head and shoulders in place of sodium hydroxide to strengthen the bricks. i'm going to make standard firebrick molds (9x4.5x2.5 and lids that are 1.25 inches thick (i plan to measure it out in metric) cuz i'm in Canada now (USA born and bred). the length of the crossbow will be around 90cm by 4 cm at the base and quickly tapering down to 2 cm with a flower for the bow string at the ends. so i have sheet metal piece that's 120 cm long by 75 cm thick. taking into account the amount of coal ill need for the heating up the leaf spring, i'm unsure as to how big to make hte burn chamber. i've said amen to your forge requirements for a deep about of coal to burn. should i make the burn chamber 3 bricks high and about 6 bricks long (each brick would be 22.9 cm long i could assemble the bricks only 5 long . the volume of coal with a burn chamber 5 inches wide would give me a narrow, but deep chamber for the coals and the crossbow to heat up in. however if i did it two bricks high with a lid of brick that's 1.25 inches thick, i'm not sure if the temperature would change that much. I am a critical care nurse (this is my sons account) and i used to fly cobras in the US Army (AH-1F) and my primary aircraft was the UH-1H (huey). I was a flight engineer when i was in the army. if u respond, let me know what would be a good way to use ghetto materials to measure the temperature. i don't feel like using anything electronic for this build. after i'm done i plan to quench the bow in a tube of vegetable oil. a burn chamber of 5 bricks length by 5 inches and 2 bricks high would give me a volume of under 1,124 square inches (i'll translate it into cm later). 3 bricks thick would give me 1,687 square inches in burn chamber volume. because i'm not melting the steel but heating it up to temper it, and the brick will have holes drilled into it from below from the pipe blower (along the length of the burn chamber) i am probably going to need 43 bricks with 10 half bricks (1.25 inches thick for the roof of the forge. if i place the first layer above the pipe, i can cut grooves into the bricks and allow the air to come up between the first layer of bricks. the other bricks would be the walls, 5 long and 3 high. with 10 over the top (half bricks) and two bricks at the end and one or two partials at the mouth of the forge. i made a gladius just by using my wood stove and a 22 inch piece of leaf spring (14 inch blade) i've yet to temper it yet, cuz i'm waiting for to build my forge. my email is windmillcrusader@yahoo.com (Don Quixote), my name is allen
Thank you for making this video....I'm slowly putting together some blacksmith stuff.....my dad has a large anvil...don't remember the name...keep up the good work...
Great idea on forge I'll see what I can come up with we got a couple acres and I wanta build a small shop about 24×24 and maybe a chimney towards the outside , gotta few tools and a old beat up anvil and a break drum forge rt now so I need to do better so thanks
Respectfully thank you kindly Sir for your video. This has given me a idea for safe air flow & what to do with the Blue Hawk 72-in L x 1.3125-in H Satin Nickel Metal Closet Rod pipe, how to construct it to my sand / dirt forge. Thank you for this knowledge Sir. Respectfully, / Sincerely. Signed : This young man. Paul~
Appreciate your straight, simple tuition, thank you, Dennis. I am constructing a new coal forge, which will mostly be use for large blades, however would the 10 x 8 x 5" firepot be sufficient for forging larger sections of metal like a 4lb hammer or large dies for my power hammer? Would a firepot 12 x 10 x 6", be more suitable with a 6" air feed pipe?
Very good vid :-) I've been looking for some beginner vids for a while and just came across your ones tonight - straight away subscribed and I'm looking forward to working my way through the whole series. I hope you are still making new videos that I can keep watching once I get going on my blacksmithing journey! Thanks in advance! :-)
Thanks for subscribing! New videos are added each week - I do a Blacksmithing Project video on Tues and a Blacksmithing for Beginners video on Thurs. Here are the recap videos for last year. They include the old videos from my previous channel. there just thumbnail videos that make it easier to sort through what you want to watch next. Any questions anytime - let me know.BFB 1 czcams.com/video/HFHPffrx6BEB/video.htmlFB 2 czcams.com/video/33q3Y2cLkncB/video.htmlFB 3 czcams.com/video/RVu04F707ZgB/video.htmlP 1 czcams.com/video/bIPL4DlI_L8B/video.htmlP 2 czcams.com/video/bXbHyc8L_v4B/video.htmlP 3 czcams.com/video/Ub6WTMyyWPc/video.html
Sorry about that - I keep forgetting this comments section doesn't recognize hard returns and mixes everything up.let me try this again.BFB 1 czcams.com/video/HFHPffrx6BE/video.html BFB 2 czcams.com/video/33q3Y2cLknc/video.html BFB 3 czcams.com/video/RVu04F707Zg/video.html BP 1 czcams.com/video/bIPL4DlI_L8/video.html BP 2 czcams.com/video/bXbHyc8L_v4/video.html BP 3 czcams.com/video/Ub6WTMyyWPc/video.html
Sir about 6 month I built the fire pot as best as you showed and like the cardboard trick as my blueprint. I did a good job of copying your as shown. But I started off with weak blower and no blacksmith learning. I once stated to you it wasn't working .I knew I might had just be doing something wrong myself. I added a bigger blower and still having some problems...Well then open up the breathing holes a few days ago and now I am haveing all the heat I think I'll ever need.Having working with 1 in dia drifts and 3/4" dia coil steel seems much better. Honest I did fill my problems was in my air supply and not in your pot designs. ...Your help I fully trust Sir and I do thank you for giving me a base of leaning. I put a router on my blower and blower blast out lots of ash. Thanks you Sir
Thanks for a great video! I have a question - what is the distance between sqaure bars in the fire grill? And the grill dimensions you have for your firepot? Thanks you!
Yes, forges don't want to be blown so hard they burn hollow, but don't go searching for low-pressure high-volume blowers. Relative to most small size commercial blowers, forges like a higher static pressure. Not obnoxiously high, but still, you don't need a big blower. Even the small 1TDN7 is little and doesn't move a high CFM, but generates enough static pressure that it doesn't matter and still even manages to be quiet.
You can forge and forge weld with a smaller fire. I forge weld in a a rivet forge with 4” of anthracite and forge hammers up to 5lbs. But but but wonderful info I’m taking into consideration on my next forge build
Hi there, first off thanks for all the informative content. I've just bought a forge blower and stand, it has a shallow plate and no fire pot. I have cutting gear and access to welding equipment so I'm good for construction and have a plan in my head. Just wondering if the pot design you reccomend will be effective in a longer rectangular shape. I make kitchen knives by stock removal and initially want the forge for heat treating, eventually I plan on learning to smith blades but one step at a time. My concern is achieving a good even heat in knife blades up to 300mm in length. Would creating a longer narrow fore pot be more effective? Also im thinking about making the air grate longer to fit the base of the pot. Any advice would be welcome. Cheers
I would divide the air grate into 2 or three separate section. Each with it's own inlet pipe and control valve feeding off the main pipe. That you will give you the ability to balance the air flow the way you want. 3 separate air grates will also allow you to build a small fire by opening only the middle grate and a long fire by opening all 3. It's probably overkill but it's easier to build in the option first than trying to correct the problem after it's all welded together.
My boyfriend uses a personal desk fan that he put a dimmer switch in between the plug and the fan he turns it on high and then uses the dimmer to adjust the speed and kill the fan when he goes to hammer the metal he says that it doesn't waste as much charcoal when he isn't supplying the air it seems to work really well
What do you think about side blast forges? I made a hole in the ground, dug deep enough to hit clay. I took a bunch of clay out and back filled it with top soil. I lined the sides with around 3 inches of clay. This setup allowed me to reach welding heat but the clinker was just digging down making my fire pot around 10 inches deep after a few uses. I am planning on making something similar out of fire bricks covered in a layer of satinite to protect against clinker/flux. I am going to surround a pipe with a castable refractory and drill a hole in a fire brick to keep it from burning up. I know that the pipe will burn up but I will have refractory to keep the air in. Will 2500f fire brick covered in satinite resist the heat of a coal fire? I assume it would because yours is made from iron. My hole set up will be cooled by the dirt around it.What do you think about side blast forges? I made a hole in the ground, dug deep enough to hit clay. I took a bunch of clay out and back filled it with top soil. I lined the sides with around 3 inches of clay. This setup allowed me to reach welding heat but the clinker was just digging down making my fire pot around 10 inches deep after a few uses. I am planning on making something similar out of fire bricks covered in a layer of satinite to protect against clinker/flux. I am going to surround a pipe with a castable refractory and drill a hole in a fire brick to keep it from burning up. I know that the pipe will burn up but I will have a refractory to keep the air in. Will 2500f fire brick covered in satinite resist the heat of a coal fire? I assume it would because yours is made from iron. My whole setup will be cooled by the dirt around it.
..whew!! took me awhile to find these dimensions for my New Fire Pot, but i got er.. I'. Mi-T-Glad Mr. Pratt and let me pick your brains a bit !! I'm off to give the brudder-n-law my list !! Thanks Yall...
MUITO GRATO PELAS AS AULAS ESTOU APRENDENDO MUITO, MAS AINDA ESTOU NA TEORIA, MAS AGORA ACHO QUE JÁ POSSO COMEÇAR A FAZER MINHA FORJA. E MÃOS A OBRA E PROVIDENCIAR AS FERRAMENTAS.
Because of a lack of welder and the need for portability, I have made a small brake drum forge. I'm hoping to overcome some of the problems (shallow fire pot and vertical sides) by claying the sides to a slope and using bricks to increase the height of the coal pile I can keep over the fire. What you say about the drawback of the "shower drain" air supply makes a lot of sense. Because of that, I will be modifying mine to use a grate like the one you show. I am using a bathroom vent fan which I believe will provide enough air. I have not yet been able to find coal or coke. (it is June and the only coal seller in the area doesn't appear to be open in the summer) So, I have put in some charcoal and the blower seems adequate for that. Thanks for the explanation. That will guide my modifications of the forge, and my build of a better one later!
I made a forge years ago that is about the size of the round forge you showed at 5:18. It took me a long time to figure out that it was not nearly deep enough to produce the heat required for anything other than small work. I clicked on this video assuming that you'd go directly to the point that the size of the coal volume that's next to the air supply has to be generous, and I was right.
i up graded last year from a brake drum forge, to almost exactly like your card board display. it is hard to tell what was a better move the new anvil, or the new forge. i know the new forge changed everything for the good.so much more simpler than struggling with the brake drum set up. great idea on the fire brick exstender. i will be purchaseing some tommorrow .thanks for the videos. cheers... chris
if you have a welder , and the ability to make one as in the vid . i would highly recomend that. if not my biggest issues , were 1, no clinker breaker,2 too small of air in let and 3 the sides of the brake drumms were straight up . as in 90 deg. so it seemed that the fire burned wierd. i think they need to be at least 20 to 30 degrees of angle. fix those three issues and a brake drum forge would be ok.
I don't have any problem with using a brake drum as part of the set up. The point I was trying make was that I don't agree that a brake drum makes a good forge on it's own. They are limited and you will out grow it very fast. As Chris mentioned earlier I would really give some thought as to weather your time and energy might be better spend on a more time tested approach. Let me know if you need any more help.
I've been forging for over a year using a brake drum forge, I've both forge welded with it and made a 4 lb hammer with it. while I agree (and am making changes to account for this soon) that it isn't as deep as it should be, I've done quite a lot with it
I don't really have a problem with using a brake drum as part of a forge. They really do act as a good base for a firepot and really simplify the build. This video is just providing guidelines for how full sized forges are set up. If you are not having a problem don't worry about it.
Great video. How does this firepot size relate to a charcoal forge? We often find coke hard to come buy so use a lot of charcoal, both in a hand crank blower forge
Charcoal fires are totally different than coal fires. With charcoal you need a lot of fuel. Not because coal is hotter but because charcoal burns up so quickly so you need to have a lot of charcoal piled up to get the same intensity for same amount of work. The best way to do that is to use fire bricks or a cashable refractory to build two walls on each side of the fire. Like the traditional Japanese swoardsmiths. That way you can have a very. deep fire without wasting a lot of fuel. So with charcoal the firepot is just an air supply not something that contains the fire.
You are an absolute legend, this will help so many people.
As an Instructional Designer of about 25 years and building computer based training for the military, I think your video was very well done. The information presented was pertinent and accomplished your teaching goals, which you stated at the beginning of your video. The pace of your delivery was great and the diction used was appropriate. Your use of photos and teaching aids showed the importance of the shape, size, and design of a forge. The best I've seen so far on youtube. I believe you also taught at the level of your target audience but spoke intelligently. Great, great job. Thank you. I want to get into forging and making my own knife blades and advance into swords.
So, a coupleof years later, do you happen to know how fast a swordmaker will go through coal? also, does a larger firepot make swordsmithing easier?
As a blacksmith, a young one, I still have a lot to learn. Every time I watch one of your videos, I end up with a new idea, a new understanding of the matter, or a renewed motivation to work old fashion way.
Cooling the top of a scroll with the temperature inertia of the hammer to be able to bend the rest of the bar without scrolling the top anymore, pure genius, I had to "meet" you to think about it.
Really, thank you for your videos, they are clear (I'm french and I understand pretty much everything), precise, and the things you talk about are very relevant.
You inspire me, Sir
Thank you - I'm always happy to hear that somebody is heading out to the shop after watching one of my videos.
This is unbelievably helpful! All the other DIY forge videos require, at the very least, a basic knowledge of welding or having a fully kitted out workshop. Subscribed and will definitely be checking out your other videos!
by far the best explanation of a forge set up
You got a better one?
Great information. I have been watching Blacksmith Videos for a couple of years now and you're the first to talk about the fire fundamentals in depth.... Thank You!
I've been watching quite a few of your videos. Compared to all the other blacksmithing videos yours are by far the most well thought out, concise, and thorough videos. So many other videos you have to fast forward through to find relevant information and even then the information is full of holes. Not so with yours. Thank you! Keep making more videos!
Thank you. I'm glad I could help
He's like that in person too I had the benefit of learning from Dennis in person awesome Dennis thanks
@@kayearth6644 thats awesome! I would love to meet a skilled blacksmith in person and have a lesson with them. Dennis is fantastic. Learning a lot from his videos
75 years ago I loved turning the hand blower on my Fathers forge. He wasn't a blacksmith, he was a welder that from time to time needed to make "minor" adjustment. Thank you for the trip down memory lane.
Dennis, thank you! Your videos are calm and measured, clear with no distracting music....just the way I like it.
I’m currently gathering a bunch of scrap iron to build a… unique forge design. So far, what I got is some galv. Piping with a flange to link up the bellows, which will be an old air pump. And a semi truck’s brake drum.(fire pot?? More like fire pit!)
What I really need is a regular car’s brake drum, which will easily fit onto the 2” flange mentioned, as well as some kind of iron grate that won’t melt so easily. Then just go from there. Using the bigger drum and whatever else I can find. I’m hoping to maybe snag an old cast iron sink, that would be golden.
EDIT: the semi brake drum would help greatly with forge welding! I could maybe cut open the sides so that it would fit anything inside, but the rim can still pile up plenty of coal for welds.
Actually, this is good timing. I wanted to set up a forge, just started thinking about it a couple days ago. Many thanks for the information!
Thank you so much. I have been collecting scrap metal for ages. to start blacksmithing and metal art work. My son in law blessed me with a bunch of heavy steel. and so the adventure begins.
just started knife making in the last few months and just upgraded my forge and this video gave me some great ideas thank you for the explanation on the fire pot it helped so much
Thank you for passing on your valueable experience to all us newbies. This is very kind and generous.
Thanks for the video. It was exactly what I was looking for; the fundamental elements of a "good" forge without ridged plans.
Your videos have been very helpful in helping me to figure out how to get my "shop" set up. Thank you for sharing!
I have been making a new forge following your advice, and am excited to use it when I can finish it up! Thus far I have been using a sloppy configuration of bricks and coal :P your videos have been very helpful!
Awesome advice. Now as I watch DIY forge videos, I have the knowledge to apply it to the design I am working on with the materials I have on hand.
I have build my own forge out of scrap and is struggling with too much air, too high pressure, but not a big enough fire or hot fire. I now have all the information to make adjustments in order to get the right result. Learning and progression is so motivating. Thanks!
I do not know anything about forging but i am very eager to learn. This video gave me the best advice. Rarely you can find kindness in this twisted world. Thank you so much. Merry Chrismas!
I've been struggling with some forge designs that just wouldn't light or stay lit. This has helped immensely!.
thank you, I've built a small verge with break dis after a few weeks of digging through info but this really let me know what I need and is info I have not come across. I will implies went this new info on my next build. thanks so much
Thank you! I now know why I struggled so much with my coal forge.
DF thanks for sharing your great insight. It was so good to hear you are a fan of using bellows. We do some Nepoleonic reenactment and use 150 year old bellows. The control we have over the forge fire is amazing. We use charcoal and can forge weld small objects if needed. Please keep these great videos going. Cheers Michael.
I built my own charcoal forge a year ago, and I've been looking to upgrade for some time. This is the most informative video I've seen that covers the principles that are critical to building a successful forge. Thank you, sir!
any idea how fast you go through coal? I need to have an idea about the cost so I now when to add a coal forge to my business. More sources of info and all that...
Been looking for this kind of video! Thank you !
Fantastic explanation. Subscribed and gonna watch all your blacksmith vids.
Great information Dennis. Thanks for doing this.
This info couldn't come at a better time, im building a more permanent forge and i was going to re-use the brake drum i used in my first mini forge for the fire pot. Looks like i have a trip to the scrap yard lined up then for some 1/4 inch plate lol, thanks again.
Thanks - I was hoping this video would give people options for how to move into a full sized forge. Glad it helped.
Hey Big Thanks
Built my first forge copying this it's still used. Got propane now but my coal is handy sometimes
Thank you for posting this. it help me a lot when i made a forge.
Sir ,thank you for bringing light in my head! Big ,big 👍from me! ❤
Thank you Dennis for the very useful video. I have recently decided to try my hand at blacksmithing and making blades, I have built a Japanese box bellows and a loose packed brick forge on a timber stand, with a square brick firepot. Your video has helped tremendously with this build and design, all this mostly out of excess material I already have lying around in my garage. I also welded up a grating with ash dump and air supply pipe. I am using anthracite. The forge works quite well but having re-looked at your video the square shape of the firepot is not ideal. Have been experimenting till now. I now plan to go out and buy some plate which I'll cut and weld into a correct firepot shape which should be able to slot right into the square firepot. I am looking forward to trying it out. Thank you again some very interesting and useful videos.
I found your presentation clear and honest. Thanks.
Best video I've seen to date, most informative. Thankypu
Thank you for the information and your time, much appreciated
Thank you for sharing your experiences, there is no way you can know how many people you have helped or how much.
Excellent presentation, that made me want to watch right to the end & i actually feel that I absorbed the info given
Very good information can not believe not watched in 3 year
I have a cast iron bed forge, that after adding a 2 inch bed of clay to it went from "ok" to "really freaking hot" if I need it that hot, the big wide bed allows me to use bricks like you mention to make as deep or shallow as I desire. So I agree, fire depth is needed.
i am making a crossbow from a leaf spring out of a tent trailer. i've cut down the bow to about 2 cm to reduce the draw weight but now i have to temper it. i'm going to make firebrick and plan to make them on a sheet metal formed base (junk yard salvage) and run a pipe up hte middle and form the sheet metal around it. then the home made firebrick (5 parts perlite to 1 part Portland cement) and a buddy of mine says i should add 1/4 cup of head and shoulders in place of sodium hydroxide to strengthen the bricks. i'm going to make standard firebrick molds (9x4.5x2.5 and lids that are 1.25 inches thick (i plan to measure it out in metric) cuz i'm in Canada now (USA born and bred). the length of the crossbow will be around 90cm by 4 cm at the base and quickly tapering down to 2 cm with a flower for the bow string at the ends. so i have sheet metal piece that's 120 cm long by 75 cm thick. taking into account the amount of coal ill need for the heating up the leaf spring, i'm unsure as to how big to make hte burn chamber. i've said amen to your forge requirements for a deep about of coal to burn. should i make the burn chamber 3 bricks high and about 6 bricks long (each brick would be 22.9 cm long i could assemble the bricks only 5 long . the volume of coal with a burn chamber 5 inches wide would give me a narrow, but deep chamber for the coals and the crossbow to heat up in. however if i did it two bricks high with a lid of brick that's 1.25 inches thick, i'm not sure if the temperature would change that much.
I am a critical care nurse (this is my sons account) and i used to fly cobras in the US Army (AH-1F) and my primary aircraft was the UH-1H (huey). I was a flight engineer when i was in the army.
if u respond, let me know what would be a good way to use ghetto materials to measure the temperature. i don't feel like using anything electronic for this build. after i'm done i plan to quench the bow in a tube of vegetable oil.
a burn chamber of 5 bricks length by 5 inches and 2 bricks high would give me a volume of under 1,124 square inches (i'll translate it into cm later). 3 bricks thick would give me 1,687 square inches in burn chamber volume. because i'm not melting the steel but heating it up to temper it, and the brick will have holes drilled into it from below from the pipe blower (along the length of the burn chamber) i am probably going to need 43 bricks with 10 half bricks (1.25 inches thick for the roof of the forge. if i place the first layer above the pipe, i can cut grooves into the bricks and allow the air to come up between the first layer of bricks. the other bricks would be the walls, 5 long and 3 high. with 10 over the top (half bricks) and two bricks at the end and one or two partials at the mouth of the forge.
i made a gladius just by using my wood stove and a 22 inch piece of leaf spring (14 inch blade) i've yet to temper it yet, cuz i'm waiting for to build my forge.
my email is windmillcrusader@yahoo.com (Don Quixote), my name is allen
Great video !!
Thanks for taking the time. 👍👍
Thank you, Sir. This was extremely helpful and very nicely presented.
Thanks for that information. I am embarking on building a forge and this video has been very helpful.
I built the one shown and love it .I put one a tiny blower that gave trobles but Inproved that now plenty of heat
Thank you for making this video....I'm slowly putting together some blacksmith stuff.....my dad has a large anvil...don't remember the name...keep up the good work...
thanks so much for making these videos
This is great stuff. I'm learning.
Great idea on forge I'll see what I can come up with we got a couple acres and I wanta build a small shop about 24×24 and maybe a chimney towards the outside , gotta few tools and a old beat up anvil and a break drum forge rt now so I need to do better so thanks
Excellent information, thank you!
Very helpful - thanks!
your channel is so helpful. thanks so much.
Respectfully thank you kindly Sir for your video.
This has given me a idea for safe air flow & what to do with the Blue Hawk 72-in L x 1.3125-in H Satin Nickel Metal Closet Rod pipe, how to construct it to my sand / dirt forge.
Thank you for this knowledge Sir.
Respectfully, / Sincerely.
Signed :
This young man.
Paul~
Appreciate your straight, simple tuition, thank you, Dennis.
I am constructing a new coal forge, which will mostly be use for large blades, however would the 10 x 8 x 5" firepot be sufficient for forging larger sections of metal like a 4lb hammer or large dies for my power hammer? Would a firepot 12 x 10 x 6", be more suitable with a 6" air feed pipe?
Fantastic information for beginners. I'll check out your bellows videos. Tks
Love your video. Thank you for quality information...
Really good information here! Thank you for sharing.
I've been wondering why my brake drum just doesn't seem hot enough, now I get it. Thanks.
gracias por el video.me sera de mucha ayuda para hacer mi forge. saludos
I really love how you point out options and emphasise creativity!
Thank you.
thank you for the video. its very informative
Awesome video
Great info!! Thank You!!!
I've subscribed!!!
that was very informative thank you very much just starting my self
Excellent explanation! Thanks!
Thanks - Glad it helped
Very good vid :-) I've been looking for some beginner vids for a while and just came across your ones tonight - straight away subscribed and I'm looking forward to working my way through the whole series. I hope you are still making new videos that I can keep watching once I get going on my blacksmithing journey! Thanks in advance! :-)
Thanks for subscribing! New videos are added each week - I do a Blacksmithing Project video on Tues and a Blacksmithing for Beginners video on Thurs. Here are the recap videos for last year. They include the old videos from my previous channel. there just thumbnail videos that make it easier to sort through what you want to watch next. Any questions anytime - let me know.BFB 1 czcams.com/video/HFHPffrx6BEB/video.htmlFB 2 czcams.com/video/33q3Y2cLkncB/video.htmlFB 3 czcams.com/video/RVu04F707ZgB/video.htmlP 1 czcams.com/video/bIPL4DlI_L8B/video.htmlP 2 czcams.com/video/bXbHyc8L_v4B/video.htmlP 3 czcams.com/video/Ub6WTMyyWPc/video.html
Sorry about that - I keep forgetting this comments section doesn't recognize hard returns and mixes everything up.let me try this again.BFB 1 czcams.com/video/HFHPffrx6BE/video.html BFB 2 czcams.com/video/33q3Y2cLknc/video.html BFB 3 czcams.com/video/RVu04F707Zg/video.html BP 1 czcams.com/video/bIPL4DlI_L8/video.html BP 2 czcams.com/video/bXbHyc8L_v4/video.html BP 3 czcams.com/video/Ub6WTMyyWPc/video.html
Thanks for sharing your knowledge I appreciate it
Thanks
Thank you master for sharing your knowledge
Very well explained !!
Great info this helped me so much
How thick is the metal you used for your firebox and forge itself? Very well explained. Thanks for the video.
Sir about 6 month I built the fire pot as best as you showed and like the cardboard trick as my blueprint.
I did a good job of copying your as shown. But I started off with weak blower and no blacksmith learning.
I once stated to you it wasn't working .I knew I might had just be doing something wrong myself.
I added a bigger blower and still having some problems...Well then open up the breathing holes a few days ago and now I am haveing all the heat I think I'll ever need.Having working with 1 in dia drifts and 3/4" dia coil steel seems much better.
Honest I did fill my problems was in my air supply and not in your pot designs. ...Your help I fully trust Sir and I do thank you for giving me a base of leaning.
I put a router on my blower and blower blast out lots of ash.
Thanks you Sir
Great info Dennis. Do you have any suggestions for improving a rivet forge?
Solid! Thanks.
Thanks for a great video!
I have a question - what is the distance between sqaure bars in the fire grill? And the grill dimensions you have for your firepot?
Thanks you!
Great explanation on the Air Supply Mr.. Denis !! an HVLP setup. Thanks Sir...
Please translate to caveman!! ..... never mind - I think I just got it - High volume low pressure?
YesSirRee!!...
Very informative thank you.
Very helpful thank you 😊
Yes, forges don't want to be blown so hard they burn hollow, but don't go searching for low-pressure high-volume blowers. Relative to most small size commercial blowers, forges like a higher static pressure. Not obnoxiously high, but still, you don't need a big blower. Even the small 1TDN7 is little and doesn't move a high CFM, but generates enough static pressure that it doesn't matter and still even manages to be quiet.
You can forge and forge weld with a smaller fire. I forge weld in a a rivet forge with 4” of anthracite and forge hammers up to 5lbs. But but but wonderful info I’m taking into consideration on my next forge build
Hi there, first off thanks for all the informative content. I've just bought a forge blower and stand, it has a shallow plate and no fire pot. I have cutting gear and access to welding equipment so I'm good for construction and have a plan in my head. Just wondering if the pot design you reccomend will be effective in a longer rectangular shape. I make kitchen knives by stock removal and initially want the forge for heat treating, eventually I plan on learning to smith blades but one step at a time. My concern is achieving a good even heat in knife blades up to 300mm in length. Would creating a longer narrow fore pot be more effective? Also im thinking about making the air grate longer to fit the base of the pot. Any advice would be welcome.
Cheers
I would divide the air grate into 2 or three separate section. Each with it's own inlet pipe and control valve feeding off the main pipe. That you will give you the ability to balance the air flow the way you want. 3 separate air grates will also allow you to build a small fire by opening only the middle grate and a long fire by opening all 3. It's probably overkill but it's easier to build in the option first than trying to correct the problem after it's all welded together.
so helpful Denis
My boyfriend uses a personal desk fan that he put a dimmer switch in between the plug and the fan he turns it on high and then uses the dimmer to adjust the speed and kill the fan when he goes to hammer the metal he says that it doesn't waste as much charcoal when he isn't supplying the air it seems to work really well
What do you think about side blast forges? I made a hole in the ground, dug deep enough to hit clay. I took a bunch of clay out and back filled it with top soil. I lined the sides with around 3 inches of clay. This setup allowed me to reach welding heat but the clinker was just digging down making my fire pot around 10 inches deep after a few uses. I am planning on making something similar out of fire bricks covered in a layer of satinite to protect against clinker/flux. I am going to surround a pipe with a castable refractory and drill a hole in a fire brick to keep it from burning up. I know that the pipe will burn up but I will have refractory to keep the air in. Will 2500f fire brick covered in satinite resist the heat of a coal fire? I assume it would because yours is made from iron. My hole set up will be cooled by the dirt around it.What do you think about side blast forges? I made a hole in the ground, dug deep enough to hit clay. I took a bunch of clay out and back filled it with top soil. I lined the sides with around 3 inches of clay. This setup allowed me to reach welding heat but the clinker was just digging down making my fire pot around 10 inches deep after a few uses. I am planning on making something similar out of fire bricks covered in a layer of satinite to protect against clinker/flux. I am going to surround a pipe with a castable refractory and drill a hole in a fire brick to keep it from burning up. I know that the pipe will burn up but I will have a refractory to keep the air in. Will 2500f fire brick covered in satinite resist the heat of a coal fire? I assume it would because yours is made from iron. My whole setup will be cooled by the dirt around it.
great video.
Subscribed.
Thank you for shareing
..whew!! took me awhile to find these dimensions for my New Fire Pot, but i got er.. I'. Mi-T-Glad Mr. Pratt and let me pick your brains a bit !! I'm off to give the brudder-n-law my list !! Thanks Yall...
Glad to help - don't forget to take pictures
..I sure will...
MUITO GRATO PELAS AS AULAS ESTOU APRENDENDO MUITO,
MAS AINDA ESTOU NA TEORIA, MAS AGORA ACHO QUE JÁ POSSO COMEÇAR A FAZER MINHA FORJA. E MÃOS A OBRA E PROVIDENCIAR AS FERRAMENTAS.
I have a break rotor forge and I have forged several 3 to 4 pound hammers
Because of a lack of welder and the need for portability, I have made a small brake drum forge. I'm hoping to overcome some of the problems (shallow fire pot and vertical sides) by claying the sides to a slope and using bricks to increase the height of the coal pile I can keep over the fire. What you say about the drawback of the "shower drain" air supply makes a lot of sense. Because of that, I will be modifying mine to use a grate like the one you show. I am using a bathroom vent fan which I believe will provide enough air. I have not yet been able to find coal or coke. (it is June and the only coal seller in the area doesn't appear to be open in the summer) So, I have put in some charcoal and the blower seems adequate for that. Thanks for the explanation. That will guide my modifications of the forge, and my build of a better one later!
Sound like you're on the right track - let me know how it turns out.
tres belle video, merci pour toutes ces informations
very informative thanks
I made a forge years ago that is about the size of the round forge you showed at 5:18. It took me a long time to figure out that it was not nearly deep enough to produce the heat required for anything other than small work.
I clicked on this video assuming that you'd go directly to the point that the size of the coal volume that's next to the air supply has to be generous, and I was right.
i up graded last year from a brake drum forge, to almost exactly like your card board display. it is hard to tell what was a better move the new anvil, or the new forge. i know the new forge changed everything for the good.so much more simpler than struggling with the brake drum set up. great idea on the fire brick exstender. i will be purchaseing some tommorrow .thanks for the videos. cheers... chris
Thanks - No doubt about it. It is a time tested design
Any tips for the brake drum forge? I was planning on making one this weekend/soon.
if you have a welder , and the ability to make one as in the vid . i would highly recomend that. if not my biggest issues , were 1, no clinker breaker,2 too small of air in let and 3 the sides of the brake drumms were straight up . as in 90 deg. so it seemed that the fire burned wierd. i think they need to be at least 20 to 30 degrees of angle. fix those three issues and a brake drum forge would be ok.
I don't have any problem with using a brake drum as part of the set up. The point I was trying make was that I don't agree that a brake drum makes a good forge on it's own. They are limited and you will out grow it very fast. As Chris mentioned earlier I would really give some thought as to weather your time and energy might be better spend on a more time tested approach. Let me know if you need any more help.
thank you. this is useful
Clear explanatiunz.. Thk Yu!
I've been forging for over a year using a brake drum forge, I've both forge welded with it and made a 4 lb hammer with it. while I agree (and am making changes to account for this soon) that it isn't as deep as it should be, I've done quite a lot with it
I don't really have a problem with using a brake drum as part of a forge. They really do act as a good base for a firepot and really simplify the build. This video is just providing guidelines for how full sized forges are set up. If you are not having a problem don't worry about it.
DF - In The Shop no I get it I like your videos, just was saying that I have forge welded with one is all. thanks for making these videos!
Thank you very helpful
All of the forging men are PRESENT OF GOD. .
I Think "FORGING MEN ARE PRESENT OF GOD FOR THE WHOLE PEOPLE ON THE WORLD. So ,thank you GOD.
Great video. How does this firepot size relate to a charcoal forge? We often find coke hard to come buy so use a lot of charcoal, both in a hand crank blower forge
Charcoal fires are totally different than coal fires. With charcoal you need a lot of fuel. Not because coal is hotter but because charcoal burns up so quickly so you need to have a lot of charcoal piled up to get the same intensity for same amount of work. The best way to do that is to use fire bricks or a cashable refractory to build two walls on each side of the fire. Like the traditional Japanese swoardsmiths. That way you can have a very. deep fire without wasting a lot of fuel. So with charcoal the firepot is just an air supply not something that contains the fire.
Very informative! I’ve watched a lot of these tutorials and yours was by far the best. Really enjoyed it thank you and keep up the great work.