How to build a brake drum forge...

[Reverend Redmond Farrier]

I have tinkered with smithing in the past.  My first forge was a brakedrum with a hairdryer for an air supply. (Actually, the air supply the first time I lit it was a bit of pipe and my lungs  )  I burnt natural charcoal in it.  I later built a gasser out of a disposable freon tank using plans found on Anvilfire.com  I expected building the burner would be a difficult task, but it was quite simple to follow the plans I found and required only basic tools. (just a drill and a couple of metal drill bits if my memory serves me correctly)  The most difficult part of the whole build was cutting the holes in the tank.  Even using fancy firewool lining and firebrick I spent just $80 or so on the build.  The most expensive part was the propane regulator.  I think it cost about $40 or so.

Rev. R. Farrier

[Mr Oughton]

Hi guys, firstly, I realise this is a bit of an old thread, so sorry to bring it up again.

But one option you can look at is using a gas forge made from one or two refractory bricks (the soft kind, as they are easy to carve). All you need is one or two different drill bit sizes and a gas bottle and burner (I even used a dessert spoon to scrape out the forge cavity). Though obviously, there are limitations to the size of the piece you can work on.

Regards.

[condor]

I am planning on makeing one of these myself and i spoke with a person who works in the farming museum at chipoaks state park about this type of forge. he suggested using an adjustable speed blowdryer instead of a bellows. also, iif you are using coal and the smoke is yellow, get away. that yellow smoke is extremely high in sulfur and if inhaled can cause sulfuric asid to pool in your lungs.

[Uncle Arthur]

For air any squirrel cage blower with an adjustable flap to restrict intake will provide excellent amounts of air. My first forge used an old wheel from a chopper wagon and a furnace blower. Small but I learned to forge weld in it. Since I have acquired a lovely old Buffalo Forge forge and blower from an old stove factory over on the Eastern side of the state (Wisconsin). It isn't rocket science just simple logic.

[Professor J. Cogsworthy]

For air any squirrel cage blower with an adjustable flap to restrict intake will provide excellent amounts of air.

Like this one? The motor I bought for my lathe had a blower attached to it.

I have to remove the pedals and replace them with handles and tighten up
the chain a little. Then make a connector to get the air flow into the forge.
Ther is a little more work done than I have photos for... I added a brace
the wooden pulley. I might have to replace that pulley with a larger one
if I do not get enough air flow. I think I get around 30 revolutions of the fan
cage for one turn of the pedal/crank... ( do not remember exactly )

Getting back to this one is almost to the top of my backlog of projects....

http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r295/ConalOhAirt/Forge%20blower%20project/






I have an electric fan on it now but it is so picky I have to fiddle with it so
much it gets annoying.... I might try to work out a way to attach both the
electric blower and the hand cranked so I can pick and choice. For welding
temps I might need the electric blower..... I'll have to actually get this finished
to find out how good a job it does.... lol

[Uncle Arthur]

That should work beautifully. If you can find  a copy of the  reprint of Practical Blacksmithing  there are several home brewed blowers in it from the turn of the last century. If you don't care to spend the money for the actual book it is also available on line at Internet Archive free.
Here.                   http://archive.org/search.php?query=Practical%20blacksmithing%20AND%20mediatype%3Atexts

[Professor J. Cogsworthy]

I pulled it out tonight and tightened the chain and took the pedals off.....

I need to get some bolts to go in their place and make some new handles for the crank.....

The outlet opening is 14 inches around I need to make something to go from rectangular to
round and get some kind of a hose to connect it to the forge....

[Uncle Arthur]

I have used exhaust flex tubing in the past for connecting to the forge. On my newest I just rolled up some scrap HVAC tin I had laying around and used Aluminum duct tape to seal it.

[blackdaga]

Cool thread! Brought me to sign up for this forum! I plan on building a nicely built brake srum forge and will take all collective experience here into serious consideration! I will look hard for non-galvanized steel, and fyi I plan to start with knives, then move on to swords if I feel a hankerin' the design will be a mixture of Indonesian, Malaysian, and Filipino. I hope to incorporate woodworking as well as leatherworking into the mix, and a strong temper for all blades. Thanks again!