Free forge for me

[Otto]

Here are a couple pics of a little round forge stand I got for free!
It's obviously missing a few bits... appears to have had a manually operated bellows/blower of some sort... I'm going to have to do a bit of research to see what I'm missing and do a bit of reconditioning.

[redrook]

Very cool!!
http://www.iforgeiron.com/ is a great resource.

[Armadillo]

Hello,

It's always nice to dig up nice old freebies. You will find plenty of photos and links if you search for a "lever forge"

You are missing the wood lever that pivots on the outboard arm and connects to the geared quadrant via the hanging link. The quadrant drives the small belt pulley which should be linked to the missing blower. The tuyere/clinker breaker is also missing. This was probably integral with the original blower.

-Adair

[Armadillo]

Here is a restored example.

[Amanda M]

You can get a hand cranked blower like a Buffalo or a Champion but you can also rig something up simply with like a bathroom fan or hairdryer and still get hot enough temps to forge weld. That's a coal forge, the blower pushes air through the bottom. Keep in mind you need a grate of some kind in between to catch the clinkers so they don't clog it up. Nice find I wish I could score something like that myself. I have been researching blacksmithing and knife making so I can start making my own stuff. The blowers can be expensive but I actually found one on craigslist locally to me. If you're on Facebook there is a group called blacksmithing enthusiasts that is really awesome.

[Patrick]

Isabella, if you are not allergic to propane for a forge, you can build one for under $30. Look online for the Son of the Two Brick Forge. I can make knives with blades up to about 7" long with mine. The torch I use to power it is a Mag Torch, which is about $13 on Amazon. Two soft fire bricks and about an hour to shape the chamber and you are ready to heat.

I'm working on a much bigger forge, which will cost a total of around $100. However, starting with the micro forge has been great. Low fuel consumption, small space, very portable, and I can make a startling range of cool stuff.

The issue for me is finding a decent anvil. The railroad track is getting really limiting. And freight for an anvil up to Alaska is prohibitive.

I live in a neighborhood where coal would be unwelcome, but if I had a chance to score a forge for free, I would take it, too.

-Patrick

[losthelm]

The fire box can do ok for small items with charcoal.
Building a shoebox sized sheetmetal rectangle gives you enough depth for bar and blade work.
A second piece of metal over the box will let you get enough heat for welding fairly quick.

It ends up being fairly close to a Japanese style forge.

With the parts missing you maybe able to fashion something a that will work from common parts or sheet metal.
The blower itself may be a little tricky but with materials and tools available you can fab something together.
I have a copy of shop drawing somewhere of a wooden box blower that may help though iforgeiron may have a more elegant solution.

[Amanda M]

I am just waiting to move out of the duplex we are in to build a forge. I was going to make a charcoal forge out of an old BBQ since they are easy as hell to find and cheap or even free. I haven't found a good anvil or rr track piece yet but I am keeping my eyes open. I have read a ton in the mean time.