Building a Forge

In The DIY Blacksmithing Book, we talked about a very simple way to build a coal forge.

It involves just 5 components:

• A metal basin to hold the coal - old grill, stainless steel sink, brake drum, lawn mower deck, etc.
• A grate to keep the coal from falling into the piping that will act as your tuyere or blower.
• Piping to direct the airflow from your blower.
• A blower - the classic DIY hack is to use a hair dryer. Leaf blowers provide too much force to be truly effective. Exhaust fans with variable speeds can work well.
• Coal. Bituminous over anthracite, charcoal, or wood. Charcoal and wood can work if you don't have easy access to coal (buy coal here), but they burn much faster. 

In this video, I'll talk about the ins and outs of building forges both gas and coal. 

Considerations when building gas forges:

1. Your welding ability. Can you weld a tight box or cylinder to hold the heat in.
2. Insulation - Do you have access to ceramic blanket/kao wool and fire brick.
3. Compressed gas - Are you comfortable enough with pressurized gas to risk potential injury?

Considerations when building a coal forge:

1. Do you have access to coal in your area? If you don't, there are places to buy good blacksmithing coke online. Pieh Tool Co. is one. Centaur Forge is another. 
2. Is a coal forge a good fit for where you life? Will your neighbors mind? 
3. Are you prepared for some trial and error while you get good at lighting and maintaining a coal fire? This is an additional set of skills that you will need to effectively forge with coal.