Forges - Fire... Simple (materials lying around) to High tech (not exactly bushcrafty;) )

Discussion in 'Bushcraft' started by Bear, Mar 30, 2015.


  1. Bear

    Bear Monkey+++ Founding Member Iron Monkey

    Aloha Monkeys,

    I really did not want to derail @Yard Dart excellent post on "What is Important" with a ton of discussions on forges...

    So I thought I would start another here... where we could talk about forges of all kinds... from primitive simple.... to way high tech....

    (cause you know... I love forging... and what "Monkey" doesn't love, respect and want to master all forms of "fire"... it's sort of a primal thing... remember... our early ancestors... homo erectus the first to probably master fire some 400,000 years ago... was the turning point for our mastery of our environment and the earth - for better or worse ;) )

    So here you go @HK_User , @kellory . @Witch Doctor 01 and others....

    Let's talk FIRE.... and how we master it's use and control... safely!

    I'll be back later... with some pics and other deep thoughts and not so deep thoughts...

    Looking forward to learning from you guys and sharing what little knowledge my gggggggggggggggggggggreat grandfathers and mothers - homo erectus have passed on to my little old fart failing brain ;)

    Have a great Monday!

    Take Care and God Bless,

    Bear

    th.
     
    Hanzo, Tully Mars, Motomom34 and 2 others like this.
  2. AxesAreBetter

    AxesAreBetter Monkey+++

    I'll start. I have tried a lot of different forges, all of them running charcoal or coal. Hand crank blowers, have tried to get a bellows that would work a few times, but could never get the dimensions right. The only one I have managed to get any real work in is a late 19th century model that used to belong to the village blacksmith an acquaintance of mine has been kind enough to let me use. I have a portable forge I am trying to get reclayed to the proper dimensions and geometry, but apparently my specs where wrong. Again. I have used holes in the ground, in a side blast configuration, but that failed because my blower was a P.O.S.!!!! I have since been gifted an antique blower, several anvils running the gambit from rail road tie to 70ish pound single horns. I have tried break drum forges, but ours were made from a "dually" drum off a truck, and could only work about 3" on a hard slant into the fire.

    Currently trying to figure out what to do about it in my spare time. Really wanting to get into some serious forging. I have a lot of blades that I want to try out, and a certain quality of tool that costs way too much to have each one of them made. Haha. Hard knowing exactly what you NEED out of something, and being unable to make it.
     
    Motomom34 likes this.
  3. AxesAreBetter

    AxesAreBetter Monkey+++

    Also, I like the flaming monkey. Haha.
     
    Tully Mars likes this.
  4. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Yes, it is a great pic. I would also invite @Tully Mars , as he is also a very skilled metal worker.;)

    At the present time, I'm doing nearly everything by oxy acetylene torch, and a railroad rail anvil. Truck tools, and truck mounted vice. As I do not have a working shop or garage, I am somewhat limited in what I CAN do. I have shaping posts for helmets and armor work, gauntlets, and I have been known to burn out and form a stump to the right shape, and use that to peen out what is needed.
     
    Tully Mars likes this.
  5. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    The best I can do at this time is a charcoal fire in an open fire pit. BUT I did manage to save a long distance trip once by using that fire pit to reshape a set of bolt on removeable teeth on a tractor operated post hole digger. I hit rocks and was dead in the dirt since I was by myself. Being alone meant that if the post hole digger bit decided to take a side trip to KC then it would. Of course it did this every time I tried to drill.

    Still had a bit of day light so I pulled fence. Come dark I had rounded up and old blower from a car heater and rigged the tractor battery as a power source. It was cold so I already had the fire pit going. Removed the teeth and turned them bright red, beat them back into shape on the back of the 1/4 " deck of the Bush Hog. I let the teeth cool naturally so they would bend again and not break. I finished that week ends work and tripped on back to home some 6 hours later. Had tools to hold and beat the steel just needed the fire and the blower to finish.

    Grew up around metal work and forge work, horses horse shoes and making horse trailers the old fashioned way. Meaning Acetylene cutting torch, hammer and Acetylene welding of the sheet metal with an old GE/model T ford arc welder.

    HK
     
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2015
    Tully Mars and kellory like this.
  6. Witch Doctor 01

    Witch Doctor 01 Mojo Maker

    I have used an ammo can propane forge... and a brake drum forge... nothing like the annealing ovens I had in the welding shop in the AF... I have used a leaf blower and a old hair dryer on a vacuum cleaner extension tube I have a few trinkets two knives and a spoon I've tried to make... I have some other items that I could use... a 25 ton press, side grinders, wheel grinders, oxy acetylene rig a cracker box welder and several anvils and a one leg vice... some day I will get enough time to learn how to use them better....
     
    Tully Mars and kellory like this.
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