Old Blacksmith Forge

Paper Maker · January 05, 2012, 02:33:32 PM

I thought I would show some pics of a old forge I'm restoring. Someone gave it to my dad several years ago and its been on my mind to fix it up for some time now. When I first got started I had no idea just how bad of a shape it was in. Allot of the cast iron was rusted away and the gears were rusted up as well. One of the gears had a keystock sheered off but before it sheered, it had wallowed the kewway out. And to make matters worse it wasn't a square keystock. I've never seen a 1/16" x 1/8" keystock before, so I had to make one with a file were it would also fit tight in the worn shaft. As for the pot itself, around the hole was so rotten I had to cut it out bigger just to get solid iron. I found a old cast iron International Harvester bearing housing to put in its place. If you didn't know any better you would think it belonged there. All things considered It turned out fairly well. It may fly all to pieces when I put a fire in it though. We'll see.

If anyone has any idea how old it is I would love to know. I've found pics of them them on the net but no information. Marcus

Al_Smith · January 05, 2012, 03:34:10 PM

It'll probabley be okay .Hard to say how old it is or who made it .Buffalo forge made a lot of them though .

Homemade forges were often made from a large truck cast iron front brake drum using some type blower .

You can use about anything for the fire wood ,coal .charcoal ,coke .If however you want to forge weld it has to be pretty clean meaning charcoal or coke .

My dad used to burn stoker coal into coke by starting a fire then smothering the air to it and letting it burn maybe 3-4 hours .It got plenty hot in the forge once you layed the air to it .

JV · January 05, 2012, 06:19:36 PM

Looks like a farriers pan from Champion Blower & Forge. Probably 1920's-30's, not sure. Good little forges as they don't take a lot of space and are easy to move. Champion was in business from 1875 to 1986. You can find reprints of their catalogs online if you dig. Good luck.

JV · January 05, 2012, 06:39:30 PM

I forgot. You might want to line it with a mixture of clay, water, and sand or fine chopped straw. Work the mixture to modelling clay texture or a little thinner and spread it in the pan. Let dry and build a light fire to harden. The ash grate for the center can be made with plate steel and drilled with several small holes. The clay will help prevent burning out the pan.

Ironwood · January 05, 2012, 06:59:41 PM

That is what is known as a "rivet forge", used on site for making hot rivets for structural iron "back in the day". At least that is what they are called regionally here in western Pa.

Have FUN, I love the smell of a coal forge.

Ironwood

lynches lumber · January 05, 2012, 07:03:53 PM

Lucas Macain had one. He just turned his over and burnt his ropes to save his son. ;D

Paper Maker · January 05, 2012, 09:26:16 PM

Quote from: JV on January 05, 2012, 06:39:30 PM
I forgot. You might want to line it with a mixture of clay, water, and sand or fine chopped straw. Work the mixture to modelling clay texture or a little thinner and spread it in the pan. Let dry and build a light fire to harden. The ash grate for the center can be made with plate steel and drilled with several small holes. The clay will help prevent burning out the pan.

When my dad had all his blacksmith equipment set up he had it lined with clay. He has long since taken it all down and stored it in his shop. Whenever I get over my neck surgery I'm going to drag it all out and set it up here at the house. I think I would enjoy playing around with it. Never know I might find another hobby as if I dont have enough to do as it is. Thanks for all the info. Marcus

zopi · January 05, 2012, 09:53:40 PM

Made early last century....probably a champion....buffalo forge blowers were shaped a bit different if I remember right.

Paper Maker · January 05, 2012, 10:13:15 PM

The blower is a Campion and I assume the pan is also. I was hoping it was made in late 1800's rather than 1920's or 30's but it's still a piece of history. Thanks

WildDog · January 06, 2012, 03:32:08 AM

Nice forge, I have a Rapalo small forge similar. Like Ironwood said rivet forge or shoeing forge. My Tuyere burn't out and I picked up a new caste one from off Ebay from the US.

Bibbyman · January 06, 2012, 04:13:54 AM

We had one around the farm when I was a kid. We never used it and when in my early teens took the blower off and put a can lid over the hole and used it for a BBQ grill. I took the tub off an old wringer washer and used it for a lid. Folks thought it kind of quirky at fist but then started letting me BBQ about once a week. They stepped up to supply roast beef and I'd set it in a pan above the grill and put the tub over and let it slow cook. I used a little flat rock to regulate the vent out the top – the hole that was occupied by the agitator shaft when it was a washing machine.

Hard to tell how many thousands of dollars worth of now antiques went that way!

Al_Smith · January 06, 2012, 07:30:09 AM

Blacksmithing has became almost a lost art . For those interested there is a site called anvil fire which I find has about the most info on the net .

Some of those old iron pounders had tricks up their sleeve that many have never heard of .The neatest one which I learned as a teen ager was case hardening mild teel using brown sugar .

Pretty simple you heat the piece up to cherry red then toss it in a can full of brown sugar which will of course set it on fire .Let it cool out then run it back up to orange which is 1400 degrees and toss it in a bucket full of oil .

What it's done is suck the carbon from the sugar .Sugar being chemically C6H12O6 . The process is not exacting but it does work .

Magicman · January 06, 2012, 08:07:41 AM

Sulfur was also used in Blacksmithing, but I do not remember the reason. Maybe forge welding?

Chris Burchfield · January 06, 2012, 08:35:27 AM

Nice fined Paper Maker. I found one about the same in a ditch. I restored it for my father-in-law. He taught both my sons the farrier craft. Lining the hub with clay is good practice. I built my first forge out of a 55 gallon drum lining the inside with clay/sand mix. The mix is a good insulator to protect the hub from heat. I used a railroad ribbon seat and drilled 3/8" holes in it to allow air to pass from a hand crank bellows. I also use borax for my forge welding. Have fun, it make for a worthy hobby.

Magicman · January 06, 2012, 09:00:17 AM

Thanks Chris, borax was used for forge welding. Some of these blacksmithing screws have not turned in my head for well over 50 years.

Now I am going to have to drag out my Grandfather's old blacksmith stuff. Anvel, vice, bellows, forge, hammers, etc. It would be really neat to set all of that stuff up again.

Al_Smith · January 06, 2012, 10:00:39 AM

There's a couple ways to forge weld .One is use borax another is dry sand .Pop both pieces to about orange then dunk the ends in whatever flux .Then take it clear up to white and lay the hammer to it .The hammer drives about another 400 degrees to it .Don't play with ,keep that hammer moving .

I think I can still do but I know it's been over 30 years since .

Al_Smith · January 06, 2012, 10:19:26 AM

:D I just had to add this talking about a lost art .

Suters which makes inexpensive ready to assemble furniture also has "Suters village " which is something like Greenfield Village near Detroit only smaller .Old timey stuff ,neat .

They had a depiction of a blacksmith shop ,forge ,anvils ,line shaft driven lathes etc .A couple of young guys who worked there were in their "act " looking over what appeared to be a huge set of wrought door hinges that looked like they came from a medevil castle .

I eyeballed what would seem to the casual observer as the filigree , forged and formed by hand . I knew wasn't cut with a chisel .So I asked one of them how they did it .In very low voice came the answer --plasma cutter .I winked and went about my tour .

pineywoods · January 06, 2012, 10:38:48 AM

Hey Magic, do I foresee a timber frame blacksmith building out at the farm?

Paper Maker · January 06, 2012, 11:06:39 AM

I'm almost through with the trusses for a lean to on my shop. All I have left to do on them are the brackets that hold the 2x6's. My dad and I made a press using the wood splitter and mocorange as a forming block. You know that mocorange is some tough stuff. If I ever get the lean to up thats where I'm going to set up the blacksmith equipment.
Off the subject a little bit. I've got a 6" pipe cemented in the ground running up the side of the shop for my heaters smoke pipe. It's at the back end of the shop, so I can go ahead and put up the first 36' of lean to. Recon how I can seal around the pipe when I get to it. It gets mighty hot where it will come through the tin. I may just have to build a big umbrella and stick in the pipe. ;D Only thing I can think of is to get someone that does duct work to try and make something water tight and that can stand the heat.
Just thought of something else. Might could also set the blacksmith equipment up right there and put a hood over the forge to let heat and smoke out from under the lean to. Just a quick thought. Probably not worth the hassel.

Al_Smith · January 06, 2012, 12:15:17 PM

On that hood deal there was a guy not to far from where I live that had the largest forge works I've ever seen .It must have been 5 feet square and fired with petrolium coke from a local oil refinery .Power blower

The whole mess was under a canopy with a hood and projecting through the roof of same a vent .It worked great ,the fumes just went up and out neat as a pin .

This guy was an artisan blacksmith and had one of the only over 300 pound anvils I ever saw plus power drop hammers and a ton of hardy hole tools .Well maybe not a ton but a lot of them .