Author Topic: First Fire, New Forge (Read 8855 times)

David R. Pennington · « **on:** June 06, 2017, 04:23:58 AM »

First fire in new forge. Test fired with temporary air source, (dollar store hair dryer). I think I have a winner. Hope to have the great bellows restored soon to replace the hair dryer.

Joe Schell · « **Reply #1 on:** June 06, 2017, 10:21:13 AM »

Thats a really nice forge ,David. I'd like to build one like that one day.

Curt Lyles · « **Reply #2 on:** June 06, 2017, 01:39:33 PM »

Dave that is a nice Forge did you lay that up yourself

David R. Pennington · « **Reply #3 on:** June 06, 2017, 02:02:14 PM »

Thanks, I did lay it up. Don't zoom in too close, I don't claim to be a brick mason. Champion 'whirlwind blast' tuyre I picked up a while back. I aimed to put up a pipe flue but when I looked at the cost of solid fuel vent I changed my mind. I got the brick free. They were new unused about 40 years old. The flue tile aren't that expensive. Most of the cost is in cement, mortar and ibuprofen.

oldtravler61 · « **Reply #4 on:** June 06, 2017, 02:57:06 PM »

Dave lookin good. Wondered wear my brick to my house went.
LOL. You gave me an idea for my left overs. Thanks! Mike

Shovelbuck · « **Reply #5 on:** June 07, 2017, 04:40:07 AM »

That's really nice!!!!!!

KentSmith · « **Reply #6 on:** June 07, 2017, 04:15:11 PM »

That's a lot of brick. Very nice looking forge.

David R. Pennington · « **Reply #7 on:** June 07, 2017, 07:35:58 PM »

I hauled 1,040 bricks and had about a wheelbarrow load left over.

KC · « **Reply #8 on:** June 07, 2017, 08:04:04 PM »

I like that a lot. Nice work.

Robert Wolfe · « **Reply #9 on:** June 07, 2017, 08:57:49 PM »

Very nice. Now I have a bad case of have forge-envy.

Buffaload · « **Reply #10 on:** June 10, 2017, 06:07:42 PM »

That is unique Brick,
What are the holes for, asthetic or are they for drainage? Those appear to be solid bricks.
Beautiful forge by the way.
Thanks,
Ed

David R. Pennington · « **Reply #11 on:** June 11, 2017, 03:22:31 AM »

The bricks were new left over from about 40 years ago. They were new brick supposed to represent used brick. They had what looked like different color paint slopped randomly over them. It was a style back in the 70's. One of my relatives used to call them hen house bricks, he said they looked like they had been lying around in a chicken coop. I didn't like the hen house look so I laid them backwards, face side in. They are hollow, except for the ones around perimeter of the hearth. I found enough solid ones for that. Firebrick inside and around firebox. I assume the holes in the red brick had something to do with the manufacturing process. The best part about the bricks was the price, free.
I concreted in a 6x6 post for the post vise this evening. Restoring the antique bellows and post drill are next.

BOB HILL · « **Reply #12 on:** June 12, 2017, 03:43:26 PM »

Nice looking forge you have there. Thanks for sharing it....... Bob

heelerau · « **Reply #13 on:** June 15, 2017, 02:10:51 AM »

David, I see the rest of your shop on I Forge Iron, that is a really nice setup you have made, the first fire is always a buzz, looks like it draws fine. Are you putting in a big old double action bellows? Looking forward to seeing what you make in there !!

Cheers

Gordon

David R. Pennington · « **Reply #14 on:** June 16, 2017, 01:34:56 PM »

Thanks for the comments. I really got to try it out some with the temporary blow drier and I believe it will be fine. Working before with small rivet forges I struggled to get welding heats. Welding heat with this nice deep pot is no problem. I worked on some heavy 1 1/4" square stock forging a bracket for a post vise and had no trouble getting good heats on the heavy stock. Wish I had a striker to swing the sledge on these kind of projects though.
Gordon, I have the big bellows awaiting time for me to work on restoring it.

David R. Pennington · « **Reply #15 on:** June 23, 2017, 05:42:37 AM »

Hapiness is ..., a sooty forge at the end of the day!

Cades Cove Fiddler · « **Reply #16 on:** August 05, 2017, 09:58:49 PM »

... Great looking forge .... back about 30+ years ago when my father retired, he wanted to do some "hobby" blacksmithing ... So we built a forge on his farm ..... plenty of limestone rock here in Tennessee, so that's what we used ....had a very large Champion or Buffalo blower and a large tuyre to turn out clinkers ....... He went wild at farm auctions buying up tools ... had 5 anvils at one time, plus a portable buffalo forge, an extra large blower on a stand two post vices and about a hundred sets of tongs and hammers, plus anvil tools ......Most was sold after his death ....I only kept a 120 lb and the 350 lb anvils .... Now, I'm retired and wish I had it all back ... !!!! ... Happy to see your shop... Thanx ....!!!

David R. Pennington · « **Reply #17 on:** August 07, 2017, 02:44:33 AM »

Slowly coming together, my friend who is going to help me restore the bellows had a heart cath and stints last week. Running with hair dryer temporarily. Current project is restoring an old post drill. It was pretty rough and shaft seized but is about 75% done. I fired up the other day to cast some round balls.

rich pierce · « **Reply #18 on:** August 07, 2017, 09:15:09 PM »

Do you take boarders?

David R. Pennington · « **Reply #19 on:** August 11, 2017, 04:27:05 AM »

The shop coming together a piece at a time. Post drill is on the wall. When I bought this thing it was lying in the mud under a shed. It was frozen and I kept baptizing it with penetrating oil for months. Finally had to put a little heat on it. Had to braze up a couple cracks on the hollow shaft on top and do a lot of cleaning, but I think it will work.

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Author Topic: First Fire, New Forge (Read 8855 times)