Author Topic: Old Forge - New to me (Read 15709 times)

Curtis · « **on:** April 03, 2012, 06:12:36 AM »

I went to an auction Saturday that had several forges listed as well as many other blacksmithing tools. If I wasn't saving my $ for gun building class in Bowling Green this summer I could have walked away with all kinds of treasures. As well as the forges there were seven old blacksmithing pedestal vices, trip hammers, several nice anvils and you name it.

Here are some pics of the forge. It is in great shape, the mechanisms are all free and function well. The drive belt, wind guard and wooden pump handle are missing. I figured I will make a belt from leather for it, but would like suggestions from anyone with experience with one of these. I am also curious if I need to line the forge with clay or something.

Curtis

David R. Pennington · « **Reply #1 on:** April 03, 2012, 07:39:26 PM »

Very similar to the one I use although yours looks in better shape than mine. The belt can be made up out of leather strap. I cut mine to length and splice together with homemade soft wire staples put in from the back side and peened over with the belt on the wheel. The lever was typically wood and should be easily replaced. You might have to do a little trial and error on getting the linkage spaced right. This is what a lot of folks call a rivet forge. My uncle used one before WWII heating rivets on construction jobs in the days before arc welding made heating rivets obsolete. A lot of these type outfits were sold through the catalogue retailers in the 19th. century as part of "complete blacksmith outfits". These are excellent size for forging small items like gun parts. My pot is a little cramped for doing big heats and large forge welds. I want to eventually build me a brick forge and bellows. Use the best coal you can find and enjoy!

Curtis · « **Reply #2 on:** April 03, 2012, 07:59:16 PM »

Thanks for the information, David. How tight should the belt be, pretty snug? I am also curious how wide you made your belt. Did you line your forge with anything?

I hope to use mine for making gun parts and related items, maybe even a knife or two.

I found a forge just like this one listed in the 1897 Sears catalog.
http://books.google.com/books?id=pavHOWOWKEEC&pg=PA78&lpg=PA78&dq=sears+blacksmithing+catalog&source=bl&ots=Sv5U3NQ_t2&sig=wDpcdeNnlrda6C7mxBkdg2au3G8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=lSp7T9HAEITWsgLV0_X-Ag&ved=0CHgQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=sears%20blacksmithing%20catalog&f=false

Curtis

alyce-james · « **Reply #3 on:** April 03, 2012, 08:57:48 PM »

Curtis; I had the same style forge for over twenty (20) years. I lined the bowl with a mixture of local sand and clay. Worked great. AJ

Tony Clark · « **Reply #4 on:** April 03, 2012, 11:56:21 PM »

Thats a nice looking little forge a good find. How much you give for it? You don't have to line it with anything at all that is totally unnecessary. When your using it you should have plenty of coal in a small forge like that the fire is only directly over the tuyere the pan does not get that hot in reality. Just don't use water to put your fire out.

David Rase · « **Reply #5 on:** April 03, 2012, 11:59:21 PM »

If the forge is made from sheet steel I would line it. If it is cast iron it should be ok. I have been using a cast iron riviters forge for years without any lining.
Dave

okieboy · « **Reply #6 on:** April 04, 2012, 02:47:10 AM »

Although you don't have to line it, lining would at least bring the bottom up even with the tuyere. My Champion riveting forge (which is rectangular, not round) has "CLAY LINE BEFORE USE" cast right into the pan. A good cheap readily available clay is 100% clay kitty litter.

jimtucker2 · « **Reply #7 on:** April 04, 2012, 04:48:05 AM »

Your forge looks plenty sturdy, but you will want a sheet metal wind blocker at the rear (bolt to the two holes in the pan),
and you will need to make a cover for the ash dump...it needs to swivel open for dumping the ash and clinker from the
fire. Since good coal is hard to find in some areas, you can use chaarcoal.....much cleaner, no smoke, and no carbon for your
knife blades. you want to use lump (not briquet) charcoal, and be caareful of the sparks that it throws....lotsa holes in your
shirt! Also, make sure that the teeth and pawl in the ratchet in the drive wheel are clean....it if slips, you can hurt your arm.
There is a good website at ABANA.org.....you should find lots of good info there. Good Luck, Jim Enloe

T.C.Albert · « **Reply #8 on:** April 04, 2012, 04:50:22 AM »

its just what I use too...you will need the belt, the bellows arm, and like Jim said the plate to baffel or close the ash vent or all the air will blow out and not up through the grate...at least mine works better closed up some.

I actually just stuff mine with insulation rather than replace the cover since the
attachment bolt was broken off in the hole, which is how I suppose the cover got lost too?
tc

B.Habermehl · « **Reply #9 on:** April 04, 2012, 05:04:38 AM »

If it were mine I would line it with clay from the nearest creek bank. As you learn to manage a coke fire you can change the "duck's nest" around the tuyerre to help shape the fire the way you need it. Besy of luck and learning. BJH

Ian Pratt · « **Reply #10 on:** April 04, 2012, 05:20:00 AM »

Lining it a bit is a good idea if your shop or blacksmithing shed is unheated and you live someplace where winters are cold, I have seen a couple unlined cast forge pans which cracked when somebody fired them up on really cold days. The liner also does a lot to retain heat which makes for more efficient use of your coal.
Clay will work, but I have found it best to mix our clay with fine wood ash, seems to make it less susceptible to cracking and definitely makes it easier to knock it apart when it comes time to reline the pan.

Curtis · « **Reply #11 on:** April 04, 2012, 05:47:36 AM »

Lots of good information, guys. The forge pan is definitely cast iron, but I will take the advice and line it with some clay mixture. At the very least, okieboy's point on bringing the bottom up even with the tuyere makes a lot of sense to me. I have been checking out the ABANA.org link and there is lots of good stuff there for sure!

The bolt for the ash dump cover is present, I haven't tried to remove it yet bit have it soaking with penetrating oil. I have some heavy gauge sheet metal on hand and will make a windscreen and an ash dump cover for it. I ams still looking for some advice on how tight the leather belt might need to be if someone has input for me.

Anybody have any thought if the paint is original, or just an older paint job?

Thanks,
Curtis

Curtis · « **Reply #12 on:** April 04, 2012, 06:20:56 AM »

Tony, I forgot to reply to your question in the last post. My winning bid was $110 for the forge. All the other forges at the auction sold for less, but they were either way to large or needed more repairs than this one. I had been looking at one in far worse shape at an antique shop that was selling for $300. I am glad I decided not to buy it!

Curtis

Bill of the 45th · « **Reply #13 on:** April 04, 2012, 07:07:08 AM »

Curtis, I have the same forge, I'll measure the belt i made for it, and get the dimensions on the handle also. The belt just needs to be snug, friction does the drive if the parts are lubed. I replaced the handle on mine, with a stick of ash, but I've seen a couple done with a post hole handle. Lot more work with the pump handle, than the crank. Have a friend that hooked up an old Kelvinator one lung washing machine motor to drive the blower. Cha puck-a Cha puck-a all day long. Works great. I'll shoot some pic's tomorrow if you like. Need to get it ready for this year anyway.

Bill

Curtis · « **Reply #14 on:** April 04, 2012, 03:04:42 PM »

Bill of the 45th, it would be fantastic if you could do that!

Curtis

omark · « **Reply #15 on:** April 04, 2012, 03:41:55 PM »

just have the belt tight enough that it doesnt slip. doesnt need to be any tighter and just adds to wear. mark

Bill of the 45th · « **Reply #16 on:** April 05, 2012, 12:57:31 AM »

Here's some pics, and measurements

Handle is 36" long by 1 1/4" wide by 2" tall

Link is 1 1/2" from end, and the pivot point is 10 1/4" from the end.

Belt measures about 1" by 54". Mine has streched and I'm going to shorten by 1/2"
It also needs some mink or bear oil

Did yours have a Tuyer, I didn't see one. Just dug it out from under the lean too.
Seems the chipmunks have used the blower for storing Beech nuts.
I also need to apply some BLO to the handle and get some new clay, and oil
and grease everything up, now that the snow is gone.

Good luck getting her going.

Bill

alyce-james · « **Reply #17 on:** April 05, 2012, 01:12:24 AM »

Chris; I used a wood handle out of an old (5) five foot shovel cut to the length that worked for me. AJ

marcusb · « **Reply #18 on:** April 05, 2012, 01:48:29 AM »

I have missed out on several of the pump type forges at auctions, always someone who wants it a little bit more. I have the crank blower myself, there less maintenance but there somthing about that lever and flywheel thats just more enjoyable. Enjoy the forge!

jimtucker2 · « **Reply #19 on:** April 05, 2012, 05:18:55 AM »

I had another thought after my post of yesterday.....when I made my "windscreen" I used a piece of about 1/16th inch
thick sheet about a foot wide. I cut it to length (metal blade in a sabre saw works good) and bent it round so that it fit
just inside of the forge pan walls. I cut a couple of tabs and bent them to fit over the pan walls. I left an opening
that was probably 1/4 of the forge pan diameter....this was enough to work small pieces in the fire. The extra height
let me pile up the fuel (coal/coke) against the sheet metal and was much easier to manage the fire. When you build
a fire on top of a flat surface, you can easily tear up your nice hot center coals when you pur a piece in or out of the
fire. I used the forge for demonstrating at engine shows, and took it to a couple of hammer-ins. Hope this is helpful.
Jim Enloe

Curtis · « **Reply #20 on:** April 05, 2012, 03:08:17 PM »

Bill - thanks for the pics and measurements, it will help me tremendously when I start putting it in working order. And yes, the tuyere is present, looks to be original.

Jimtucker2- the sheet metal I have is also about 1/16" and I will try to start with your suggestions when I make the windscreen. It sounds like your windscreen covers more circumference than toe original probably did, I will probably make mine a similar size as yours.

Thanks again to everyone else that has made suggestions. There is an exposed bank of natural clay in a small area of the creek that runs in front of my property that I will try to utilize when line the pan. I will try the clay-wood ash mix and see how that works for me.

Curtis

Robby · « **Reply #21 on:** April 05, 2012, 04:18:38 PM »

Here's my Buffalo Forge. Its lined with fire brick and refractory cement. In the winter I haul it inside, hook the hood to a vent and cast my lead balls, works great! Now, if only I could find a swadge block.

Robby

blunderbuss · « **Reply #22 on:** April 05, 2012, 11:01:35 PM »

I have one of these spittin' immage I also have a page from a Sears catalog 1909 has this forge for $15.00

timM · « **Reply #23 on:** April 06, 2012, 05:12:39 AM »

Robby, Blunderbuss,

I've the same forge, mine came to me new in the original packing crate........no more. Forge on. tim

ottawa · « **Reply #24 on:** April 06, 2012, 05:20:55 PM »

I made my belt out of a small tie down strap from the doller store and a 2x2 for the handle shaved down at the grip about $2.50 for the parts .has worked well for 8 years

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Author Topic: Old Forge - New to me (Read 15709 times)

Tony Clark

jimtucker2

omark

jimtucker2

blunderbuss

timM

ottawa