The forge is a disc brake, set into a steel table with some plumbing underneath so I can blow air through the fire. The blower is one of these bouncy castle blower things, cheap and effective. I am using charcoal at the moment, allthough real coal is probably better.
A quick video of the roaring fire:
And now I just have to decide what the heck I am going to make. I have no clear idea to be honest. First I will probably make some forging tools, like a few punches, a hardy, maybe some tongs. We'll see where this new adventure is leading me.
The first few things I made, a square and a round punch and two nail like things.
Kees, that is a super-smart design, far better than most drum forges (and way better than my first). Having the table to hold extra charcoal that you can gradually sweep in makes a big difference. And you have very large diameter air inlet, also very smart.
ReplyDeleteTwo things you might want to try. First, a more cone-shaped pile of charcoal. Yours is set up like a coal fire, but charcoal needs a taller pile of fuel. Second, it looks and sounds to me like you could turn down the air flow (if you have a valve; if not, you can make one easily). Charcoal doesn't need as much air as coal, and too much air = colder fire.
I can't tell, are you using briquets or hardwood lump charcoal?
Anyway, good luck and have fun--it's addictive!
Yes it's seriously fun. There is still plenty of things to learn, and your comments are a very good start. I use charcoal, not briquets. And I can regulate the airflow with an old rheostat. But maybe I'll add a valve too, or open the ash port a bit, because the fire needs very little.
ReplyDeleteBTW, your blog was the first time I read about drumbrake forges. So, thanks for that!