$100 Charcoal Forge...Why didn't I do this sooner?

[@ddayinvader6487]

I am 18 and I built my forge similar to this one, but the best advice I received was to stop planing and just get out there and build the dang thing. I spent weeks researching and got caught up in that. Then a friend told me to shut up and build.

[@hectornonayurbusiness2631]

Watch out for that paralysis by over Analysis

[@jeffcaruso8949]

Yo im 14 and doing the same thing, any tips?

[@lukewarmwater6412]

I thought I needed fire brick and all kinds of other fancy fluff. I was wrong. I ended up with a 1/8" steel cone and an air mattress blower powered by d cell batteries. it isnt a big forge, but it is fine for making knives and small things. it was quick to build and cheap, as the scrap I used came to me free of charge and the matress was on its way to the trash..... as I said, it isnt a large forge. about 10-12" across 2" deep so not as large as the one he is making here, cant make a sword or a plowshare, but fine for small knives and trinkets. it was a fun start and I encourage everyone to try even if you fail, its better than sittin around watching the boob tube!!

[@52rhflight56]

@@jeffcaruso8949 Take some time to learn about forge and hot metal safety before building a forge. Take a lesson from Cohoes, NY where a 51 year old bladesmith tried to imitate the Forged in Fire show. His diy forge burned down 3 city blocks and placed the city under a state of emergency. "There are two kinds of smiths: those who have been burned and those who have yet to be burned."

[@patmiddleton3947]

Jeff Caruso yes,always have plenty of water on hand and expect burned fingertips.Remember that hot steel doesn’t always Look hot.Also,some sort of extraction device will help to keep your lungs clean.But get started,its great fun!

[@Redpitdog]

I love cheap human ingenuity. Thanks for posting and your time

[@kriegdeathrider7805]

Best forge for a beginner is a hole in the ground and it's free

[@Adventure_fuel]

Soviet solider just did that yesterday

[@air_]

@@Adventure_fuel you got a leaf blower or a hair dryer for that

[@Seagull780]

That requires a large enough amount of ground though.

[@anubispup4760]

@@Seagull780 Live on a tiny island do ya? You could build a wooden box filled with dirt for the same effect.

[@Seagull780]

@@anubispup4760 No it's far worse, I live in this horrid place they call a city

[@aleksandarhaber]

Over time, as technology develops more and more, people will lose the ability to make things with their own hands. This video is important since it preserves basic human knowledge of creating a metal tool. This knowledge has been developing for at least 6-7 thousand years.

[@jimjimson6208]

Ah yes the basic human knowledge of plugging an electric hair dryer into your forge...

[@FighteroftheNightman]

No one is going to forget how to heat up metal. This isn't rocket science lol

[@samueltheweber]

No wonder all the perlite is flying off the shelves at Lowe’s nowadays, bored men are watching videos like yours and making forges. I might make one myself :D

[@MrThenarsky]

I built my propane forge out of a big soup can and plaster of Paris mixed 1:1 with sand. I made my burner out of some black pipe, an adapter, and some fittings. Works awesome!

[@RelentlessHomesteading]

Simple and cheap - I like both of those things. Thanks. A couple years ago I got a 'accidentally' picked up a discarded BBQ at the dump. I say accidental because our dump, does not let anyone pick up anything - they'd rather put in the landfill than have you use it. Anyway its a rectangular grill one with a nice v groove across the bottom -- I gotta get on that project. Already have all the blacksmith gear from a Craigslist purchase a few years back - including a nice 70 lb. anvil. There is a lot of material out there that could be used for sure !!

[@adursteinbadler841]

You are My Hero, i will start with Blacksmithing too. Greetings from Germany

[@ponyboi197]

Cut one side of the lid off and line it with refractory and then you can use it hold in the heat.

[@CT-uz3bf]

Four years late but: Wait wait, like a half lid that sits on top at all times? That’s pretty smart. Probably a stupid question, but if I was planning to build something like this would I want to score the metal first before applying the refractory? Or will it just stick.

[@joehaney5482]

Very cool little forge! I recently bought large forge block on craigslist. Now I can build me a forge & get my new hoby going. Thanks

[@eddyoddrod]

It's cool that you made all those tools on that tiny little anvil. Well done!

[@topminator2991]

@MizuDev he's complimenting the fact that he worked with that underdimensioned anvil

[@thomasselby3912]

I like to use an air mattress blower in place of the hair dryer. I think it uses less electricity since it doesn't have heat coils

[@JustinTopp]

Thomas Selby a lot of hair dryers have a cool setting

[@somewhitedude01]

That's what im gonna use too!

[@TheTwistedPixel]

I'm thinking about a blower that came with some inflatable yard toy for my grands. I could make the fan speed adjustable with a potentiometer and possibly some sort of crude gate to control the volume of air being fed to the fire (unless y'all think it might take as much air as i can add to it)? TIA

[@thebrianbrawdyshow9033]

I so enjoy the info and the comedic way you present it! ALL the best!

[@williamtate6268]

You only waited a few weeks? I’ve been wanting to do this for years! Good for you and simple nice 👍 forge! Thanks for your video.

[@TheDarkSkorpion]

@David Parks Just a tip in case you do ever weld or smith galvanized, (which isn't recommended, but sometimes you have to, or do by accident), as soon as you start to feel off, chug milk...not soy or almond milk, just chug whole fat cow milk and a lot of it! I don't know why that helps, but it does! When I first started welding, I was practicing and an older fella walked by, noticed I was welding galvanized, and brought me a quart of milk just in case. I didn't know, either.

[@CT-uz3bf]

I think this is the video I needed. This is genuine proof that I don’t need all the bricks, the welding, etc etc to make an okay forge. I might make one like this now. However, I’m struggling to come up with a way to do the blower differently. I’ve seen other videos that use a T-joint to have an ash-catcher and an airflow. Wondering how to do this here🤔

[@iwantcheesypuffs]

If using a hair dryer for forced air, be sure to use a clamp the COLD button permanently down with hose clamp. If not, it will overheat and shut off for quite a while till it cools down. You CAN use galvanized pipe, if you use vinegar or similar process to remove the galvanization first. Very nice design, except for the legs. I'd add angle iron legs to the base for stability, and reuse a couple lawn mower wheels if you want it mobile.

[@mmix224]

I would replace/reinforce those steel tube legs with square tube welding stock. I picked up 3 ft for around $6 for some other blacksmithing purposes from Lowe's/Home Depot

[@FargoFX]

mmix224 That’s a good idea. I’ve thought about reinforcing the legs, but I’m hoping to build a propane forge soon anyway.

[@garethbaus5471]

I made a forge from a frying pan once. It was a bit too shallow, but wasn't completely unusable.

[@einarvolsung2202]

I throughly enjoyed your video. It was cool to see someone build something useful on a budget. I will do something more heavy duty. thank you.

[@dovahcarrot9347]

yep..... mine was free, i build a small fire in a rock pit, wait for the wood to turn to coals, put a metal bar above the fire ( balanced on each side of the rock pit ). and thn i cover it with green logs and a bit of dry wood ( for more coals ). After that i apply a shit ton of air and it works like a charm NOTE: i DO chop my own wood, so it is free, and i acquired all of my materials from my job ( and a scrapyard )

[@FargoFX]

Hey, thanks for the comment! Your description sounds a little bit like a backyard Forge I built for a recent video, actually yours sounds better built than mine. Anyway, I think my next Forge will be propane, that is if I ever find the time to build one. Lol. Thanks again! Cheers!

[@dovahcarrot9347]

Nice! ive always wanted a propane forge (although it would cost more). Keep doing what your doing, i like your videos. P.S. I also forgot to say that your forge is superior to mine ( other than it being smaller ) But being smaller is much better, allowing it to get so hot in such a small time span (my forge usually takes about 30 min for the coals to build up).

[@thisolddog2259]

Good point on not using galvy! It releases zink fumes. As far as refactory cement you can do it super cheap by using equal parts of of play sand and plaster of Paris. I used an old briquette starter (the kind you use newspaper with) i took out the screen and drilled a hole in the side of it i think it was 2" dia. Then i took a piece of 3" abs and drilled a 2" hole in it the same distance from the end to match the hole location on the briquette starter. Then i centered the abs in the starter and ran a piece of pipe through side of both of them to create the induction chamber. Then i mixed up a slurry of the 1:1 play sand and plaster of Paris and pored it around abs filling it all the way to the top. Before it was all the way set up i removed the two pipes and let it set for a few day's. The expensive part was the ventruri burner which i ran into the hole in the side. The burner i purchased from amazon and i think it was like 80 bucks. It's beginning to crack but it's been about 3 years.

[@cemkahraman8010]

You sir are a personification of inspiration

[@CarolinaChrisOutdoors]

Sweet! I made a forge and an anvil a couple of months ago on my channel. Each time I use them, I have to "tweak" or modify something! I'm just learning about all of this stuff, too. Sure wish I would've started earlier!!!!!!

[@FargoFX]

Carolina Chris Outdoors , I hear you, friend. Once I realized it was this easy I thought back on years of dreaming and wondered why on earth I didn't do this sooner.

[@scottsanderson8855]

Carolina Chris Outdoors something i want to get into. Thanks for sharing the little stuff its nice to see how people get started on the cheep

[@AmericanPiddler]

Carolina Chris Outdoors I'll have to stop by and check that out!

[@hellogoodbye1748]

I’m planning on building a charcoal forge soon. I’m 18 and plan on building a simple brick one in my backyard. With luck it’ll work well with a hairdryer as an airflow source. Should allow me to start forging for real!

[@blacksteel2434]

From experience if you want a good beginner forge get a propane 1burner MrVolcano forge they are $75 but it you want to do coal get a steel 55 gallon barrel and cut and door out of it and set it upright and putt somewhat of a chimminy on it you want you keep the fumes away from you especially if using anthracite coal (i switched to coal because it is cheaper gets hotter and is not loud) now for the blower get a Dayton 1TDP3 blower it is much better than a hairdryer but if you have to use a handcrank blower get a Zomax 25 or 35 handcrank blower dont get a cheaper one i tried them and they dont work vary well. Now for the coal i use Anthracite coal from tsc because that is all i can get but if you can get some bituminous coal it will work better or if you want to you can just use charcoal it it more expensive through and i recommend making it yourself. I hope i have helped

[@rantingfatman4555]

Glad I saw this when I did. I have a charcoal grill I was about to throw in with the recycling.

[@MrDawg-dx6wt]

Idk how i ended up here. But i LOVE your commentary and editing

[@MrJamesjustin]

Mate that is excellent. I have been trying to work out how to get started but the cost has been prohibitive. I'm broke and renting. Your forge idea is perfect. Your anvil setup looks like the go too. Thanks for a great video.

[@junior1138]

Awesome vid and exactly what I’ve been looking for. Need to get on to this!

[@ArcanePath360]

Glad I stumbled across this. Not seen anything else about the warnings. Always good to do thorough research before doing potentially dangerous stuff with fire. I have a BBQ which has a lid and the temp reading goes up to 370c and I've had the dial maxed out on it, just burning wood inside with all the vents open and front loading panel on a windy day. I was wondering if that was hot enough to use as a forge

[@wc4201]

Bro, you inspired me. I’m doing it this weekend! Thanks for the info!

[@michaelchitwood389]

Wheelbarrow! Thank ye, Sir...you have just inspired my forge design!

[@scottecooke]

Hope you don't mind but I am gonna copy that. I pretty much did the same thing but dug a hole in the ground and had the pipe blow air in there. I heat treated my first knife that way and this would be so much easier once set up. Also I want to learn to do a few basic black smithing tasks. Like making nails and fire steels. Maybe then I will want to do more but I am morely looking to HT basic high carbon steel blades.

[@FargoFX]

scottecooke awesome! Make sure your forge is stable…mine's a bit sketchy, but I work with it. I'm getting more into knife making now, really enjoying it… Are you planning to post videos of your stuff?

[@scottecooke]

I would love to do videos in the future. I wouldn't do them under my current profile. But if I do I will let you know. I have been wanting to do a channel for years but never seem to commit. I will eventually it will be a channel about my hobbies. So some knife making, maybe making fire steels, fire lighting, camping/bushcraft, chess and whatever else I enjoy at the time.

[@TheLordSamoht]

Went to HFT last night. That anvil is $25 usd today. They do offer a larger one for $75, which is nice.

[@simplegameplay3004]

I am 11 and I use clay bricks instead of a grill. The clay bricks can hold quite a lot of heat, I like using briquettes but charcoal works fine too.

[@illithid8640]

11 Christ

[@simplegameplay3004]

@@illithid8640 what?

[@thelongawaition7158]

These videos really are helping me

[@blackgriffinxx]

Made one in the ground. It more like a blast furnace than forge. I need to make mark 2 to fix the few problems it has . fuel input and air control mostly It fire the dirt around and in the hole to a nice orange color . killed the grass over 6 inch from the hole . After 5 minute of running melts glass~ and brass . I think it max out at 2000 - 1800F on just wood

[@patmiddleton3947]

blackgriffinxx Sounds great!Keep at it.👍

[@robertparnell3577]

Seen someone using one of those big green egg grills and it looked pretty slick

[@thecraftsman105]

thx for the heads up about not useing a galvanized pipe

[@Demon_Pilot_GT]

Building my own forge at the moment thanks for the mix inside the grill I was leaving that out

[@andrewasher6618]

I built mine using cinder block and dirt and fire stone it works out pretty good

[@Rickmitchell1983]

Just watched your video... I have a home forge as well just starting out. However I went with a brake drum forge

[@stephentimoney6951]

Simple, straightforward, great idea👍 thanks for posting

[@shadowknight244]

Have my own grill forge but been having trouble with air flow thanks for the tips!

[@JustinTopp]

I’m building a big coal forge from an air tank and refractory cement was $60 a bucket and I wanted to save some money so I’m going the diy way. I’m using perlite 7$ for two bags Portland cement 12$ for one 92 lb bag of it and sand 1$ for a bag. It makes enough refractory for like 10 of my forges I’m going to have extra. And finally I got 6 hard fire bricks for 20$ for a total price of 40$ total. The fire bricks are unnecessary I just wanted to use them for a bit better insulation. I still need a cart for the forge as it has to be able to be moved and it’s going to weigh probably around 100 lbs or more when it’s done. It also has a chimney that will hopefully work or at least help with exhaust. When it’s done I am probably going to start uploading yt videos of forging. And I’m also possibly getting a large anvil. I can’t wait. Also any videos planned?

[@Case2_0]

I’m trying to get started on a proper forge, but I got lucky with what my grandfather kept from my great grandfather. I have his anvil (I’m looking at grabbing the other one too) and a crank forge blower (one of 8, no idea why he had so many). The problem I’m running into is that the crank blower is far too heavy to fit onto the normal starter forge tutorials.

[@wesjordan1908]

I have a nice piece of real road track for an anvil I don't have a cutting torch yet so I don't have a horn on the end. But I used a brake drum to build a small forge this looks like a significant step up from that. Might hit the scrap hard soon and see what I can find.

[@patmiddleton3947]

Wes Jordan There are vids on U tube of guys making railroad anvils with just a disk grinder and cutting disks.Go well!

[@snelgrave101]

Nice set up mate, although I would trace round the anvil and chisel out a recess for it to sit in so the feet are flush with the top of the wood then strap it down (maybe with some flattened rebar) 👍

[@jonny555ive]

Cool little starter forge buddy. First time here and I like what I see,. You sir have a new subscriber 👍👍

[@davidwood1923]

Great Tips for Beginners... Thanks for Sharing

[@jmbstudio6873]

That is going to use a lot of fuel. You can use an old brake drum, or rotor for a smaller one and you dont need refractory material. I would fill some (about 2/3) of those air holes, you dont need that many unless you are forging ocean liner anchors. ;o) You want your air a bit more concentrated in the middle of your forge. The homemade recipes arent the best.. Call Kelley Cupples, he has everything you need. Coal is the best fuel. You can also mix green wood chips in with dried fire wood and your fuel will last longer. You can also use a bread pan and a hand crank blower for a smaller portable forge. Raise your anvil so the top of the anvil is knuckle height. The main thing is to just do it and make one, and you have done that. Congrats. I built a coal forge and found out that you cant get coal in Cali. I built a propane forge with fire bricks from Lowes (rated 3000F) and some 1/4" angle to hold the bricks together. I built my own burners that can be used naturally aspirated or with forced induction. Forging metal cleanses the soul. Forge On!!!

[@CraftedFractal]

Epic! Thanks for the walkthrough!

[@rexisodd]

Wish I had a full how to video to make the forge

[@simplegameplay3004]

You could dig 2 holes one for the coal and stuff the other for the blow dryer. Then you could make a connection between the holes, and then the hair dryer feeds air into the other hole. If you do it like that you don’t have to buy aluminum sheet to protect the hair dryer.

[@ninehundreddollarluxuryyac5958]

So easy to get started, thanks!

[@kennethcaine3402]

Good job, I think you're video will help a lot of people like myself thanks.

[@cliffmounts7878]

Hey it works and that's what matters! Nice Job.

[@patmiddleton3947]

Thats a great start.I can see that it’s not very stable though.Some sand or stones in the legs would help,and some diagonal cross bracing to stop the whole thing falling over.

[@jamal69jackson77]

Very nice, creative forge! Great video!

[@vincentbianco583]

Just found this video I built almost the exact same one! I use a shop vac exhaust for air feed

[@fishingwithjeff5073]

iv been thinking about doing this for a while iv got a mini carol grill and i can find everything for scrap metal to play around with and its just hard to do in a aprt building

[@georgerusu8423]

hello ...... very interesting construction and I guess it is quite efficient .... as a small question but very important ... did you manage to weld something with it? forge welding is proof of high temperature .... thanks ...

[@leonas3840]

Very good build , I like it

[@Dreammeditaterepeat]

This man is a genius.

[@mountaindewdude76]

That's pretty clever! Nice job!

[@1miltond]

Thanks man I all way like to make mi own tools and this one is one that I looking forward to do thanks

[@sterlingfordham7534]

Love it; thanks for the design

[@752brickie]

Gret idea. Do you get a pretty decent fire time with briquets?

[@FargoFX]

My forge can beat up your forge.

[@michaelfoye1135]

FargoFX How do you keep your air intake from being filled with clinker and blocked off? Most forges have a metal grate which helps to keep the clinker from clogging the air. You are probably using more fuel than necessary if the air intake is clogged.

[@aidenb3069]

No, cuz i don't have one.

[@DrengrMike]

Michael Foye there is no clinker in a charcoal forge

[@therustedshank9995]

I like pizza

[@iowafarmhandonajohndeere5902]

FargoFX my forge is a old metal barrel and a blow dryer the same as yours and I use wood not charcoal

[@docgalt2801]

Thank you for sharing this!

[@kennethkustren9381]

Awesome job.... HUGE VALUE IN EQUITABLE CAPITOL INVESTMENT !!

[@derpelmo3170]

I'm definitely gonna do this

[@johnryan4104]

Great info just what I needed to get going Thanks it's a fab video one you should be able to good for making it what goes round comes round so good life for you nice one. 😊🙏♋

[@danmitchell3758]

I'm a newbie. Enjoyed the video, Thanks for posting

[@Slaughterhauzen]

I really like this. But I would want to have something similar to the scrap-metal thingy you welded, and I have no idea how I could do it without having access to a welder

[@tristanmyers897]

Do you have the ability/tools to drill holes in metal or get metal with holes already in it? Cause nuts and bolts are cheap

[@stevenscott2136]

How about stacking fire bricks into a house-like setup -- seems like it would accomplish the same purpose. Or cast the refractory concrete into a suitable shape using a plywood mold.

[@TrojanHorse1959]

Great design, thanks for sharing!

[@ironmonkey1512]

HF cart would work, also try to get blower out of junk dryer

[@tonywalker8030]

I REALLY like the hammer, see if you can put a bigger rebar at the end, instead of folding it over.

[@wh9212]

You can also use kat litter for heat resistant

[@lowlaynsten1]

You could cut a window in the lid of the grill and pack it with refractory material and simply put it on when you want it really hot

[@kaitlinsinchak420]

“It was Walmart” why is that too funny to me 😭🤣🤣

[@geoffallert1921]

Good design mate. However if you want to save your back, try raising it by 8 inches. I Australia that would be 200 millimeters. Have a good one.

[@diggles27]

These hair dryers are capable of running for long periods of time without overheating?

[@paulorchard7960]

All very primitive, but it works on a basic level! Providing an interest will produce more to take up the craft and keep alive the craft of blacksmithing! As you stated, try it and if it works invest in better gear and keep learning! With the utube encyclopedia to guide you what could possibly go wrong! Well done, keep encouraging budding smiths and humanity may yet survive!!!

[@MidnightMarrow]

Could lock that anvil down better with some lags and load the base bit of wood with a cheap little block of lead. Though ideally you'd get a 75+ pound anvil if not a big piece of Rail Road track.

[@ChristopherRo190]

Could I substitute the refractory cement for some sand and bricks? I heard they are both quite heat/fire proof

[@aldenunion]

$15 for the anvil? I thought they were $59.....I bought a old time stainless steel Beer keg to cut in half length wise,one side has the hole in it already. Have Asphundi barrell chipper blades from old tree chipper for plating for inside chamber. Then made a table out of pipes to weld it on.. I have an Atlas knife forge,but Machete typed blades are to hard to heat evenly.. Reason making coal as well..

[@Anuwabu]

So does the air pipe in the bottom start to glow too with the coals resting right on top of it? And if so how do you stop the constant heat transfer creeping down the length of it from reaching the hairdryer?

[@normalcitizen_1]

With a lonh enough steel pipe then the heat wont rech the blowdryer, and also he has a secondary aluminium pipe to conect the two so heat transfering aint no problem

[@ronbird121]

my blacky uses something like yours for festivals, with a kick blower

[@harryland6730]

How did you make that custom hammer that has a rebar handle

[@stevenlassiter5576]

thanks for the idea

[@julianlegostaev9174]

If you can answer fast that would be great, but what recipe did you use for your refractory? (To make the insulation in the grill.)

[@joeltham1979]

Pure genius. 🏆

[@liamobrien9451]

Can the pipe be in contact with the coals? And if so, how does it not heat up just as much as the steel you are forging

[@felipeolivares6277]

Exelent question is all about degrees RIGHT? So it 'd be nice if this dud would know,gogle,it may be.?

[@The_Nailsmith]

Question, on average how long does it take to heat up let’s say 1/2 inch thick piece of steel

[@purnkamyog3889]

Very good idea thanks

[@traceybradford9375]

Would nut coal from tractor supply work in a build like this?

[@richardadams5888]

This is great because I have access to the same kind of refractory material at Commercial cost

[@reneemills-mistretta790]

Shorts & sandals, safety apparel.

[@moogily1]

I like this video and appreciate you making it