Charcoal Forge - Building a blacksmith's forge - HNB #9

[@HacknBuild]

It's been a while since this video was posted! Since the time I made this forge, I joined the local blacksmiths' association. Watching videos on KZbin is great, but I'd highly recommend checking up to see if there is one in your area. Ours has monthly meetings, demos and gear swaps. It's a great way to learn! This forge was raffled off by my club and one of our members is now using it in his shop.

[@er8719]

Great video like the use of all the scrap material

[@HacknBuild]

It's nice to be able to use stuff instead of throwing it away. Since I built a new forge, I donated this forge to our local smiths' association where it was raffled off and taken home by a smith who is going to put it to good use.

[@VIDEOEPPO]

I was lured to make what you made for its design was simple and sleek. But your end message made me rethink and start looking at what I have and build something based on my necessities. Thanks for inspiring

[@HacknBuild]

That's what it's all about! Thanks for watching, cheers!

[@tango-bravo]

Great work putting this together. Hammer looked way to heavy for what you were doing! I’d say a 16-20 oz hammer would be the max for a small cast iron anvil like that. Thanks for sharing! 🔨 🔥

[@HacknBuild]

Great observation! It was WAY too heavy. Switched over to 1KG cross pein hammer which is perfect. I still use that big hammer for drawing out large pieces of steel though. Thanks for watching, cheers!

[@shaneroper477]

Yes....lots of hammer swinging haha. Your arm looked like it had enough at the end there. Nice job on the forge!

[@HacknBuild]

Oh yeah, I was so tired. My poor technique didn't help either. I can forge with a smaller hammer for a whole day now and not get too worn out. Thanks for watching, cheers!

[@jonmelson2125]

@@HacknBuild i don't think you mention insulating the metal of the forge itself. Did you do anything to shield the bottom from the heat of the coal? If so, would you give details about that section?

[@HacknBuild]

@@jonmelson2125 No, it's just steel plate.

[@ricardomatanane3087]

Lol... I was just looking at a rim that I used for a lil work table to hold my vise, and I have been looking at different forges on you tube I was like hmmm...wonder if a rim would work saw 2 brake rotor forges and your video comes up lol... yes you can like your rim forge will be trying your rim forge thanks!😁👍

[@HacknBuild]

Yes it will! Have fun building your forge.

[@richardsilva-spokane3436]

Excellent presentation and great information and planning 👍👍👍👍👍

[@bob3274]

Just found your channel. I love the content!

[@HacknBuild]

Welcome to the channel, glad you're enjoying the content!

[@vestcoasttrashgnome8565]

Great that you use ear protection, but poor legs that's gotta hurt, welding in shorts, you do you. Good stuff.

[@HacknBuild]

You wouldn't believe what I wear when I am not on camera :-D

[@kristenstoner5887]

I was confused he made such a large fire pot but used a baby anvil XD

[@HacknBuild]

Lol, that anvil is horrible. After that little bit of forging the top of the anvil looked like the surface of the moon. I've since switched over to 75lb block of mild steel. I think that's going to work well for the time being. Thanks for watching, cheers!

[@raccoonmash5705]

did a great job buddy. have one fairly similar to it. i would definitely recommend some refractory cement if your setup is more stationary

[@HacknBuild]

Thanks bud. Maybe I could work that into my next design. Thanks for watching, cheers!

[@jason00121]

The old propane bottles are neat idea.

[@HacknBuild]

They come in handy, thanks for watching!

[@antheaxe7340]

ther is something calld a dirt forge if you cant don´t hav a welder or can´t weld you can make one just as easy just search dirt forge and you should an would be able to fins how to mke one

[@kenlane6655]

I made a similar one, using pipework and an ash can below. Blower comes in from the side. Then made a flat bed from cut inch x 1/8 strips within the rim and made the firepot seperately. With lugs welded to the fire pot and receivers on the base, I can use different sized fire pots for different projects, simply by twisting and dropping in a clearance bolt. Some of the pots have slots or holes to rest steel in. Additionally, I used an electric hairdryer attached to the air input, added a speed controller to the line, for control of the dryer speed. Happy forging! PS as a pro welder, I'm curious as to why you kept changing rods during the build. I used 6013 3/32 all the way with no problem. An auto darkening hood and controlled use of spot welding is your friend on thin metal. Cheers!!

[@HacknBuild]

Most likely switching rods because they were being used up or getting uncomfortable to hold. It got the job done.

[@DWmaniac4n6]

Looks great

[@HacknBuild]

Thank you!

[@stanleykeith6969]

Go to a Junk yard or auto recycler. When the metal you are working on loses its glow put it back into the fire and heat it up some more, kept it Hot !

[@HacknBuild]

I didn't know much about running a forge when I posted this video but since then I've joined the local blacksmith association and picked up a lot of knowledge from the other smiths. Thanks for watching, cheers!

[@blipblip88]

Seems like you could use an old Weber grill too

[@HacknBuild]

That would definitely work. The steel on one of those grills is pretty thin, so it might not last very long. The steel on the wheel is a little thicker. One thing that you need to consider when designing a forge is thermal mass. You want materials that are going to hold onto the heat. Thanks for watching, cheers!

[@Jkauppa]

how about rust powder to iron with coal? maybe make it hotter by making it more like a rocket stove? single use carbonized material rocket stove forge?

[@HacknBuild]

The forge worked OK, but I've already built a new one...been busy with other stuff though so haven't gotten around to doing much smithing on it. Thanks for watching, cheers!

[@glenkelley6048]

How do those short pants do while welding?

[@HacknBuild]

Great. Keeps me nice and cool when working outside in the heat. You might have to deal with a bit of slag or a spark hitting your skin from time to time though :-D Thanks for watching, cheers!

[@narcisosalas1180]

Very informative and inspiring actually,thank you for making it easy👍🏽

[@HacknBuild]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching, cheers!

[@narcisosalas1180]

I’ve been tinkering with the idea of getting into forging for awhile,but the task seemed extremely daunting,thanks to your video I think it’ll be easier.thank you again

[@HacknBuild]

​@@narcisosalas1180 Agree, it's really not that hard to get started - though I have started making a 2nd forge. One thing I would suggest is getting a speed control for the blower because it burned way to fast the way I had it set up. I "upgraded" to a small block (5"x7"x10" or so) of mild steel for my anvil. It get's job done. Good luck getting your shop set up!

[@creativecompulsion7681]

Awesome project

[@leetpg]

Hey mate did you have any issues with the lava rocks exploding?

[@HacknBuild]

No, they do melt though.

[@rileycoish6774]

When u first started welding it didnt work cause the paint grind before you weld

[@HacknBuild]

I definitely did a bit if pre-grinding, though it may not have been all that thorough.

[@matkolendler3235]

Hi, do you know how thick is that metal of the car wheel, btw great build :)

[@HacknBuild]

Maybe about 1/8" thick?

[@amneziaxeaster-gaming382]

I'm subcribing and commenting as you can see

[@HacknBuild]

Welcome to the channel and enjoy the videos!

[@amneziaxeaster-gaming382]

Hack 'n Build Oh yes I will enjoy it!

[@HarmonHeat]

Likewise

[@HHPodcastDriver]

very efektiv

[@j.w.m.rhynejr9766]

Good info! Thanks for sharing!

[@HacknBuild]

Glad you found it helpful, thanks for watching!

[@bearclawweaponbanman1141]

What coal do you use

[@HacknBuild]

Charcoal. I have some bituminous coal but I haven't used it in the forge yet.

[@lindseyzacek5211]

Forge might need some tinkering but I think it's beautiful looks very nice

[@HacknBuild]

It does need some tinkering! I've started building another one. First video is up, hope to have the 2nd one done soon. Thanks for watching, cheers.

[@paulmerritt7540]

He’s right!

[@firemanjim324]

You can tell he's not used to heavy manual labor . He swings hammer a few times then rests , and repeats..... I think I can hear him panting....🤷‍♂️😁 PSA before cutting into cylinders like that , you should fill with water first to purge any remnant gasses..... Or you could go BOOM..... Just buy some steel tube from your local scrap yard.... It's cheap.....

[@HacknBuild]

That was the first blacksmithing I'd ever done. The 5lb sledge is a lot of hammer for a small piece of steel like that, but it really has more to do with poor technique. I've done quite a bit of blacksmithing since then. Using proper techniques, I can swing a 1KG hammer all day long.

[@firemanjim324]

@@HacknBuild proper technique is key to everything in life....😁 I'm gonna adapt your forge design and make one out of a big truck rotor. Gathered up the pipe and rotor last night after your video. Tonight I'm gonna cut up the pipe to make the air supply tube.... This is really the perfect size to make knives and such. I want to make a bigger forge out of a big stainless steel sink. Going to be a charcoal forge too. This one is first though due to I won't have to spend any money....😁😁 Keep up the great videos....

[@HacknBuild]

@@firemanjim324 Thanks bud, good luck with your build!

[@funonthefarm9601]

Try Scratch your welder like a match

[@HacknBuild]

Good point, thanks for watching!

[@joshuawise6518]

like the vice what kind is it?

[@HacknBuild]

It's called a Gyro vice. Pretty sure the company that made them is defunct, but you may be able to find one at a flea market.

[@flhusa1]

LEFTY'S ARE ALWAYS INVENTIVE

[@HacknBuild]

Because we always have to find work-arounds for righties doing stuff backwards :-D

[@ianmeadows5937]

No their not. They rely to much on their lesbian arts degree

[@fishmut]

Ian Meadows ...lol oh please run along get some more of mummy’s breast milk lol ya wimp

[@kainjunk]

That is a HUGE firepot to use, you will be burning through fuel REALLY fast with that setup. A better idea is a brake rotor set into a metal table of some form. Because you will be angling the piece you are working down you will not get a good heat. You can cut some slots in the sides to put your piece across and bury it in the hot coal to help a bit. Also the grate has huge holes which may let too much air in which might hurt your ability to control the fire (it will get too hot) which could melt your work and will use up more fuel. Also make doubly sure the bolts (and any metal for that matter) you use are NOT zinc plated. Heating up zinc and inhaling the fumes will kill you. And with the propane bottles, cool idea for their use, however if there is propane in them it is safer to fill it with water to displace the propane before grinding on it and potentially having a bit of the gas light up. I personally would do so anyways as I am very partial to having all my limbs and not being on fire.

[@HacknBuild]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've been able to work around the size of the fire pot by using some lava rocks built up around the sides. It still burns a bit fast for, the next step for me is to get some firebrick to see if I can get a bit more performance out of it. Once I have a better idea what I am doing, I plan on building a new forge. Cheers!

[@Deepwaterjew]

Yeah I found out about too much air the hard way, that fire was raging made, I had no idea as to what I was doing. Put a spike in it came back after some alone time with the porcelain throne, grab the head of the spike and that's all that was left lmao. Built and adjustable restrictor plate and now I have 100% control of the fire.

[@HacknBuild]

That's how we learn. Sometimes it's best just to get started and learn from what doesn't work.

[@getoverit4887]

While true zinc is toxic when burned, after the first burn or 2 the zinc will have burned off and a small amount like a couple of bolts isn't going to have an effect on you. Especially working outaide.

[@jason00121]

Easy, fill the wheel with damp sand, cinders, ash, coal, or cement. Coal won’t burn without air, so keep it damp and it will create a refractory of sorts. Break rotors are about half the depth you want for a good fire.

[@MrJamesjustin]

Great stuff mate.

[@HacknBuild]

Thanks buddy. I started making a new forge based on what I learned with this one. You might be interested in watching that one too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6eYfKZ5pNRjnKc.

[@jaymemendonca6075]

Excellent!!

[@lamproknives]

That propane bottle wasn't empty of gaz when you cut it, you took a high risk here

[@HacknBuild]

It was completely empty since I pulled out the check valve before cutting it. There's a clip on how to do that in the video. Thanks for watching, cheers!

[@lamproknives]

@@HacknBuild well no it wasn't. Because since the atmospheric pressure is 1bar, there is still enough gaz in the bottle to apply a pressure of 1 bar inside the bottle. Since nothkng pushes it out, it stays in. Opening the vavle isn't enough, you must blow air in the "empty" bottle or fill it with water to force the rest of the gaz to get out

[@Dannyuh7]

Are you really going on about residue? The only risk there was using the tool itself.

[@lamproknives]

@@Dannyuh7 what do you mean ? An angle grinder isn't dangerous if you know how to use it. What would you use to cut this thing instead ?

[@Dannyuh7]

@@lamproknives my point is that the angle grinder itself is more dangerous than the gas in the bottle at this point.

[@williamdougherty3836]

Great video, rinse out your propane tanks with water, explosion hazard!!!

[@HacknBuild]

Not really an issue since I already removed the check valve and let the tank air out. LPG is a gas at room temperature so washing it out wouldn't remove any explosives, but at least the tank would be nice and clean on the inside :) Thanks for watching, cheers.

[@msdarkstar44]

You’re right. It’s the sparks that ignites the gases. Adding water, better yet, soapy water allows the gases to dissipate from the container. Any remaining gases are dissolved in water. Chemistry 101.

[@johnanderson4749]

This could also be a video of how to ruin your metal drill bits....

[@HacknBuild]

🤣🤣🤣

[@JRDavis-he1jk]

Lol