"Backyard Blacksmithing" pounding iron on the forge this evening!

I’m new to forging. I just built a wood fired forge from a wash tub with a hole in the bottom and 2” angle to distribute the air. I lined it with perlite on the bottom for insulation, and 2” of local clay. I fired that layer then added an inch layer of a combination of furnace cement, clay, wood ash and perlite, in a “V” shape, then fired it. I’m using a dryer vent as a tuyere and built a “red neck” ash door clean out on the side of the dryer vent. I have a 110v Intex pool inflator I’m for using for forced air. I mounted everything on an old farm cart.

It actually works!



I lucked upon an old (1860-1880) Peter Wright 104 (116lbs) anvil and have it set up on a stout ash log.

I’ll be taking an intro blacksmithing class in a week in Berkeley Springs. In the mean time I’m making a fire poker for the forge and I’m expecting some quick tongs from Kens Iron Works that I’ll put together next week.

I also found a hand crank forge blower on Facebook Marketplace and it should be here tomorrow.

I hope to make hardware like hinges and door latches for the chicken coops we’re building and selling.

 

Yes, I burned off the galvanized wash tub outdoors and away from anyone prior to using it as a forge.

 

Nice Brian. Jump on in.

Yeah, watch the zinc fumes. What are you going to use for fuel?


Keep us posted on how it goes.

 

Firewood!! (Cut and split small, like I use in my mini wood stove. Plus I’ll strain all the charcoal out of my wood stove ashes - it makes a lot - and our shop wood stove ashes to supplement the wood.)

 

Nice work and I bet it will be fun to take blacksmithing class.. Also,, Glad your feeling better.

 

Thanks! Between an “acute gangrenous gallbladder” in September then acute congestive heart failure October and November, then a pacemaker surgery in December, I’ve been through the wringer the last five months. But I’m doing much much better since I got the pacemaker.

Though I have to stay away from welding machines, big electric motors and anything else with a strong magnet, even iPhone 12s (!) because it can affect it.

 

Awesome!!!
I’ve bought the tongs from Ken’s before and use them all the time. They come with good instructions and he’s got a YouTube channel that he shows making them. It’s good practice and to end up with a nice set of useable tongs when your done is awesome!

 

Yes, I’ve been watching his videos. In addition Black Bear Forge has a video showing how to complete one of Ken’s knife blade tongs. Looking forward to it! All we have right now is some long handled Harbor Freight vice grips.

 

Page 14 and 19 of this thread I posted some pics way back of messing with the tongs....

 

After doing a bunch of research, I concluded that a diagonal pein hammer makes perfect sense from an injury prevention perspective. It’s more ergonomic when you’re swinging the diagonal pein. It naturally falls at 90• to the long axis of your work piece, making it easier to draw it out and eliminating twisting your wrist and arm so the blow is 90• to the length of the piece.

Last night I took an angle grinder and 40, 80 and 120 grit flap disks to a 3 pound cross pein Harbor Frieght hammer and created a decent right handed diagonal pein on the opposite side from the cross pein.

 

Any Heatn’ and beatn’ on those tongs yet?

 

Honestly I have to use it outside and it’s been so windy here, with so much snow and rain, I haven’t fired up the forge lately.

I built a hood so I can use it in any weather from the bottom third of a 55 gallon barrel and a barrel stove collar.
I also took a splitting wedge I had lying around for ten years unused (still had the original sticker on it) and cut it down with my angle grinder to make a hardy hole hot cut tool. I sharpened it with a HF 1” belt sander.

 

Nice work!!

 

Thanks. Amazing what can be accomplished with flap disks and cutting disks on an angle grinder.

I’m on several FB beginner blacksmithing groups, and I asked if one of these splitting wedges could be cut down into a hardy hole hot cut tool. I’m amazed at the number of replies that castigated me for even considering using a “perfectly good wedge” and to instead buy steel and forge one. Or to simply weld a square base on the existing wedge for use in the hardy hole.

I’m completely new to forging. I am not in any position yet to forge a hardy hole tool, and I do not weld. (My cardiologist told me to stay away from welders due to my pacemaker.)

Necessity is the mother of invention. Yes, blacksmithing is the goal. But I’m not above repurposing stuff by non blacksmithing methods that I already have lying around or can buy cheap.

 

It works! First project was a simple fire poker for the wood forge.

 

Good to see that the set up is working for you. Charcoal can get extremely hot and those firefly sparks will burn badly.

As far as modifying a wedge, nothing wrong with that. A bunch of purists out there like to spout off. I was on a forum, but faded out of it because too many know it alls. We are here to learn and have fun while developing skills.

There is plenty to learn, and the less time spent making tools from scratch, gets you more hammer time. The bulk of my tools I purchased at antique shops and flea markets.

 

A friend dropped off a couple more blacksmith tongs that he ran across. One looks like it was for square stock and the other maybe for round stock. The round one needs some trueing up on the jaws. When I get a bunch of miscellaneous projects cleaned up I will go to work on the forge tools and maybe play around a bit with the forge. Sorry for the fuzzy picture.

 

Very nice stand, Metalcuttr!

 

I finally got the first tong finished. Went through most of a 5 gallon bucket of lump coal I separated out of the ashes from our two wood stoves this year. I’ll put the rest of the ashes on the garden. Having one complete will make it much easier to complete the rest. .

 

For some reason I haven’t been getting alerts for the thread so just catching up now!
Nice work to everyone!
Like fishingpol said I scout flea markets and antique shops places like that to find tools and goodies. It’s just as fun to look around your own place to find things you can repurpose and make some cool things out of. I’ve got tons of scrap pieces and bolts and who knows what that I never toss in hopes it will come in handy.