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Thread: Charcoal Forge

  1. #16
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    After some good advice from the friendly folks over at iforgeiron.com I have cut down the sides to provide better access and raised the whole thing by extending the legs, so it now looks like so...



    Fired it up as a test run, to see how the air control would work, and fire the refractory



    Surprised at how hot it gets when you crank up the air supply, now I'm ready to do a little forging..

    Regards
    Ray

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  3. #17
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    Nice, I might try to start on one tomorrow...I have a large pressure pump air tank that has been discarded to make it out of...Plus I still have one and a half bags of 1800C tolerant refractory cement left over from a repair job I had on a gas furnace....

  4. #18
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    Hi RC,

    With my limited knowledge, a forge is a pretty simple device, blow air into a charcoal fire and you have a forge. But the subtleties are many, and how well it all works seems to be dependant pretty much on what sort of work you want to use it for. The main variable seems to be in the construction of the firebox, and getting a size and depth that will give the size working zone for the forging that you are doing. You need 5 inches depth or more of charcoal, the charcoal at the top acts as an insulator keeping the heat in.

    Here is a rough plan of how I built mine, the details are pretty much dependant on what scrap material you have laying around. Nothing is too critical.



    I found the best way to light it was with a map torch, and once lit you could turn off the air and go away for an hour or so, then when you come back to it, just kick the air on and away she goes..

    Hope to hear how you get on over the weekend..... good luck

    Regards
    Ray

  5. #19
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  6. #20
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    Your project turned out nicely RayG,look forward to seeing some results from it.

    .RC. Yours looks well on its way also.

    I need to get myself a decent mig welder so i can start tackling bigger projects.

  7. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by 19brendan81 View Post
    I have heard that its used in kitty litter, but you cant use that as a) its not pure and b) its granulated and would need to be pulverised first. All the "recipes" you find are american, and the stuff they allude to is a pure, fine powder. This is what you need to get quality results with green sand. Is this something that is used a lot in rural areas? Why would a livestock place stock it? Thanks for the tip though, ill give my local bloke at CRT a call.

    Hi Brendan,

    Bentonite is used as a stock-feed additive, the stuff is mined up near Mildura somewhere, and you can get 25Kg bags of fine bentonite for $19.50 a bag. I bought a 25 kg bag at the local LandMark store. You might want to sieve it before use, because there is a bit of gritty stuff as well.

    I understand it is also used to waterproof dams and channels, because it is a clay that expands with water.

    Bentone, is a different animal altogether, and I would love to find a local supplier so I can try making some K-bond. The difference as I understand it, is that bentone is a modified form of bentonite that works with oil. Here is a US based manufacturer of Bentone 34

    Regards
    Ray

  8. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by .RC. View Post
    Looking good RC, can't wait to see the finished forge.

    Regards
    Ray

  9. #23
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    Thanks heaps for that mate. I used the info on these forums to track down a 25kg bucket of oz made K-bond. I dont know the exact details of it but I assume the company I bought it from makes it itself. Its not "petrobond" brand though, but should work the same. The cost was $90, about a third of what petrobond costs.

    Now that I know where to get bentonite cheaply I might grab a sack so I can compare green sand to oil bonded sand.

  10. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by 19brendan81 View Post
    Thanks heaps for that mate. I used the info on these forums to track down a 25kg bucket of oz made K-bond. I dont know the exact details of it but I assume the company I bought it from makes it itself. Its not "petrobond" brand though, but should work the same. The cost was $90, about a third of what petrobond costs.

    Now that I know where to get bentonite cheaply I might grab a sack so I can compare green sand to oil bonded sand.
    Hi Brendan,

    Nice work tracking down the K-bond, where did you find it?

    I am heading to Melb this week to go around the foundry supply places. If I find a better source for bentonite I will post it here.

    Since my last post I have been told that the agricultural fine bentonite isn't the same as foundry grade bentonite. (?) The only thing I can guess might be the difference is the particle size, so maybe it needs to be ground and seived. Chemically it's the same stuff.

    Regards
    Ray

  11. #25
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    Found it at cast metal services. Their contact info was on this forum. I rang the guys in Brissy (07 3266 6266) and they had heaps. They then mentioned that the Sydney branch might have some too, and turns out Sydney had 1 bucket of the stuff there. I rang Paul on 0400 880 191, he is their syd sales rep. He teed it all up for me. Got a mate to pick it up from the warehouse, was $83.97 for the 25kg bucket. Only hassle was I could only pay with cheque, but aside from that everyone I spoke to in the company was very friendly and helpful. Couldnt reccomend them more.

  12. #26
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    I have got a bit more done.....Made a stand, concreted in the bottom of the forge..The top layer of concrete is Duracast 1650 refractory cement... It can handle temps of 1650C..

    The blower is an air conditioner blower off some earth moving equipment..It had two blowers which I have made an adapter so the air goes into one pipe...It has three speeds and is 24V but I can run it off 12V for the time being...I will see if it produces enough air...

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...r/forge001.jpg

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...forge002-1.jpg

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...r/forge003.jpg

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...forge004-1.jpg

  13. #27
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    Hi RC,

    Looking good, no problem getting enough air out of that blower.. you will need speed control, or air gate valve of some sort to throttle it back.

    I'm definitely no expert here, but I had to cut the sides down on mine to get easier access to the work zone, you may have to do the same. The other thing I'm doing with mine is to make up a cover that keeps the rain off, mainly because it lives outside and I don't want the charcoal to get wet.

    Hi Brendan,

    Thanks for the info, much appreciated, I will be calling in to see them (CMS) and some other suppliers this week, interested to see what else they have available. I will let you know what I find.

    Regards
    Ray

  14. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by RayG View Post
    Hi Brendan,

    Bentonite is used as a stock-feed additive, the stuff is mined up near Mildura somewhere, and you can get 25Kg bags of fine bentonite for $19.50 a bag. I bought a 25 kg bag at the local LandMark store. You might want to sieve it before use, because there is a bit of gritty stuff as well.

    I understand it is also used to waterproof dams and channels, because it is a clay that expands with water.
    Ray, Bentonite is used in the drilling industry to seal the hole and stop it collapsing onto the drill bit and the drill rods.
    I would look in the yellow pages or do a web search for waterboring suppliers.
    I Inherited an big charoal charcoal forge it has a water cooled tuyere and was used to sharpen and heat treat jack hammer points. I prefer to use gas forges for my decorative and knife making work as they are cleaner (less crap into my lungs).
    Regards Whitworthsocket

  15. #29
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    Default my Ron Riel forge

    Hi, Here is my forge I made from an old wood fire box. It is mostly from plumbing fittings.
    I had the burners turned from stainless. Make sure you get the dimensions right in the burners or you wont get optimum flame.
    The insulation is blocks of about 50 mm thick stuff from a kiln maker in Newcastle nsw. took about 10 mins to fit. better than messing about with cement. You have to follow the directions to the letter to get the proper flame dont forget. let you're forge burn for about 5- 10 minutes on start up too. Then it will calm down and you will see a nice vortex effect happening.
    Also you need to have a very delicate choke systems. Those black discs on top of the reducers are my chokes, they screw down so i can adjust them very finely.
    Happy forging. Oh and say goodby to a large part of your spare time once you make your first peice. You will never be the same. Artfuliron.
    Last edited by artfuliron; 25th July 2009 at 08:05 PM. Reason: additions

  16. #30
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    Default my charcoal forge

    The above photos of mine in the last thread sow a gas forge. It is sitting on an old charcoal / coke forge. I made that forge from an old van brake drum and originally had an old electrolux vaccum cleaner blowing it. all i did was mount the drum on a stand, rig up the air intake into a tee fitting with a trap door on the tee end to clean away waste.
    there is no need for anything other than a layer of ordinary concrete around the edge of the drum to dish it out so it has a sloping side. You are turning the drum into a bowl shape so your coals will be sitting in the middle. you will ony have extreme heat in the centre of your forge where you need it most. The hole in the bottom is covered by a piece of plate with holes drilled into it.
    That system worked for me for years and only resulted in a few cracks in he concrete which are still there. Dont buy expensive insulation you wont need it so much in an open charcoal forge. Spend your money on some nice hammers instead.
    I can try and take some pix of it if anyne is interested? Though I aint moving the gas forge off the top of it. LOl Artfuliron.
    Last edited by artfuliron; 25th July 2009 at 08:00 PM. Reason: spelling mistakes

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