Charcoal forge advice

J

jlwamp

Joined
Aug 8, 2016
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14
I was just wondering if anyone could post some tips/tutorials or links to relevant threads on how to actually use a charcoal forge.

I have a simple brake drum forge set up, but have searched around and mainly just find tutorials on how to make charcoal forges and little detail on how to actually USE the forge.

I've played with it and gotten steal to heat up well into orange and yellow using lump charcoal, but didn't have that "fireball" or really even much flame to speak of for that matter.

I'm new to all this and any info on how to start up and use the forge would be awesome.
 
Working properly, there won't be a "fireball" in a small charcoal forge. The flame amount is based on how well the coals are banked and how high the blast is. In most cases, you aren't working in the flame above the coals, but down in the hot coals.

What size and type of blower are you using?
How is your tuyere made?
Does the forge have an ash dump?
A photo of the forge would also help.

Check ABANA and Iforgeiron. They are sties where coal/charcoal forging info and tutorials are aplenty. Try and watch some videos of experienced forgers using a small charcoal forge to see how it is done.

Since you haven't filed out your profile, no one can offer you a visit to their shop and show you how to work in a coal forge. Your age, location, and some bio info will k=help us help you.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Working properly, there won't be a "fireball" in a small charcoal forge. The flame amount is based on how well the coals are banked and how high the blast is. In most cases, you aren't working in the flame above the coals, but down in the hot coals.

What size and type of blower are you using?
How is your tuyere made?
Does the forge have an ash dump?
A photo of the forge would also help.

Check ABANA and Iforgeiron. They are sties where coal/charcoal forging info and tutorials are aplenty. Try and watch some videos of experienced forgers using a small charcoal forge to see how it is done.

Since you haven't filed out your profile, no one can offer you a visit to their shop and show you how to work in a coal forge. Your age, location, and some bio info will k=help us help you.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick reply. I've updated my profile a bit it didn't even occur to me to fill it out.

My forge is actually made from a 10" diameter dutch oven. A flange and some 1 1/2" piping are bolted to the bottom. So the tuyere is just holes drilled through the bottom of the dutch oven with the flange directly underneath.
Yes it has an ash dump.
My blower is just a hairdryer.
 
OK, so a simple pot ( fire clay lined I assume) with no blast gate or air control and no centered tuyere.

You will get a glowing bunch of coals, but little control of the heat. Better than a BBQ, but not quite what you get from a proper firepan. I suspect the hair dryer doesn't deliver quite enough air. A better blower will help.

A brake drum forge with a blast gate and regular blower works quite well and is easy to build with simple welding and shop skills. Look up some of the plans online.

You are smack dab in the middle of a bladesmith and blacksmith area. There are a bunch of smiths in and around Boone. Perhaps you can get with one of them to learn a bit. Haywood College, over in Clyde, has classes several times a year.

Last time I was in Boone was to see Tom Wolfe ... back some 30 years ago. I hear he is still kickin' and carvin". Amazingly talented man!
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
OK, so a simple pot ( fire clay lined I assume) with no blast gate or air control and no centered tuyere.

You will get a glowing bunch of coals, but little control of the heat. Better than a BBQ, but not quite what you get from a proper firepan. I suspect the hair dryer doesn't deliver quite enough air. A better blower will help.

A brake drum forge with a blast gate and regular blower works quite well and is easy to build with simple welding and shop skills. Look up some of the plans online.

You are smack dab in the middle of a bladesmith and blacksmith area. There are a bunch of smiths in and around Boone. Perhaps you can get with one of them to learn a bit. Haywood College, over in Clyde, has classes several times a year.

Last time I was in Boone was to see Tom Wolfe ... back some 30 years ago. I hear he is still kickin' and carvin". Amazingly talented man!
Click to expand...

Awesome! Thanks a lot, Stacy
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
OK, so a simple pot ( fire clay lined I assume) with no blast gate or air control and no centered tuyere.

You will get a glowing bunch of coals, but little control of the heat. Better than a BBQ, but not quite what you get from a proper firepan. I suspect the hair dryer doesn't deliver quite enough air. A better blower will help.

A brake drum forge with a blast gate and regular blower works quite well and is easy to build with simple welding and shop skills. Look up some of the plans online.

You are smack dab in the middle of a bladesmith and blacksmith area. There are a bunch of smiths in and around Boone. Perhaps you can get with one of them to learn a bit. Haywood College, over in Clyde, has classes several times a year.

Last time I was in Boone was to see Tom Wolfe ... back some 30 years ago. I hear he is still kickin' and carvin". Amazingly talented man!
Click to expand...

I will say though, from what I can tell the forge works fine. It's heats up steel to forging temperature and fairly quickly. It gets plenty hot enough.
A lot of plans I've read and followed to actually make the forge said using a hairdryer is fine, especially for charcoal.
I don't know what a centered tuyere is, but I'm sure a more sophisticated design and set up would help.
I mainly am just looking for general guidelines for using a charcoal forge.
I have seen things like having the bed of charcoal around 6" deep, and not using too much air. But just wanted to see if anyone had guidance to offer beyond that.
Most videos of the brake drum forges are about the design and show the forge working with what I assume is the "fireball" but don't say much how to use it.

Unless it is just that simple.
 
Look up dirty Smith on YouTube. He has a video explains fire management. It would at least give you a start. But nothing is like seeing it in person. Then experience it yourself.

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk
 
Thanks guys! FIRE MANAGEMENT is the term I was looking for. Any resources for managing a charcoal fire in the forge are what I'm looking for.

also I'm starting to think my tuyere may be a little on the small side. All I had available to me was 1" piping. So that flange only makes the tuyere just over an inch wide. May be why I've never really experienced that fireball
 
Right, I think your tuyere is too small.
Fire management is a huge part of solid fuel forging time. Especially so with charcoal as it burns up much faster than coal.
You will use about twice or more water too.
 
A hairdryer is enough power for a forge like that. Your main problem will be controlling the temperature of whatever you are trying to heat treat. Without better equipment its little more than guess work. I don't quite understand your main question about 'how to use a charcoal forge'. There isn't much to it. Charcoal+Fire+Air= Forge. ;) Ok, thats a little over simplified. I would suggest just getting out there and begin forging. Nothing like learning from experience.
 
I've never used charcoal in a forge, only ever proper coal. I am pretty sure this advice will still apply though.

When heating steel to forge you want keep your metal from going too deep down into the bowl, especially when forging knives with thin tips. The bottom of your bowl is going to be very oxygen rich, and you'll have a higher chance of burning your work if you stick your steel down in there. It's tempting because it looks hotter down there and maybe you are getting impatient when heating up your steel.

You will want to get a plastic water bottle fill it and poke a little hole in the top to make a simple squirt bottle. Use this to wet the charcoal all around the edge of the fire. It will keep your fire nice and tight, and save on fuel.

Not sure if this applies to charcoal, but with proper coal you want keep feeding the fire from the edges. Dont throw new coal straight over the hot spot. Sidle it up to the sides of your little coal volcano. You will burn off the impurities in the coal and form it into coke, which is what you really want to be using.

Hope that helps.
 
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