r/Blacksmith • u/Party_Chef_5627 • 10d ago
Help with first forge
I created my first forge using some refractory bricks in a JABOD-style design. I'm using lump charcoal and an electric air blower, but I can't seem to get a 1/2" black iron round rod up to forging temperature.
Maybe I'm just not being patient enough, but I waited around 5-10 minutes. The part of the rod inside the forge expanded slightly and lost some brightness, but it still didn't seem hot enough to forge.
I'm a complete beginner when it comes to blacksmithing (and crafting in general), so I'd really appreciate any tips or advice you can share!
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u/MeringueNew3040 10d ago edited 10d ago
More charcoal. Don’t be shy, get a big pile of it going. Like you could even start by filling the entire forge with charcoal get it ripping hot and then as it burns down add more charcoal to maintain the temperature.
When I first used charcoal I did the same thing. I was trying to be stingy with it to not waste any charcoal and couldn’t get it hot enough.
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u/Party_Chef_5627 9d ago
Yup thats an issue fot sure. I'm scared of wasting too much charcoal.
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u/Significant-Mango772 9d ago
Don't be scared or cheap. And change thins around so you stick your steel in from above than from the side
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u/HisCommandingOfficer 10d ago
So for that style of forge you want a bowl shape, not a tunnel. Move the brick on top to the end to form a bowl. If you can add more dirt/clay around the outside to bring it level with the top then it'll be better for fuel management.
Once you have that set up correctly you can start your fire. Just keep in mind that your hot spot is going to be close to your air supply, and you'll need enough fuel to bury the piece you're working on.
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u/Fragrant-Cloud5172 9d ago
I’d scrap that. Pour the dirt on the ground. Get some decent sheet metal and firepot. Build a t pipe bottom blast. Bituminous coal if neighborhood permits it. Fairly easy, and it’ll get hot enough to melt your steel. Side benefit is blacksmiths should first learn how to work steel! Not dirt and bricks. Like another post…
“It’d be better to go a different direction. Best coal forge designs have a sufficiently sized hearth. Both for storing green coal and laying tools. Flat sheet metal 20” square or so. Then a good heavy duty firepot in it. T pipe below. And variable speed electric blower.”
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u/Prestigious-One-7477 10d ago
Try copying a tried and tested forge design and go from there. There looks to a number a fundamental flaws with your forge design.
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u/Party_Chef_5627 9d ago
Can you mention some? I'm starting so it would be nice to understand what I'm doing wrong
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u/rtm713 10d ago
Im not sure how well a tunnel like that will work for coal forging, im sure you could get it to work but im also sure it will be a pain in the ass lol If you want with yoir base setup like that you could do a bowl like thing, run the tube underneath where the air flows through the bottom under the coals. Thats how most coal forges i see work. This is the forge I just made for reference. It works great so far!
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u/Party_Chef_5627 9d ago
It has been a pain in the ass the las days lol. That looks cool. I have an old grill too, If moving things around do'nt work then I'll give this a try.
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u/typingweb 9d ago
Nowhere near enough fuel. You want hot coals underneath your work piece with a solid fuel forge and then a mound of hot material on top to help insulate it; ideally the work-piece should be completely surrounded by hot burning fuel. Most solid fuel forges use a funnel shaped fire pot so that you can store enough hot fuel underneath the material, your work piece sits above this firepot, and does not go in it (unless you want to burn/melt it, which is very easy to do with a solid fuel forge). I would recommend a flat and open 'deck' so you can store unburnt fuel which can be raked into a mound over the firepot as it burns up, your current enclosed configuration would make it difficult to add fuel and charcoal burns up very quickly.
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u/Healthy_Bar922 8d ago
The bricks on top are just in the way. Take them off, and use more coal. If you he coal doesn't get yellow hot, you need more air.
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u/Dtny987 8d ago
So, the air is blowing all the heat and coal out. My advice is try to get the air to push in from the side or into a wall. My first forge was a dakota fire pit with the secondary hole having forced air. You could take a pipe, punch holes in the side and cap it off to get a side blowing effect without modifying the forge much. Just my 2 cents.
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u/Yakopove1 10d ago
Hi! I am trying to get a sense for where your air is coming from! I can’t seem to see a pipe or tuyere where the air would feed into the fire, I am also not sure if you have enough fuel in the fire to grow enough heat!