Another puchase I am looking to make (actually a finacial miracle I am looking for ) is the ability to purchase an old hand blower driven forge to work metal in hard times I have collected metals for many years in prep for knife making and such but have not yet been able to purchase a forge or a sawmill for making lumber........my two next prayers answered
Whitewolf
FORGE
Re: FORGE
One just sold at a local auction here not two weeks ago. Now that it is known what you are looking for...we will keep our eyes open. I did come across a website on how to make your own that seemed to make sense even to me. I will see if I have any history left and forward if I can find it!
“Laws are made for the weak more than the strong.” Ben Franklin
-
WillyPete
Re: FORGE
I was surfin' around the web a while back looking for anvils so that I could set up my own smithy business and use it as a hobby for now.
I put "blacksmith anvils" and a few variations into my search engine and found an incredible plethora of sites to peruse.
Some of them were illustrations of how to construct your own anvil and I believe I saw a few about putting together a decent starter forge/foundry.
If I find the sites again, I'll link them here for you and everybody else.
I put "blacksmith anvils" and a few variations into my search engine and found an incredible plethora of sites to peruse.
Some of them were illustrations of how to construct your own anvil and I believe I saw a few about putting together a decent starter forge/foundry.
If I find the sites again, I'll link them here for you and everybody else.
Re: FORGE
Okay...here is what is in my history. The first one seems to be a constant listing on ebay. I had to update it when I clicked on the link. Unfortunately, none of these are the site I remember as the good one. I will keep looking. It seems like I found it as a highlighted link on one of the many survival websites.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Oriental-Box-Bellow ... RCH:US:101
http://www.forging-ahead.co.uk/blacksmi ... ellows.htm
http://www.scribd.com/doc/25386566/A-Lo ... ksmith-Ing
http://www.ploughbooksales.com.au/008444.htm
http://sleekfreak.ath.cx:81/3wdev/VITAH ... SFORGE.HTM
http://www.vintageantiquecollectible.co ... cksmithing
http://cgi.ebay.com/Oriental-Box-Bellow ... RCH:US:101
http://www.forging-ahead.co.uk/blacksmi ... ellows.htm
http://www.scribd.com/doc/25386566/A-Lo ... ksmith-Ing
http://www.ploughbooksales.com.au/008444.htm
http://sleekfreak.ath.cx:81/3wdev/VITAH ... SFORGE.HTM
http://www.vintageantiquecollectible.co ... cksmithing
“Laws are made for the weak more than the strong.” Ben Franklin
-
WillyPete
Re: FORGE
Still haven't located the first set of links but, I did remember something that might also be helpful.
The reference book "Back to Basics" produced by Reader's Digest has an excellent section dealing with blacksmithing. How to construct a fair forge, tools needed for blacksmithing, blacksmithing techniques and some history.
There's also a section for tinsmithing as well, if you're interested.
For a blower, I don't know where you can obtain a hand crank blower but, until the electricity gets completely turned off I have an idea. I once picked up a used hair dryer from a salon and took it apart because I mostly wanted to find out how it worked. I did get a good 115v blower assembly out of it that I red-necked into a fair leaf blower. If a variable speed controller was added to that leaf blower it could easily serve as a forge blower. With the type of motor I had I would have used one of those light dimmer switches. I did build a prototype and it worked perfectly, I just didn't have a need for a variable speed blower at the time, I just used it as a leaf blower.
To make the leaf blower, I bolted a closet flange on the blower outlet and stuck a piece of PVC pipe into the closet flange to direct the airflow. You could do the same thing using a steel threaded flange with steel pipe and connectors to your forge base.
The reference book "Back to Basics" produced by Reader's Digest has an excellent section dealing with blacksmithing. How to construct a fair forge, tools needed for blacksmithing, blacksmithing techniques and some history.
There's also a section for tinsmithing as well, if you're interested.
For a blower, I don't know where you can obtain a hand crank blower but, until the electricity gets completely turned off I have an idea. I once picked up a used hair dryer from a salon and took it apart because I mostly wanted to find out how it worked. I did get a good 115v blower assembly out of it that I red-necked into a fair leaf blower. If a variable speed controller was added to that leaf blower it could easily serve as a forge blower. With the type of motor I had I would have used one of those light dimmer switches. I did build a prototype and it worked perfectly, I just didn't have a need for a variable speed blower at the time, I just used it as a leaf blower.
To make the leaf blower, I bolted a closet flange on the blower outlet and stuck a piece of PVC pipe into the closet flange to direct the airflow. You could do the same thing using a steel threaded flange with steel pipe and connectors to your forge base.
-
WillyPete
Re: FORGE
I got to thinking about it a little bit and figured out a means to build your own blower for a forge that is hand powered and can be made to be variable air volume as well. Provided you can find the materials of course. Plus, there could be a minimal financial investment depending on what you can scrounge rather than purchase.
What I came up with is to use a belt driven blower assembly from an old furnace, gas or oil doesn't matter. You just need the belt driven blower assembly of the blower wheel in a housing with a small pulley on the shaft. If you don't have one laying around, you may be able to fin done at a local trash dump where someone replaced their old furnace and tossed that old one or, maybe you can become a friend to someone who works in the HVAC trade and they could find one for you, you never know. I work in the trade so I'm almost constantly scrounging items like this, I got lots of HVAC parts and pieces waiting for my ingenuity.
You'll need a larger pulley big enough to provide the amount of airflow you will need and a means to attach a handle to it, a belt to connect the drive pulley to the driven pulley and a frame of some sort to mount everything for stability, I'd probably fabricate something out of lumber to keep the weight down. Just mount the drive pulley on a shaft on one end of the frame, if you can make a tension adjustable mount for the drive that would help for when the belt needs tightening, the blower housing at the other end and the belt between them. Turn the drive pulley with the handle in the proper direction and you will have airflow. I know that large diameter pulleys to belt drive regular hand powered meat grinders are available and they have handles on them that would make them ideal to hand power a blower. Or hook a treadle board to it to make it foot powered.
To vary the volume of air, simply cover over part of the blower inlet opposite the pulley with a bit of sheet metal and to increase the force, form a reducing cone on the outlet of the blower to concentrate the airstream to increase the fire temp to work your metal.
This can be a large project but, if you're going top get into metal smithing it could be well worth the time and effort. Plus, there is a certain satisfaction in utilizing tools and materials you fabricated yourself to help others with their situations.
I just realized that I ought to provide pictures of some sort. I'll see what I can do. I didn't do so well with the swamp cooler I wrote about earlier. Mea Culpa.
What I came up with is to use a belt driven blower assembly from an old furnace, gas or oil doesn't matter. You just need the belt driven blower assembly of the blower wheel in a housing with a small pulley on the shaft. If you don't have one laying around, you may be able to fin done at a local trash dump where someone replaced their old furnace and tossed that old one or, maybe you can become a friend to someone who works in the HVAC trade and they could find one for you, you never know. I work in the trade so I'm almost constantly scrounging items like this, I got lots of HVAC parts and pieces waiting for my ingenuity.
You'll need a larger pulley big enough to provide the amount of airflow you will need and a means to attach a handle to it, a belt to connect the drive pulley to the driven pulley and a frame of some sort to mount everything for stability, I'd probably fabricate something out of lumber to keep the weight down. Just mount the drive pulley on a shaft on one end of the frame, if you can make a tension adjustable mount for the drive that would help for when the belt needs tightening, the blower housing at the other end and the belt between them. Turn the drive pulley with the handle in the proper direction and you will have airflow. I know that large diameter pulleys to belt drive regular hand powered meat grinders are available and they have handles on them that would make them ideal to hand power a blower. Or hook a treadle board to it to make it foot powered.
To vary the volume of air, simply cover over part of the blower inlet opposite the pulley with a bit of sheet metal and to increase the force, form a reducing cone on the outlet of the blower to concentrate the airstream to increase the fire temp to work your metal.
This can be a large project but, if you're going top get into metal smithing it could be well worth the time and effort. Plus, there is a certain satisfaction in utilizing tools and materials you fabricated yourself to help others with their situations.
I just realized that I ought to provide pictures of some sort. I'll see what I can do. I didn't do so well with the swamp cooler I wrote about earlier. Mea Culpa.