Updated:

2016-09-12

Making a forge with your own hands is far from the most difficult task. At the same time, you will have the opportunity to create metal masterpieces at home. Of course, making a forge with your own hands only makes sense if you are going to work with metal and forge certain products.

Photo of a forge

Forged elements are actively used in industry and everyday life. It can be as huge complex designs, as well as simple small crafts.

To be able to forge metal, you must have a forge and a device that will heat the metal to the required temperature of 1000-1300 degrees. How to achieve this at home? That's right, you need to build a forge with your own hands.

The forge device is designed specifically for heating metal workpieces to high temperatures.

The forges have the same operating principle, but the devices differ only in the type of fuel used. This affects the type of construction.

Modern blacksmiths who prefer to work at home use coke as fuel. This is due to the fact that coke provides a high temperature at low consumption and produces a minimum of waste.

The nuances of self-production

How can you make a homemade blacksmith's forge? To do this, you will need drawings of a heating device model that suits you and the room where the equipment will be located.

Forges differ in the types of heating chambers.

1. Closed heating chambers. They are the most efficient because they minimize fuel consumption while providing excellent heating of workpieces. But the blanks themselves are limited in size, since they depend on the dimensions of the chamber.
2. Open heating chambers. This design provides that fuel is poured onto the grate, and air is supplied from below. The metal blank is placed on the fuel. Although fuel consumption is slightly higher, larger workpieces can be used.

How to make a blacksmith's forge in order to be able to forge iron at home? Let's consider each stage of construction of the structure.

Photo of a handmade forge

1. Table. The table is the basis of a homemade forge. The drawings show that building this element is quite simple. Typically the table height is up to 80 centimeters, and 5 millimeter thick metal is used for the lid. Working surface steel can have different sizes. It all depends on what metal blanks you are going to work. Another option for building a table is to use angle iron to create a frame. Bricks and a grate are laid inside it. The grill should be positioned in the center.
2. The grid is mounted in a hole made in the table. Then the fire brick is closed on all sides. Select the height of the table directly to your height so that the structure is at waist level.
3. Blowing For the forge to work effectively, it requires high-quality air supply. Due to oxygen, the temperature rises and the metal begins to melt. Traditional forge designs used a foot-driven blower. But now everyone has the opportunity to use electricity, because optimal solution- an electric fan or an old vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner supplies air with the required force. If you have a speed controller, you will get a chic homemade horn.
4. Now all the structural elements are assembled into a single system - a homemade metalworking forge.
5. Place on the grate required amount fuel. First use wood chips and medium wood, after which comes the turn of coke. Turn on the blower and place your workpiece over the fuel. A small amount of coke may be added on top of the iron. If there is no coke or there are large reserves of wood waste, you can use them.

This is a model of a simple blacksmith's forge. If you have the desire or opportunity, you can significantly improve your own equipment for blacksmithing, bringing it closer to the features of an industrial forge.

What does an industrial forge have?

Professional blacksmiths use industrial forges, which differ increased efficiency and high reliability. It is almost impossible to make an industrial forge yourself. But somehow bring it closer homemade model towards the ideal is quite realistic.

What is different about an industrial forge, and what components are included in its design?

• Air supply nozzle. Homemade forges use the hose of an old vacuum cleaner to supply air instead of a nozzle;
• Fire brick. There is a complete analogy between home and industrial devices;
• Grate. Most homemade forges involve the use of a grate. Many people make it from old frying pans with thick walls;
• Socket for solid fuel. This slot allows you to conveniently load the required amount of solid fuel. Equipping a homemade forge with such an element will not be a problem;
• Frame bricks. It's already stationary devices, which are laid with bricks. For a simple forge, such elements are already superfluous;
• Air supply fan. We looked at an example with a conventional vacuum cleaner, which does a good job of pumping air. If you want, you can use fans or other similar devices;
• Metal carcass. The table is supported on its basis;
• Air chamber. Homemade forges do not have it, but if you need professional equipment, equipping the device with a camera will not be a bad idea;
• Ash pit. If you are going to regularly use your forge at home, we recommend equipping it with an ash pan. This will make it easier to care for the device;
• Forge casing.

Decide for yourself how to complement your forging device. At the same time, we advise you to follow several recommendations to increase the efficiency of the device.

1. Fuel can be coal, wood and coke. Although coke is more expensive, it consumes 5 times less than coal and produces less soot and waste. Fine coke is the most efficient look fuel for the forge.
2. An alternative type of fuel for the forge is gas. Moreover, from cylinders or lines. When using gas, you do not need a grate. The advantage of gas is the ability to control the heating temperature and its availability.
3. A hood consisting of metal 4-5 millimeters thick should be installed above the forge.
4. If the forge runs on gas, you need to make holes for the burner on the sides.
5. Forging devices require fume removal systems. This is a pipe 5 millimeters high, the cross-section of which is 30 by 30 centimeters.
6. A good replacement for a vacuum cleaner is a stove fan that is installed on cars.
7. If done in back wall hole, ventilation will be much more effective.

After looking at the photos of the forges and studying the video tutorials on them self-production, we can conclude that there is nothing complicated in the construction of such units. Another question is: do you need it?

Just for you. In this instruction I will tell you how you can make a powerful mobile furnace for blacksmithing. With this furnace you can easily forge metal; the temperature here is more than enough. And, of course, now there will be no problem with steel hardening. And if you wish, if you come up with a forge, using this device you can completely melt aluminum and other metals with a not very high melting point.

The stove is powered by coal, and in order to fire it up to desired temperature, will be needed forced submission air. For these purposes, the author used a small electric compressor. It can be powered by a battery, so we don’t need an outlet. The burning area itself is made of a metal barrel, which would also be suitable gas cylinder. And the frame in which the compressor and battery are installed is made of boards, it is simple and practical. So, let's look in order at how to make a forge furnace.

Materials and tools used

List of materials:
- ;
- copper or other metal pipes, as well as corners;
- tap;
- boards;
- plastic brackets for pipes;
- self-tapping screws, bolts and nuts;
- steel barrel or gas cylinder;
- steel corner;
- aluminum corner;
- foil;
- glue (to glue the foil);
- heat-resistant sealant;
- heat-resistant paint.

List of tools:
- drill;
- drilling machine;
- Bulgarian;
- vice;
- gas-burner;
- screwdriver;
- welding;
- wood hacksaw or cutting machine.

Forge furnace manufacturing process:

Step one. Frame assembly
To assemble the frame, we need boards. We cut them into the required pieces, and then assemble the frame using self-tapping screws. If desired, glue, sealant, etc. can be applied to the joining surfaces. I should immediately note that the original design was redone, as there were problems due to high temperature. The frame is made only for the equipment, and the furnace itself in the future was made of metal.
To strengthen the structure, the author tightened it with long bolts and nuts. They will also serve as a support for the pallets.

Step two. Fastener for
To install the compressor, we will make an adapter for it, into which the nose part will be inserted. To make it, we will need a board, as well as a drill with special attachments. In the end, we just need to cut the “puck” out of wood.
We fasten the manufactured washer in the desired location of the frame using self-tapping screws.

Step three. Assembling pipes
To transport air to its destination, the author decided to use copper pipes. This is not a very good option, since copper transfers heat very well, so the length of the pipes should be maximum. Otherwise, the heat may reach the compressor and melt the plastic. You can use metal pipes, and you can simply bend them into required length coil. The author collects the desired design, soldering is used to connect parts.

Step four. Making a battery clamp
We will power the system from a battery, so to install it we need to make a clamp. For these purposes we will need an aluminum plate. Using a vice and a special attachment, the author forms it in the shape of the letter “P”. However, this can be done using a regular vice or even pliers if you have a good eye. Drill holes to secure the clamp with screws to the base.
We drill holes in the base, and on the other side the author installs nuts. That's all, now it will be very convenient to tighten the clamp using screws.

Step five. We trim the frame with foil
Initially, the author planned to install several pallets on a wooden body, on which the coals would burn. And to further protect the wood, he covered it with foil. Now, even if the coal falls from the pan, the wood should not catch fire, and the foil itself acts as a heat shield.

Step six. Installing the filling
First of all, we install the pipes; for their fastening we used plastic holders. This is not a very reliable option if the pipes get very hot. We also install a compressor; the author used an aluminum angle to mount it.
Finally, we attach the battery; we previously made a clamp for it from an aluminum plate.

Step seven. The final stage of assembly and testing (first attempt)
Now we will install pallets into which we will pour coals; the author has two of them. We drill a hole in the pallets and insert a steel pipe that will supply air to the oven. The pallets are in a hanging state; they rest on two bolts installed across the frame.

That's it, now the oven can be tested! Add coals and light with a torch or lighter fluid. The oven worked perfectly, but problems were discovered. The trays get so hot that they burnt the foil underneath, and the heat also started to burn the wood. As a result, this design failed, and it was decided to remake it.

Step eight. Making a stove from a cylinder
The author cut off the part of the frame on which the pallets were located. It was decided to make the stove more reliable. As a result, as source material a metal barrel was taken; a gas cylinder would also work. If you use a cylinder, do not forget to thoroughly clean it of its contents; there are a lot of instructions and recommendations for this on the Internet, otherwise it may end in an explosion and serious injuries.

First of all, we clean the paint from the can; for this, the author uses a grinder with a suitable attachment. Next, cut off the bottom of the balloon at a suitable height. Finally, we cut a “window” in the workpiece through which you will use the oven.

Step nine. Manufacturing of mounting brackets
To attach the oven to wooden structure with a compressor, you will need two corners. We cut the corner to the required length, bend the edges at the desired angle. You will also need two steel plates to strengthen the connection.

Drill holes in the corners and plates for fastening the parts using self-tapping screws. In addition, the author welded pieces of pipes to the corners, which resulted in excellent legs.

Step ten. We make a “pallet” for the furnace and install
The pan is needed so that the coals burn on it, to which air flows from below; these are a kind of grate. For these purposes, we need sheet steel, and it should be as thick as possible, since thin steel will quickly burn out from high temperatures. You need to cut a circle out of steel of such a diameter that it can fit as tightly as possible inside the furnace.

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“Horn” is a word of Germanic origin horn, originally “horn”, then horn received many other meanings, as long as the object somehow resembled a horn or came from it; one of the highest peaks of the Alps is called Matterhorn. The ancient smelting forge, in which the forge was produced, looks like a signal pipe made of horn, placed with the bell downwards, and so it became a forge, and from it a blacksmith's forge, although it no longer resembles a horn.

In a forge, a forge is used to heat metal before forging, cementing and other heat treatment operations. A forge is a very necessary thing for everyone who works with metal: it allows you to get temperatures up to 1100 and even 1200 degrees in artisanal conditions, can be either a large stationary or a small tabletop one, and making a forge with your own hands is not difficult or difficult.

To use a forge of a traditional design, you need to be a fairly knowledgeable and skilled craftsman, especially in terms of choosing fuel, which will be discussed in more detail below. The basis of the forge hearth - the tuyere - and the pressurization device also require considerable experience. The use of natural gas for heating, although it does not allow forging a Damascus blade or Indian damask steel Wootz in a home forge, like a classic coal forge, does significantly simplify the design: a gas forge can be assembled in half an hour to an hour from 6 fireclay bricks and several scraps of steel, and the temperature and quality of heating will be sufficient for the now so popular small artistic forging or melting of non-ferrous metals and alloys for casting.

Horn device

A classic production forge is designed as follows, see figure on the right:

1. forge table made of refractory material;
2. firebox (hearth) with grate;
3. air chamber;
4. air drainage;
5. supply air duct;
6. air valve;
7. chamber (tent) forge;
8. window for feeding long workpieces;
9. bugle umbrella;
10. chimney (gas outlet);
11. removable furnace;
12. hardening bath (tub, tub);
13. gas-air chamber.

How the forge works

In order to make a forge yourself and use it successfully, let’s figure out how the forge works, what’s what in it, and what can be made cheaper and easier in conditions home use without compromising the quality of metal processing. The operation of the forge is based on chemical reaction combustion of carbon 2C + O2 = 2CO2 + 188.1 kcal. Based on its energy output (94.05 kcal/mol, i.e. 12 g of C, completely burned, will give 94.05 kcal of heat) it is clear that carbon is a very strong reducing agent, i.e. greedily combines with oxygen.

This property of carbon has been used since time immemorial in metallurgy for the smelting of iron and other metals: their ores are often the corresponding oxides or their derivative compounds. Carbon unceremoniously robs itself of oxygen, and the deprived metal has no choice but to be released in a free form.

In a forge, the reducing power of carbon is also used partly to prevent oxidation of the workpiece. Simply to prevent the metal from burning. But the high calorific value of carbon is no less important here: by blowing enough air into the fuel mass so that the carbon has enough of it, you can burn it quite quickly, and a large number of the heat released and the temperature will develop high.

The blowing into the forge is adjusted so that the fuel is slightly lacking oxygen; this will completely prevent oxidation of the metal. However, if the workpiece is overexposed in the forge, then carburization will occur: the metal, especially steel, will become, as they say, overdried - excessively, disproportionate to the increase in hardness, brittle. An example of completely overdried iron is cast iron. In metallurgy, in order to obtain structural steel from it, molten cast iron is subjected to reprocessing: oxygen is introduced into it in a converter or in some other way, removing excess carbon.

On a different fuel

This is how the ancient coal forge works. Initially it was heated with charcoal, then with coke. Both are almost pure carbon. Basically the forge can also be heated with wood, allowing it to first burn down to coals, i.e. to charcoal; Let's see how further.

The design of the forge is greatly simplified if you use purified monogas, propane or butane as fuel. They consist of carbon and hydrogen, which is also an excellent reducing agent and, when combined with oxygen, produces even more heat. Moreover, the gas can be mixed with oxygen in advance, while still in the burner. We will also look further into how gas burners for a forge are constructed, but for now let us state a fact: a brick gas forge can be assembled using a quick fix, as long as there is a burner, see fig. (You can also watch the video at the end of the section on how to make a gas forge yourself).

However, this applies only to pure monogases for industrial use. Domestic natural gas, firstly, it consists of a mixture of saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons, which have different oxygen requirements and different heat release for complete combustion. That is, it is fundamentally impossible to set up the optimal air supply for heating the metal for high-quality hardening or cementation.

Secondly, natural gas contains sulfur, silicon, and phosphorus in negligible quantities. At least in the form of an “odorant” – mercaptan – artificially introduced into household gas for immediate leak detection. If phosphorus and silicon, with precise dosage, can still be useful (the first - for surface phosphating; the second - for improving magnetic properties), then sulfur is the worst enemy of steel, completely killing its operational value, and irreversibly; restoration requires complete remelting.

Therefore, household gas can be used as fuel for the furnace, firstly, only after purification from sulfur-containing compounds. The simplest, but by no means free, method is to pass gas from a cylinder through a container with mothballs before feeding it into the burner. It desires sulfur no less than carbon desires oxygen. Secondly, heat in a gas furnace only parts that are not critical and will not be loaded in the future.; say, decorative elements of artistic metalwork.

Note: There is also enough sulfur in wood to poison steel. But her and others, the so-called. alloying poisons can be burned out in advance, see below.

Video: DIY gas forge

Purpose of the forge parts

Now let's go back to the list at the beginning and see what's in the forge for what. And then we’ll get down to making the forge using the samples discussed below or independently, based on the available materials and capabilities.

In industry, tables are mostly lined with quartz refractory brick; it lasts for decades under intense workload. Homemade horn usually lined with fireclay bricks, cheaper and more accessible. With irregular use, it will also last for years.

A firebox with a grate, an air chamber with drainage and a supply pipe with a valve form the heart of the forge - the tuyere. In industrial designs, replaceable lances are used for different heating methods and heated workpieces. For an amateur or individual craftsman, most often it is enough to have one tightly mounted in a table with a solid perforated round holes grate.

Air drainage is necessary to accurately and quickly, without taking your eyes off the workpiece, regulate the blast. It will not be possible to forge an underheated part and it will not accept hardening; overheated and overdried, it will tear under a hammer, and in a quenching bath it will at least fail, or even crack. And in any case it will turn out to be unacceptably fragile. How to determine its readiness for forging or hardening by the appearance of a red-hot workpiece is a separate matter. But experienced blacksmiths know that they need to be able to release excess air into the atmosphere in seconds.

The purpose of the chamber, or tent, of the forge together with its umbrella and chimney is to remove flue gases from working area. There are plenty of them released during the preparation of the coal mass (see below), and none of them are good for health. The draft in the chimney needs to be good, because... The front (working) window of the tent and openings for lengthy items (pipes, metal profiles) are constantly open.

As for the quenching bath and gas-air chamber, they may or may not be there, it’s at your discretion. A hardening bath is definitely needed if you are going to forge the so-called. Damascus, damask steel products. They need thermal shock hardening, i.e. from the forge - instantly into the bath.

Note: about the customs of the past. Damask steel blades, hardened in the living body of a prisoner, were once considered the best strong enemy or, at the very least, a muscular slave.

The gas-air chamber is used in industry:

• For additional drying and heating of air.
• To clean blast air from impurities and condensate.
• For introducing gaseous alloying additives into the air.

At home, super-super special spas are not obtained; the problem of condensation in production occurs when blowing from the general network compressed air. In a low-power furnace, the air heats up sufficiently when passing through the holes of the lance grate, and household gas can be purified from sulfur by passing it through a layer of naphthalene, as mentioned above. In general, make a gas vent, don’t do it, it’s up to you.

Finally, crucible. This is a heat-resistant cap that expands the extremely high temperature zone. It is installed if non-ferrous or precious metals and alloys are melted in a crucible in a furnace (melting point of gold is 1060 degrees, silver is 960, copper is 1080, brass and bronze is 900), parts are cemented in a muffle, etc. There is no point in looking for an expensive ready-made crucible; in a home forge, it can be completely replaced by a dozen fireclay bricks laid out on a dry surface, piece by piece. In this configuration, a homemade forge will replace an expensive one.

How do you heat a forge?

To finally take on your own forge, all that remains is to figure out how to light it? Then it will be easier to understand the designs.

The best fuel for the forge is fine coke. Blacksmiths call it koksik, the name was adopted by traders. If there is coke on sale, there is also coke in small packages. The cost of coke, depending on the region, is 3 times more expensive than coal, but it costs 4-5 times less per forging if handled skillfully.

Coke is almost pure amorphous carbon, carbon. Really clean: coke oven gas is a valuable chemical raw material, so metallurgists are not slacking. It ignites at 450-600 degrees, so double kindling is needed: coal is lit with wood, and a layer of 150-170 m of coke is placed on it and the blast is turned on to maximum. When the coal burns out (this can be seen from the flame), the mass of coke is raked, leaving a layer on the grate 1/3-1/4 of the height of the entire pile, the workpiece is introduced into the hearth and raked with burning fuel. The blowing is reduced to normal for this operation and the part is waited until it matures.

To work with Damascus you need charcoal , it ignites at a lower temperature and burns faster, because preserves the microporous structure of wood. And also, like activated carbon in a gas mask, it additionally absorbs alloying poisons. The fact is that damask steel is forged from a bundle of wires or rods of different hardness. The product itself is obtained by their mutual diffusion during forging. The process is very delicate, and adjustment of the blast requires precision, and light porous charcoal responds instantly to manipulation of air drainage.

If you drown coal, it needs to be allowed to burn to carbon, i.e. volatile components, that same coke oven gas, must burn out. This again can be seen by the color of the flame. But such complete extraction of volatiles as in a coke oven cannot be achieved directly in the forge, so decorative or average-quality household products can be forged using coal. As a rule, one load of coal is not enough and it has to be burned out. The additional load for afterburning is placed on the side of the fireplace on the table and, as it burns, the resulting carbon is raked onto the workpiece.

Wood is heated in the same way as coal, but only with deciduous wood.. Just a pile of firewood is more likely to burn to ash than to completely release volatiles and form coal. In addition, there is no way to allow unburned wood chips to get on the part; there are too many impurities in the wood that are harmful to steel. Therefore, wood for carbon in the forge is burned in the shell, see fig. The additional load is burned by placing it close to it and, as it burns, the coals are transferred to the shell with tongs.

Let's take the forge

For a novice blacksmith to gain experience and flair, it is best to quickly make a mini-forge from 6 fireclay bricks, see fig. An ax blade so you can shave, or hunting knife You can’t heat it for hardening, but you can heat small items for artistic forging, the ends of long pieces for forging or bending, or melt precious colors in a crucible.

Grate shelves made from scraps steel pipes, and the grates themselves are made of steel strip 4-6 mm thick. The grate bars must be screwed at an angle to capture the air flow, as shown in Fig. Fuel - coke or coal. Ignition and blowing - with a blowtorch, gas or gas-air burner. If a blowtorch is used, an asbestos partition with a window under the nozzle must be placed between it and the forge: the forge intensely emits heat and the lamp reservoir may explode. This forge is used only for outdoors, because there is no umbrella with a chimney.

Note: more interesting option– a small quick-fire forge of minimal cost, see video:

Portable

The next design is a portable forge made from... goose horn. The design is clear from Fig. Lining – fireclay marl mixed with fireclay sand(ground fireclay bricks, available for sale). Firing the lining after drying - as work progresses.

Pressurization is not necessarily a fan from a manual siren, as in Fig. You can use any suitable one, see below, by attaching it with a metal clamp. This, by the way, will make working with long items more convenient. In this case, at the blind end of the air duct, air drainage is required, similar to that for a mobile forge, which will be discussed later.

The capabilities of a goose forge are wider than those of a 6-brick one, because working space larger and open at the top. But there are also significant flaws:

1. Non-separable design: when cleaning the tuyere (see below about the stationary furnace), carbon deposits fall down and clog the perforation of the air duct, even if its holes are oriented sideways or downwards. To clean you have to break the lining.
2. Works only on coke or charcoal, because... There is no table with space for burning.
3. Expensive to operate: carbon consumption is comparable to that of coal in real furnaces.
4. Low working temperature, up to 900 degrees, because A lining that is not properly fired will crack.

About cavalry and sewing machines

Once upon a time, every cavalry squadron of all the armies of the world had on its farm a portable forge with a foot drive from a crank mechanism for forging horseshoes and horseshoe nails. It was called cavalry, see fig. If we talk about non-volatile horns, then this is much more convenient than a fan from a siren: both hands are free. Moreover, savvy horsemen taught horses to press the pedal with their hoofs.

Nowadays the cavalry bugle can only be seen in the Red Army Museum. But let’s be smart and we are old Sewing machines with foot drive are still in use and sold. And this is the same crank with a drive pulley of a suitable diameter and a strong frame for the table. Plus wheels on which you can roll the forge.

What kind of fan is needed?

Below we will move on to designs that are already quite functional, which require full blowing. And electricity for the fan can be found everywhere. But what kind of fan is needed for a forge? Once upon a time, forges were blown with bellows; For those who are curious about how blacksmith's bellows work, see Fig. on right.

Note: It was from the remains of blacksmith bellows of ancient times that archaeologists established that metallurgy among primitive peoples had a mystical and sexual meaning - from Scandinavia to South Africa, the clay fitting of the forge was made in the form of male genitalia, and the nest for it in the forge was female.

As for productivity, 200-250 l/min is quite enough for a stationary coke furnace. That is, the fan motor power is sufficient from 80-100 W.

Much more important is that we need to push air through a fairly dense mass of sintered fuel. Therefore, when choosing a fan, first of all you need to pay attention to the pressure it creates at zero performance, the so-called. maximum pressure. The meaning of this parameter is simple: the fan will create the maximum pressure by forcing air into a closed cavity.

For the forge you need a maximum pressure of 220-230 mm. rt. Art., which corresponds to approximately 0.3 ati. Axial fans(impellers) this is created only by industrial ones, such as VN-2 or its analogues. Household exhaust and industrial cooling systems are not standardized in terms of maximum pressure at all and, as a rule, do not create what is needed.

In addition, they bring the air up to maximum pressure slowly, in minutes, and during delicate forging work, the blast needs to be changed in seconds. It is useless to install a receiver: when the valve is opened, the air in it will expand adiabatically, which at 0.3 ati will only produce zilch.

Total conclusion: To pressurize the forge you need a centrifugal fan-volute. You don’t need to look at the specification; any centrifugal fan will provide the required maximum pressure based on the very principle of its operation. It is best to take snails from radiation protection systems of military equipment; they also have high productivity. True, the power supply is 12, 24 or 27 V direct current, so you will need a transformer and a rectifier of appropriate power.

Any old household vacuum cleaner will work perfectly, but you need to take into account that its power will almost always be excessive. You should not reduce it with an LATR or a thyristor regulator: the motor will work in a difficult mode of excessive rotor slip and the service life of an already worn-out old man will be short. It is best to make a wide air drainage in the tuyere, as in the stationary forge described below.

Mobile

Here in Fig. - drawings of a deservedly popular design: a fully functional mobile forge intended for outdoor use. This is the kind of device that was in mind when thinking about cavalry and sewing machines.

Pay attention to the node marked with number 1. This is a drainage for fine adjustment of the blowing. The drainage tube extends and retracts, and at the bottom there is a longitudinal row of small holes, 1-2 mm in diameter, drilled into it. By bypassing air into the drainage, the boost can be very precisely controlled.

Stationary

Stationary forges are made experienced craftsmen according to your anthropometric data. A piece of orange-hot iron weighing several kilos in pincers is an extremely traumatic object, so the ergonomics of a stationary forge must be ideal.

Note: In A. N. Tolstoy’s novel “Peter the Great,” a case is colorfully described in which the still young tsar-craftsman received a fair beating from a forced blacksmith for clumsiness when welding an anchor’s claw. Only huge physical strength Petra then prevented a production emergency.

Take the sizes

The approximate dimensions of a stationary forge are shown in Fig.

These are approximate, but the height of the table and its dimensions must be determined precisely:

• We stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart. Bend the right freely lowered arm at the elbow.
• An assistant measures the distance from the elbow to the floor. Add 5-7 cm to it, this will be the height of the table.
• Now we take the largest pliers in the same hand, the assistant measures the distance from the stomach to the ends of their lips.
• We add 10-12 cm to it, we get half the length of the table diagonal.
• We take the length of the side of a square table equal to 1.4 of the length of the half-diagonal (0.707 of the full diagonal).

Note: There is no need to make the table round, because... You will have to take different parts with pliers. But rectangular is possible if you work together with a helper.

Design

The sequence of manufacturing a stationary forge is visible from Fig. It is better to lower the tuyere vent with supercharging from a vacuum cleaner or car stove snail lower, and at the same time make the air drainage flap (points 4 and 5) retractable forward. The result is an air receiver with a sufficiently large capacity, and the damper can be pulled out and pushed in with the toe of your shoe.

Also pay attention to the solid grate, pos. 2. In this case, it is special for forges. The secret is in the intersecting hollows that divide the slab into squares. Soot accumulates in them. If you drill holes in a smooth slab, you will have to clean them with a steel rod after each forging.

But why can’t the grate be made from slats, like in a stove? Because the mass of fuel is not sintered uniformly. In the cracks between the slats, the air flow will jump to where it is more free for it to exit. In that place the temperature will be higher, and the entire workpiece may be overdried in spots. An amateur craftsman will not notice this by eye, but under load the local fragility will affect it. And passing air through a two-dimensional regular structure (the stove grate is one-dimensional) reduces the unevenness of air distribution by an order of magnitude. If the grate is three-dimensional, as shown in Fig. with the installation of the forge at the beginning, the uneven distribution of air has practically no effect.

But what if there is nowhere to get a special grate? Then an acceptable solution is a completely homemade lance with a concentric arrangement of holes with a diameter of 8-10 mm, see fig. on the right, such a system does not clog so quickly and the blowing over the area ensures more or less uniformity. The principle of operation is similar to a shower diffuser.

You cannot inflate the air shower with a vacuum cleaner; it will blow out the fuel. You need to take a snail from a car stove or something similar. In this case, it is also undesirable to regulate the blowing by drainage; the optimal boost for uniform blowing is rather weak. It is necessary to build a throttle valve into the air duct, and make the lower cover of the lance removable only for cleaning.

Gas-burners

And finally we will give drawings of several burners for gas forges. They are quite suitable for artistic forging, and, whatever you say, it is the most in demand among blacksmith works. All these burners are direct-flow injection burners. The much more efficient and versatile vortex ones are too complex to make on your own.

The first one, in the figure, is the most difficult. To make it, you need to be a turner-miller of at least 5 real rank. But it works on any gas (except acetylene, see below!), gasoline-air mixture and produces a very powerful boost: it can also blow out a large stationary forge, described above.

The next one (see figure) is simpler and contains fewer details, although here too you need to accurately sharpen the shallow cones. It blows great too, but only runs on propane. For butane, a very narrow nozzle is required, and butane is rarely used.

Grind clean outer surface injector D1 and drill the nozzle in one installation. The nozzle is drilled with a carbide drill and goes through cleanly with a reamer. This is the main drawback of the design: it requires small precision tools, which are not available everywhere or always.

Below in Fig. two burners are simpler. On the left is a machined universal one for household gas or propane. At most, a small mobile forge can blow the air, but an average turner can turn out the parts. You just need to master the technology of fitting parts into hot tension. Which, however, is not difficult.

On the right is a homemade burner. Most of the parts, including the nipple, are from a bicycle. Using a lathe, you only need to turn the smallest sprocket from a bicycle gearbox to size. This burner is omnivorous: propane, butane, household gas cocktail, gas air. But it can only be used to heat small brick closed furnaces, shown at the beginning.

Note: Do not feed these burners with acetylene under any circumstances! You will burn metal in a forge and it won’t be long before it explodes!

Finally

Well, now we know how to make a forge. And what to do with the metal in it is a separate big topic. Blacksmithing is just beginning with a forge.

A forge is used to heat metal before forging, cement it, and perform other procedures related to heat treatment. It makes it possible to set the temperature to 1100-1200 degrees. To use a standard forge, you must have special skills and knowledge and be able to select fuel. A gas forge, although it cannot be used for forging, for example, Damascus swords, is structurally quite simple. It can be made in thirty minutes from six fireclay bricks and steel scraps.

Design

Here are the structural parts, the presence of which presupposes the construction of a forge:

• table made of fire-resistant material;
• hearth with grate;
• air chamber;
• air drainage;
• supply air duct;
• tent;
• a hole through which long parts are fed;
• umbrella;
• chimney;
• crucible (can be removed);
• tempering container;
• gas-air chamber.

Charcoal forge

How to make a blacksmith's forge? First of all, you need to understand the principle of its operation. The coal forge functions by burning carbon. When carbon burns, it releases a large amount of energy, which is used for heating.

Since carbon is a powerful reducing agent, it has long been used in the metallurgical field to smelt iron and other metals. Carbon takes away all the oxygen from the metal ore, leaving pure metal after smelting.

Carbon prevents the workpiece processed through the forge from oxidizing too quickly. Thanks to this, the part does not burn out. Blowing is carried out so that the fuel lacks air. If you keep the product in the furnace for too long, it will dry out and become brittle.

Gas horn

The design of the device becomes much simpler if purified monogas (propane, butane) is used as fuel. These gases contain carbon and hydrogen molecules (hydrogen is a good reducing agent; when interacting with air, it releases a lot of energy). The gas can be mixed with oxygen in the burner. A homemade gas forge is made quite quickly. The main thing is to install the burner.

The situation is different if you use natural gas. It is a compound of unsaturated/saturated hydrocarbons that require different quantity air. It will not be possible to optimally regulate the oxygen supply.

In addition, natural gas contains sulfur, silicon and phosphorus molecules. Sulfur is the “worst enemy” of steel parts. It makes them unusable. To restore the workpieces, you will need to completely melt them down.

In view of this, natural gas can be used as a fuel only after purification from sulfur. The easiest way is to pass the fuel through naphthalene before feeding it into the burner, which will absorb all the sulfur molecules. A homemade forge operating on household gas is intended primarily for processing workpieces that will not be heavily loaded in the future.

Purpose of structural elements

In production, the table is usually lined with quartz brick, which is fire resistant. It can last for decades even in harsh conditions. A homemade forge for forging is lined with fireclay stove brick. It's cheaper and more accessible. It will also last a long time if used infrequently.

The firebox with grates, air chamber and supply pipe form the main part of the device - the tuyere. Drainage is designed for precise and quick regulation of airflow. A weakly heated product cannot be forged; it will simply break.

The tent, umbrella, chimney are designed to remove smoke, which is harmful to the human body, from the furnace. Quite a lot of it is formed.

The hardening vessel and the gas-air chamber are optional elements. The hardening container will come in handy if you forge parts from damask steel. they need thermal shock hardening.

The gas-air chamber is used to:

• additionally dry and heat oxygen;
• purify oxygen from foreign particles and condensate;
• introduce special additives into the air for alloying.

The Crucible is a heat-resistant cap that maximizes permissible temperature. It is installed when a do-it-yourself forging device is used to melt precious metals and non-ferrous alloys.

Making a forge

The easiest way to make a forge with your own hands is from fireclay bricks. The grate shelves are made from trimmed metal pipes, and the grate bars themselves are made of steel strips four to six millimeters thick. They must be tightened at an angle with a screw (to capture the blast flow). The fuel will be coal and coke. You can light the forge using a blowtorch. Don't forget to install an asbestos partition between the lamp and the forge. It is possible to use such a forge at home only outdoors, because an umbrella and a chimney are not provided.

You can also make a stationary forge with your own hands. To do this, you need to determine the dimensions of the table on which it will stand.

1. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower right hand, bend it at the elbow joint.
2. Have your partner measure the distance from your elbow to the ground. Add five to seven centimeters. This will be the height of the table.
3. Take pliers in your right hand (preferably big size). A partner must measure the distance from the stomach to the ends of the tool’s jaws.
4. Add 10 - 12 centimeters. This will be one half the length of the table diagonal.
5. The length of the table side should be 0.7 from the diagonal.

It is advisable to place the tuyere air vent with a vacuum cleaner at the bottom. The drain flap must be able to slide out to the front.

It is recommended to install a solid grate with grooves that intersect and divide the slab into squares. Carbon deposits accumulate in them. If you drill holes, you will need to clean them with a steel rod after each forging.

Why shouldn’t you make a forge with your own hands using a grate made of planks? This is due to the fact that fuel burns differently. In the cracks between the shelf slats, oxygen will flow where it is easier for it to escape. In that area, the temperature will rise, the entire part will dry out, and its fragility will increase.

How to make a forge if there is no special grate? A good option– a tuyere in which the holes are located concentrically and have a radius of 4-5 millimeters. This design gets dirty slowly and ensures uniform blowing.

Gas burners

The gas forge is ideal for artistic forging. There are models that are almost impossible to create without a category. The advantage of such devices is that they operate on any gas and have powerful supercharging.

Bicycle parts can be used to make a gas horn with your own hands. The only turning work you will need to do is turn the sprocket from the bicycle gearbox. This device Can work on propane, butane. However, it can only heat small brick furnaces that are closed. Under no circumstances should you light a burner with acetylene. The part will simply burn out and the device will explode.

Understanding how to make a gas forge is much easier than understanding, for example, electrical diagram. To make it, use the appropriate drawings and photos. Watch the DIY forge video and you will be able to create a device that is perfect for home use.

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A forge is equipment that allows you to heat metal to a temperature of 1200 degrees. Its dimensions vary widely. Some are large and stationary, others are small and portable.

You can make a forge with your own hands of any design, which will work on both solid and gaseous fuel.

In order to understand how to make a forge with your own hands, you need to understand its design. Physical processes are based on the combination of carbon and oxygen. In other words, the process of carbon combustion occurs, releasing heat.

To prevent complete combustion of the metal, the amount of oxygen is not supplied in full. This is regulated by air blowing. You shouldn’t overcook the workpiece in the forge either. The metal will dry out and become hard but brittle. Classic example- cast iron.

A homemade forge for forging consists of the following parts:

1. Table made of refractories.
2. A firebox or hearth with a grate.
3. Air chamber.
4. Air drainage.
5. Supply air duct.
6. Air valve.
7. Camera.
8. Window through which workpieces are fed.
9. Umbrella.
10. Chimney.
11. Crucible.
12. Quenching bath.
13. Gas-air chamber.

Figure 1: Forge drawing

To line the table with your own hands, refractory bricks are used. The hearth is based on a form that includes a firebox, grate bars and an air chamber.
With the help of air drainage, the blowing is adjusted. The chimney is designed to remove accumulated gases.
A hardening chamber is not always necessary. It is required in the case of forging damask steel so that the product undergoes the necessary heat treatment.
The crucible is the place where the maximum temperature is maintained. At home, it is made of fireclay bricks.

Fuel

The following can be used as fuel:

• Small coke. Pre-kindling is done with firewood, on which coal is placed. The ignition temperature of coke is up to 600 degrees, so it is placed last.
• Charcoal burns better because it has a microporous structure.
• Coal. When burned, it should reach the carbon stage. It burns worse than coke, so it is used for forging less critical products.
• Firewood. They are burned in the shell so that harmful impurities do not reach the metal.
• Working with waste oil.

Solid fuel forges

To figure out how to make a forge that runs on solid fuel, you need to study the instructions and decide on the type. Forge furnace closed type better suited for working on coal or wood. It is made at home from scrap materials. A charcoal forge does not require special equipment.

Necessary materials:

• Availability of refractory bricks.
• Injection burner.
• Hood.

Manufacturing procedure:

• On preparatory stage drawings for the forge are being developed.
• From bricks coming making a cube. There remains a cavity with a hole inside.
• Using reinforcement, the frame is secured.
• A burner is installed in one of the side bricks.
• There is a hood on top, which creates safe working conditions.

Figure 2: Drawing of a solid fuel forge

Making a forge for heating metal with your own hands makes it possible to adjust it to the necessary conditions. The material used must only be of high quality to ensure fire safety is maintained.

Gas horn

A DIY gas forge should be practical. Its walls are made of fireclay bricks.

• Refractory bricks are being prepared.
• The walls of the forge are folded. The amount of material varies depending on the complexity and size of the case.
• Surfaces are processed using a hacksaw.
• All elements fit tightly. The presence of cracks is not allowed.
• A threshold is installed in the front part.
• A rectangular hole is cut at the back. It serves both for ventilation and for working with long workpieces.
• A hole of the appropriate diameter is cut out on the side for the gas burner.
• The gas burner is made of stainless steel. This is a pipe welded at one end and at metal mesh on another.

Such a forge has its advantages:

• The furnace is structurally simpler than a coal forge.
• Simple fuel supply and simple temperature adjustment.
• Light weight.
• Low cost.

There are other types of gas forges made of metal. There are no fundamental differences between them.

Figure 3: Burner drawing for a gas forge

Waste oil furnace

Considering that petroleum products are expensive, it is beneficial to use a forge using waste oil. To make the forge during mining, parts that have served their useful life are used. After processing the furnaces, a significant drawback emerged - the spent mixture did not ignite well. To eliminate this problem, an additional compartment was built into the mining forge. Here the oil is preheated with coal or wood. To improve combustion, waste fuel passes through filters and diesel fuel or gasoline is added to it.

As a result, the mining forge has the advantages of a yellow flame and stable temperature.

You can make it yourself:

• It is made from fireclay bricks, dimensions: 85×48×40 cm.
• The vault is made in the form of an arch to maintain temperature.
• The body is completely covered with sheets of iron. A thickness of 1.5 mm is used on the sides, and the top and bottom are lined with 2 mm sheets.
• The supports are made from angles based on the weight of the structure.

Air is pumped into the chamber by a fan. A waste tank is installed on a hill. From it, the oil enters the chamber through a pipeline, where it is picked up by air, which moves under a pressure of 2 atm. The waste is broken up and fed into the nozzle.

To reduce the ignition time, a heating element is installed in the forge during testing. Ignition time may take up to 30 minutes. But the hot mixture burns well. Now you need to make sure that the fireclay does not melt.

Scheme of the furnace during development:

Aluminum smelting

Aluminum, which has a high degree of ductility, is a low-melting non-ferrous metal. A forge for melting aluminum is easy to make with your own hands. There are many designs that use furnace smelting. They have no fundamental differences between themselves.

Step-by-step instructions for creating a forge for melting aluminum:

• The body is made of brick. The material is selected without cracks to avoid heat loss.
• By selecting scraps of steel pipes, shelves for grate bars are made from them. Low-melting material cannot be used here.
• Steel strips up to 6 mm thick are selected and used as grates.
• The grate bars are screwed on.

• Both coke and coal can be used as fuel.
• Using a blowtorch or gas burner ignition is carried out.

Such a homemade blacksmith's forge can only be used in open space, due to the absence of a chimney. During operation, a lot of gases are released that should not accumulate in a confined space.

Mini horn

A small, portable forge is often useful on the farm. It can be used not only in the forge, but also in the garage or at the dacha.

To make a mini-forge with your own hands, you need to have 2 refractory bricks, a hacksaw, a drill with a diameter of 8 cm and a length of 15 cm. It is advisable to have a pobedite tip at the end. To fasten the structure, 2 pins with a diameter of 8 cm and a length of 21 cm are prepared. During the work, you will need 2 hole saws, 63 and 26 mm in diameter.

The operating procedure is as follows:

• 2 bricks, 250 mm long, are sawn in half.
• Two halves of one brick are laid on top of each other and 2 through holes with a diameter of 63 mm are drilled using a hole saw.
• Placing the third half under them, through holes for the studs are drilled in two corners, diagonally.
• Using pins, a block of three bricks is assembled and pulled together. First, washers are put on the ends of the studs and nuts are screwed on.
• A hole for the burner is drilled between the first two bricks using a 26 mm ring drill. It connects to the main passage, but does not touch the second wall.

The burner is inserted into this hole and ignited. Any metal is fed into the main passage, which falls under the flame and heats up in a few seconds.

Making a forge from a potbelly stove

Essentially, this is the same potbelly stove, only without the grate. The appearance of blacksmiths can be in the form of a cube, parallelepiped and cylinder. After cleaning the grate, the air does not come from the space below, but is blown through a side channel, which can be adjusted. As a result, the oven heats up better. It retains gases longer, which also increases the heat.

The manufacturing procedure is as follows:

• From a pipe with a diameter of up to 300 mm, a ring 100 mm wide is cut. This part is called a collar.
• A sheet 4 mm thick is taken and a circle equal to the diameter of the collar is cut out of it. This will be the door.
• A piece of pipe for air supply is cut off. It can be from 76 to 102 mm.
• The damper is inserted into it using a handle, a spring and a nut.
• A strip 30 mm wide and length equal to the perimeter of the door is cut out of a 3 mm sheet.
• The strip fits around the door and gets scalded.
• A hole is drilled in the side of the door and a pipe for air supply is welded there.
• With help locking device, the door is attached to the collar.
• This unit is installed on the firebox with a distance of 100 mm from the bottom.
• In the back part, at the top, a hole is cut and a chimney is installed.

The disadvantages of such a stove include the absence of an ash pan. However, longer combustion results in improved combustion of solid waste. Ash removal can be done less frequently.

Making a forge from a bucket

The bucket forge is also designed for melting aluminum. To do this, you need a bucket with a capacity of 10 to 20 liters. In addition, gypsum and sand. This mixture is placed at the bottom of the bucket.

Step-by-step instructions for a forge made from a bucket with your own hands:

• The selected bucket must not be galvanized. This is due to the fact that zinc, when heated, releases harmful gases. The container is made of ordinary metal.
• A mixture of gypsum and sand, 5 cm thick, is placed on the bottom. The ratio is 1:2. First, such a mixture is formed at the bottom. After drying, the inner walls of the bucket are treated with it. Drying time is 15–20 minutes.
• A water squeegee is installed below, through which air is supplied with a hairdryer.
• A crucible is inserted into the bucket.
• The ignition process begins.
• Aluminum is placed in a crucible and melts under heat.

Small items can be cast in this way.

A hand-made blacksmith's forge is a necessary household device. However, first, you need to read the instructions for its use. Purchase the necessary drawings. The risk of fire must be completely eliminated. The right place has been chosen for it. Working with hot metal will bring not only pleasure, but also benefits.