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We make a forge from available materials. Features of using and making a forge with your own hands Homemade mini forge with your own hands

Equipment for heat treatment of metals is an expensive pleasure. Not every novice master is ready to shell out a substantial amount of money to purchase it. But there are technologies according to which forge You can build one on gas with your own hands without much difficulty or expense.

In the article we presented you will find a detailed description of the assembly of the main attribute of blacksmithing. We will talk about how the forge works and its structural components. We will show you how to achieve the temperature required for melting and forging workpieces.

We offer independent home craftsmen to familiarize themselves with homemade products proven by blacksmith practice. You will learn what materials, ready-made devices and tools are required in the manufacture of a forge. Gain insight into the complex process and valuable advice.

A forge is necessary to carry out a number of operations to prepare metal for subsequent processing. The workpiece heated in it is given the designed shape. With its help, the now popular forged jewelry, household parts, utensils, furnishings, etc. are made.

The forge is used in all areas of heat treatment. It can be very miniature, installed literally on a table, or stationary, reminiscent of a traditional brick stove. Regardless of size, all models operate on the same principle.

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A forge installed in a garage or similar utility room will ensure a background temperature of 1100-1200 degrees for heating, melting and forging metals, cementing, casting glass products

Forges for forging work are either stationary or portable. There are floor models for forging large workpieces and tabletop models for making original jewelry

In a simplified version, a forge can be made from a metal container into which fuel and air must be supplied to maintain combustion

The forges offered by the industry cannot be called cheap equipment. But there is a way out. You can do it with your own hands

Equipment for a private forge

Tabletop version of a homemade blacksmith's forge

A simplified version of the forge

Factory-made forging unit

How does a blacksmith's forge work?

To prepare the metal for subsequent forging, it needs to be heated and literally “softened” under temperature conditions of up to 1100-1200ºС. The conditions are achieved thanks to specific design features that ensure the supply of fuel and oxygen to the combustion zone in the proportions required for the process.

Inside a gas or solid fuel forge, a characteristic chemical reaction occurs: the hydrocarbon is processed. Carbon, produced by the combustion of both gaseous and solid hydrocarbons, catches and appropriates oxygen from the heated metal. The result is steel without oxidizing impurities.

A blacksmith's forge built with your own hands, of course, will not allow you to forge damask blades and openwork grilles for an exquisite balustrade, but for the manufacture of simple household items and original jewelry it is quite suitable

The features of the forge allow you to partially use the reduction potential of carbon. All oxygen is not burned out of the heated workpiece. Thanks to partial reduction, the metal does not burn out completely and does not become brittle, as happens with cast iron.

To set up a miniature home forge, no special materials are needed. Almost every owner has everything necessary. Surely he has bricks and scraps of rolled metal, steel pipes, anchors, clamps

By the way, cast iron products in industry are saturated with oxygen after heat treatment in order to get rid of this disadvantage or at least minimize it.

In an industrially produced forge equipped with a control system, the air required for combustion is pumped so that it is slightly lacking. It is difficult to equip a homemade product with such a device, unless, of course, you install a ready-made gas burner with automation on it.

Regardless of the design and type of operation of the forge, the carbon released from the hydrocarbon is processed in its working area. It attracts oxides to itself, ridding the metal of them

Due to the impossibility of a controlled supply of air, or rather the oxygen contained in it, hand-made forged products are often burned out. This happens in the first stages. However, with experience comes the ability of the master to feel when to stop heating, as well as knowledge of what needs to be done to avoid complete loss of oxygen.

Device and working components

There are a great many options for making homemade models, tested by blacksmiths in practice. We will present only a small part of them. Before deciding which gas forge is best to make with your own hands, let’s look at the typical features of the device.

In technical essence, any forge is a kind of furnace with characteristic accessories: a firebox, a grate, an air chamber, called a blower in Russian heating units. Unlike a conventional stove, the air chamber is equipped with drainage to regulate the air supply and a pipe with a valve.

The grate is strengthened so that it is able to resist considerable thermomechanical effects. A regular grill made of metal rods or corner scraps will not work. You need a reinforced device. Ideally, it would be better if it was a thick metal panel built into the desktop with evenly drilled holes.

In the design of a forge, each structural part performs specific functions, due to which the removal of metal from impurities and heating for forging is carried out in an optimal manner

The combination of the listed components is called a tuyere. Complete with forges industrial production There are several of them so that they can be changed depending on the required conditions for performing a certain operation and on the size of the workpiece to be heated.

The lance is most often installed not in a closed housing, but rather mounted on a table. It needs to be sufficiently stable and protected from thermal effects, for which a lining is used. In a number of designs, a grate is built into the table or a metal perforated panel is installed instead.

The lining of the table for a stationary furnace, which is going to be actively used, uses refractory quartz brick. Homemade products for one-time work are lined with fireclay bricks. It’s easier to find it on sale, and the price is lower.

The combustion chamber of the forge is strengthened by lining, which is made with refractory or fireclay bricks that can resist high temperatures

For complete collection and disposal flue gases a tent or umbrella is placed above the table with a perforated panel or above the tuyere. They are connected to smoke channel, which is built according to the principle. It must work flawlessly, because... The gases released when metal is heated are extremely toxic.

In addition to the main structural components, there are also additional devices. Usually, blacksmiths place a quenching bath next to the forge to ready product immediately immerse it in a cooling and hardening medium. This is the case if thermal shock hardening is required.

When setting up your own forge, you need to think not only about the manufacture of equipment for heating metal, but also about related equipment: an anvil, hardening bath, gas-air chamber, chimney and exhaust hood

Craftsmen also use a gas-air chamber on a production scale. In it, the products are dried from condensation and additives are added to the composition, which can only be added in a gaseous state. Air is dried there to obtain certain technological conditions.

To increase the area of ​​​​extremely high temperature, a crucible is used - a cap that expands towards the base. It is needed mainly when working with non-ferrous and precious metals. Handicraftsmen often do not need any of the additions, except perhaps a bath, for which any metal container of sufficient volume can be adapted.

Choosing blue fuel for work

It is believed that both the main and the main forge are suitable for operating a forge. Let's disappoint: use uncleaned natural option inappropriate.

There are two good reasons for abandoning natural fuels:

• From the pipe we receive blue fuel, which is a kind of mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons. Their calorific value and oxygen retention abilities vary. Therefore, it is virtually impossible to tune in to the optimal air supply.
• The gas mixture for domestic use always contains, albeit insignificant, the content of impurities that affects the result. The presence of phosphorus and silicon may not be noticed, but sulfur will definitely render the result of labor efforts unusable. Only remelting can save.

In addition domestic gas odorize – give it a characteristic odor so that a leak can be detected immediately. These substances will also negatively affect quality.

Household gas is not suitable for the operation of a forge, since it contains impurities that interfere with the processing of metals. Gaseous fuel must be cleaned before being supplied to the combustion zone or cylinders with industrial monogas must be used.

Industrial liquefied gases would be perfect: propane or butane supplied in cylinders. But only if they are monogases without any accompanying impurities at all.

If it is not possible to buy purified blue fuel, you can carry out the purification yourself. To get rid of sulfur-containing compounds, a container with naphthalene will help, through which you must pass the gas before feeding it into the burner.

By the way, if you use a factory-made burner, the process of constructing the forge will be carried out much faster. And you don’t have to worry about the result; everything will work flawlessly and safely. In addition, in the burner, air and gas can be mixed in advance in the proportions required for operation.

Forge construction technology

Let’s immediately make a reservation that the homemade gas forge, the drawings and assembly methods of which we will introduce you to, is not suitable for production purposes. However, it is very easy to make unique jewelry, interesting interior items, and original metal products with its help.

Let's start with the simplest options that do not require the performer to have skills in welding and other construction fields.

Elementary design with gas burner

The simplest forge for forming beautiful tips on a metal rod from which you plan to weld a nice fence in the country, or for forging jewelry can be made from six fireclay bricks.

The grate in this model is welded using two pieces of VGP steel pipe of arbitrary diameter, but not too large. Cuttings twisted like a screw are welded across them profile pipe, corner or strip. This is necessary to capture the blast flow.

The simplest version of a forge can be assembled in half an hour from six bricks, several pieces of steel pipe and rolled metal

A “firebox” is made from fireclay bricks, which has only a base, an upper ceiling, and two walls on the sides. This forge is installed only outdoors, since there is no smoke removal system. On the pressurization side, dig a small hole in the ground for the housing of a gas burner or blowtorch.

To prevent an explosion from the gas burner during operation of this forge, it is better to place a partition made of asbestos cardboard in front of the entrance to the firebox. After all, the heat emanating from an open firebox can return and heat the gas tank.

In the simplest forging installations, combustion air is supplied either naturally or using bellows. in both cases it is impossible to control the oxygen supply

In general, in this device, heating is carried out on coals or coke (fine coke produced specifically for blacksmiths). Gas burner or blowtorch used only to activate the process. They will ignite and create a blowing jet.

Mobile version from the caterpillar

To install this model, you need a used caterpillar track. Holes are cut at its ends for inserting a homemade or purchased gas burner. Two recesses are cut above the holes. This model, like the previous type, can be used exclusively in the fresh air.

The lining of a homemade hearth is made with a mixture of fireclay sand and fireclay brick. You can purchase a ready-made mixture for this. There is no need to bake anything special after application. Hardening of the lining composition will occur during use of the device.

For supercharging, a fan of suitable type and power is installed, for example, from a manual siren. Blowing is ideal gas-burner, which can be removed from a used turbocharged boiler, if, of course, it is in working technical condition.

A design made from old cast iron cookware will not allow reaching temperatures above 900º C, which significantly narrows the scope of application.

This solution has a significant drawback - it can only be used outdoors, and if you use a blower burner, you will need power. Those. you will have to stock up on either a good extension cord of sufficient power, or take a risk by placing the device near your home.

There is another option - blacksmith bellows, which blacksmiths have used for several centuries. However, we note that manually pumping air into the firebox of the forge is not at all safe. And with performance everything will be problematic and ambiguous.

Stationary equipment for the workshop

Models installed in workshops for permanent work must be not only functional, but also ergonomic. It is important to consider both ease of use and safety, because a red-hot metal blank poses a potential threat. And getting seriously injured is not part of the plans of any normal master.

In this case, the dimensions of the equipment should not be taken as standard, because we are all folded and arranged individually. The forge should be convenient for you and those who will use your workshop if it is rented jointly. Of particular importance is the height of the desktop and its dimensions.

A mobile forge can be used in winter in a workshop equipped with an exhaust system with a probe, and in summer - outside, moving inside the building upon completion of work

To determine the size of the future forge, we proceed as follows:

• We will choose a place in the workshop that allows us to place all the main and optional equipment in places convenient for carrying out the full range of work on heating, forging and hardening.
• Let's determine our place. Let's stand with our feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your working (right/left) arm at the elbow.
• We measure the distance from the elbow of the bent arm to the plane of the floor. It’s easier for your partner to do this. Then we also get the second result, if you are not the only one doing the forging. We add 5-7 cm to the arithmetic mean of the two distances - we get the height of the desktop.
• We take the largest pliers in order to measure the distance from the stomach to their most extreme point. We add 10-12 cm to the measured distance - we get half the diagonal of the desktop.
• We calculate the length of the side of the square desktop, taking into account the previously obtained half of the diagonal.

The blacksmith table is usually not made round, because... it is inconvenient to work with, especially if you have to work with a helper.

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Homemade horn for your own forge are made taking into account individual dimensions and ease of use of the equipment

In the center of the working table of the forge for regular work there is a solid cast grate with uniform perforation. This option accumulates fumes less, and if it does collect, it distributes it more evenly than a prefabricated grate made from a rod, strip or corner

In such designs, a vacuum cleaner is not used to pressurize the air mass when working on coal or coke. It is better to connect a centrifugal fan-scroll from a car heater

Permanently installed furnaces for a private forge must be equipped with a flue gas collection and removal system. In a closed space, it is advisable to also install mechanical exhaust ventilation

Work table of a stationary forge

Solid cast grate

Air duct for supplying oxygen to the combustion zone

Smoke removal system for a forge in a private forge

The stationary forge presented in the system is universal equipment that can be adapted for both solid and gaseous fuels. If coal from burnt wood or coke is loaded into the firebox, air is pumped by a fan from the stove from the car, because the vacuum cleaner will blow out the coals.

There is a built-in grate in the center of the desktop. This option is needed so that when the holes are clogged with fumes, there is no uneven distribution of heat. When using gas, you need to equip the installation with an injection burner, which is better to buy, but you can make it yourself.

Inspired by the heritage of cavalrymen

Horsemen at all times needed horseshoes and nails to fasten them. Hussar and Uhlan squadrons also had portable forges in their arsenal, which moved along with military formations. The basis of mobile machines for forging work was a crank mechanism.

An analogue of the crank mechanism is now easier to find. It’s enough to remember where my grandmother’s foot-operated Singer sewing machine is kept. With some modifications, Singer's followers of the Chaika brand will do.

If gas is used as fuel in the operation of a homemade forge, it is better to mix it in a gas-air chamber to which a vacuum cleaner is connected

It is advisable to give preference to the old versions with a cast iron frame. It will withstand any thermal and mechanical stress. The ideal solution would be a structure on wheels, which can easily be moved to a place convenient for work.

Forge from a cylinder with a propane torch

Let us immediately warn you that this model of forge is suitable only for those who have considerable experience working with propane. The gas chamber of this option is quite large, therefore, at the slightest violation of the rules, the explosion can be destructive. The consequences are unpredictable, but in most cases catastrophic.

A master who decides to make a forge from an oxygen cylinder will need exactly this empty container with a diameter of 25 cm. Fireproof materials will be needed: stove, cement, paint, kaolin wool. You will need fasteners, a ceramic coating, and a threaded steel barrel to arrange the burner connection point.

You will also need fasteners and other materials, which we list in the text. To carry out the work, you need to stock up on a grinder, a set of taps size 10-32, a spatula, a coating brush, a drill and files. You will also need protective equipment: an effective respirator, cotton work gloves, and goggles.

The following photo selection will show you how to assemble a homemade forge from an oxygen cylinder:

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Let's prepare the gas cylinder (in our case oxygen) for work: wash it with a suitable household product. In order to relieve the tension of the metal structure, mark two circles on both sides along the DVD disc and cut them out

To cut a hole on the front side, mark a circle. Draw it according to the outline of a pan of a suitable size or other similar container

From the front side we cut the gas cylinder along the outlined circle. On the opposite side, cut off the end of the cylinder along the seam. We then weld the part cut off at the back, but not with a continuous seam, but with an intermittent one

We clean the cuts on both sides with sandpaper or a grinder with an abrasive disc so that there are no burrs left.

Step 1: Marking the auxiliary holes

Step 2: Marking the hole from the front side

Step 3: Cutting the balloon with a grinder

Step 4: Sanding the cut

If the cylinder initially did not have support legs and a handle at the top for carrying, they should be welded. By the way, if you have no experience in welding, work on connecting parts can be done with bolts or by soldering.

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By attaching the threaded barrel to the wall of the cylinder, we outline it. For right-handed people it is better to place it at the top right, approximately in the middle of the container, for left-handed people - on the left

For owners of a drill with a core attachment, drilling a hole is easy and simple. We will assume that we do not have such a tool at our disposal, so we drill holes around the circumference

We install a disk attachment on the engraver and connect the drilled holes so that it is possible to separate the circle from the body

If the nipple does not fit into the hole made, cut off the “teeth”

Step 5: Marking the hole for screwing in the nipple

Step 6: Drilling holes along the outline of the pipe

Step 7: Cutting a Hole with a Disc Engraver

Step 8: Preparing the Hole for Screwing in the Keg

Now you need to secure the pipe and build a device for fixing the propane burner in the pipe:

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Having clamped the threaded barrel in a vice, we drill four holes in the walls of the barrel with a tap. We will wrap the mounting screws in them

We check how freely the screws move along the thread created for them. The stroke should not be too tight or too loose. After all, it is the screws that will hold the burner in the pipe

We unscrew the screws from the nipple and place it in the hole. We fix it in a way convenient for further work and weld it. If you find a flange of the appropriate size, you can bolt it on

We fix the pipe in the housing in two stages. First we attach with dots and an interrupted seam. Then we connect everything with a continuous convex seam

We treat the butt seam with sealant. We check whether the thread was damaged by a spark during welding

Having installed the working part of the propane burner in the pipe, we check how firmly the four screws hold it

If, after installing the working part of the burner, it turns out that its tip requires extension, you will have to upgrade the tool by extending the outlet

We test the performance and performance of a gas burner with an extended barrel. Checking the ignition speed and reaching operating temperature

Step 9: Drilling Screw Holes in the Nipple

Step 10: Checking the Screws in the Holes

Step 11: Welding the Threaded Barrel

Step 12: Welding the barrel with a continuous seam

Step 13: Seal the joint

Step 14: Check that the burner is fixed in the installed pipe

Step 15: Extension of the working part of the burner

Step 16: Testing the tightness of the extended barrel

Now is the time to start arranging the bottom of the homemade forge. To do this, we will need fireclay bricks, from which we will build a kind of desktop. At the same time, we will separate the high temperature zone from contact with the metal wall of the housing.

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To prevent the fireclay bricks from crumbling during cutting, soak them in plain water for 15 minutes. Then we mark for cutting. One brick must be divided into sections 2.5 cm wide

We connect a hose with water to the angle grinder and start cutting, constantly wetting the cut with water from the hose

We dry the cut bricks before joining without a hairdryer, in natural conditions. Workpieces should remain slightly damp to improve adhesion to the bonding solution.

Having folded the two remaining bricks, we mark the required length of the bottom part. It should be 5 cm less than the length of the body of our homemade forge

Let's try the support bars cut from bricks to the installation site. Let's mark their location

We install solid and cut bricks on the support bars. Checking to see if trimming is actually required

We extract the sampled parts of the hearth bottom and modify them as necessary. We treat all abutting sides of the parts with refractory cement and connect them

We leave the part of the hearth bottom connected with cement to harden. We wait as long as indicated in the manual by the manufacturer of the composition

Step 17: Preparing fireclay bricks for work

Step 18: Cutting Bricks with a Sander

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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. Use for heating natural gas although it does not allow you to forge a Damascus blade or Indian damask steel Wootz in a home forge, like a classic coal forge, it significantly simplifies 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 the chemical reaction of carbon combustion 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 the large amount of heat released will develop a high temperature.

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 in a hurry, 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. Household natural gas, firstly, 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. A homemade forge is 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 tuyeres are used for different ways heating 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 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 blades, hardened in the living body of a captive strong enemy or, in extreme cases, a muscular slave, were once considered the best.

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 a common compressed air network. 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 placed if colored or precious metals and alloys (melting point of gold 1060 degrees, silver 960, copper 1080, brass and bronze 900), cement parts 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 burn with coal, you need to let it 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 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. The lining is fireclay marl mixed with fireclay sand (ground fireclay bricks, commercially available). 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 operating 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 genitals, and the nest for it in the forge was made of female genitals.

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) of this type are 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 DC, 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 by experienced craftsmen according to their 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 Peter’s enormous physical strength prevented a production emergency at that time.

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 become over-dried 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 boost that is optimal 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.

You need to grind the outer surface of the D1 injector clean 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. A small mobile forge can blow the air at most, 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.

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. The working surface may have various sizes. It all depends on what kind of metal workpieces you are going to work with. 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, so the optimal solution is 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. Pour the required amount of fuel onto the grate. 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 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 bringing a homemade model closer to the ideal is quite possible.

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. These are already stationary devices that 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 pan. 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 type of furnace fuel.
2. An alternative type of fuel for the forge is gas. And 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 you make a hole in the back wall, ventilation will be much more effective.

After looking at photos of forges and studying 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?

In artisanal conditions it can produce temperatures of up to 1200 degrees, which is quite enough for forging steel. However, how difficult is it to make and what do you need to know about the fireplace requirements? How to make a simple forge with your own hands and what types of furnaces can be assembled in your workshop? More on this later in our article.

Even 100-120 years ago, the main type of fuel was coal; all major production equipment, including forges, ran on it. Today, the variety of fuels allows you to different kinds ovens, almost in a “pocket” format, but quite effective and efficient.

For example, in the presented video there is a homemade forge for forging, made from a tin can and a small gas burner.

Depending on the type of fuel used and design features, the following types of forging hearths are distinguished.

• Gas, liquid and solid fuel.
• With open and closed hearth.
• Portable and stationary.

Which of these types to choose and make will depend on the planned work and the size of the workpieces being processed.

How to make a gas forge

Despite the time-tested solid fuel types of fireplaces, gas analogues have many more advantages.

The main positive aspects are economical fuel consumption, uniform heating of the workpiece, sulfur does not accumulate on the heated metal, and higher efficiency.

How to make a gas forge with your own hands and what is needed for this?

Usually any homemade device forge furnace Each master makes for himself and his personal preferences. But the basic design concept is the same. Construction of a forge forge gas fuel consists of two parts: a stove and a gas burner.

You can assemble a good device using this video:

• For such a design you will need a metal container: a barrel, bucket or something similar.
• On the side, you need to use a crown to make a hole for the gas supply system to the hearth.
• The burner itself can be assembled from pipe elements and couplings.
• For the legs on which such a forge will stand, you need to drill holes in the bottom of the container and use fasteners made of long bolts and nuts.
• The lining of the hearth is made by backfilling alabaster with the addition of water and sand. In this case, you need to form the internal walls. How the casing can be used ceramic pipe(as in the video) or form a fire using a bottle of a suitable size.
• When the lining is ready, you need to drill a hole for the gas supply.

The advantage of this design is its compactness, mobility, and, most importantly, you can regulate the heating temperature of the workpiece (different steels have different forging temperatures).

Also gas type the forge can be assembled from brick. To do this you need to purchase a fireproof type of this wall material. To bind it together, it is better to use clay.

To supply gas, a hole is drilled in the brick structure for the existing burner.

Important! Using gas forge the workshop must have a powerful forced ventilation to remove combustion products!

You can use ordinary household gas as fuel, which is sold in cylinders and is relatively cheap. And most importantly, its supply can be replenished at any gas station!

This homemade forge, powered by propane, allows you to heat many grades of steel to the required temperature.

Manufacturing of solid fuel forge

The combustion of solid fuel by itself cannot produce the required temperature, so to increase it, such structures must have an additional air supply system. The design of the furnace itself will also depend on personal preferences and the size of the workpieces being processed.

In old workshops, bellows were previously used for this, pumping them to create a powerful stream of air supplied to the hearth.

How to assemble such a solid fuel forge?

The simplest design is an open top stove installed outdoors. Its advantage is that you don’t need to bother with arranging powerful ventilation.

• Initially, a concrete base is poured, preferably with reinforcement.
• The base is initially assembled on it using ordinary wall bricks. This table can be of any convenient height. In this case, you need to leave a hole in one of the walls. The so-called blower. The result should be a square or rectangle.
• The next step is assembling the actual lower surface of the oven (under). It is assembled from refractory bricks, which are laid on bases, for example, from steel corners.
• A hole for the grate is left in the center of the future hearth. For the manufacture of this element, heat-resistant material is used. A cast iron stove from an old stove is perfect. You need to pre-drill holes in it.
• When the grate is installed, the walls are made of the same refractory brick.
• A hole is made in one of the walls for the air supply system. It can be drilled out using a drill and a diamond bit. Or leave it in advance when laying.
• If the top is assembled, then the chimney will also have to be folded, otherwise there will be no draft in a closed stove, and even indoors.

When the work is completed, the air supply system is installed. Here you can install an electric fan in the pipe. Or construct it as shown in the video:

Such a simple device is quite suitable for forging with your own hands. Despite their primitive design, such stoves have been used for hundreds of years, although they have their drawbacks.

The main disadvantage is the difficulty in controlling the process and uneven heating of the workpieces. Also quite low efficiency compared to gas and higher fuel consumption.

Liquid devices

It is possible to equip a forge with liquid fuel, using mining, diesel fuel or fuel oil as the latter.

The difficulty lies in the presentation required quantity fuel into the combustion chamber.

When assembling such a stove, they install a fuel tank and a system for supplying it to the fireplace - a nozzle. the main problem is to ensure that the fuel is sprayed into fine dust, then the system will be effective.

For higher temperatures, you will need to arrange an air supply. It is best to use an electric fan.

However, a liquid fuel forging furnace is quite complex to maintain and assemble. It is much easier to assemble a gas analogue, and the fuel will cost much less, and less of it will be required. But some craftsmen assemble such furnaces and use them for their forge.

When deciding which type of forge to assemble with your own hands, you need to be guided by the needs and planned types of work. Forged knives are not required large sizes hearth and, if such small forgings are created, it is not worth assembling a large stationary structure. It is much easier to make a small, portable type of stove, preferably gas-powered.

Of course, when planning to produce more massive products, it is best to make a stationary brick forge with a powerful blower and exhaust hood.

Also important is the choice of fuel. Gas is a cheaper and simpler option, coal (wood or stone) is somewhat more difficult to use and is needed large quantity in terms of the mass of the workpiece. What to choose depends on your preference and access to fuel supplies.

To take part in the discussion of this material, go to the comments of this article. Leave your comments, supported by experience in assembly and use various designs blacksmith forges.

Blacksmith masterpieces have always enjoyed special love and popularity. And if you have the strength, desire and opportunity, then you can always take up this profitable craft within the territory of your private home. Moreover, a homemade brick forge turns out to be very simple to make independently.

Purpose of the equipment

In any forge, the forge is used for a number of important operations - to heat the metal immediately before forging, to cement it, or to engage in other heat treatment operations. Even outside production workshop it allows you to get temperatures reaching up to 1200 degrees. The most amazing thing is that you can make such equipment yourself - in its simplified version, it can be assembled in about thirty minutes, using only six fireclay bricks and a few pieces of steel. At the same time, both the temperature and quality indicators of the heating process itself will meet the requirements for fine artistic forging and even smelting.

Horns are divided into open and closed. In the first version, the source is heated in a special space-chamber.

For the second type, fuel will be poured directly onto the grate itself, and air will be supplied from below (it is convenient to work with large workpieces).

How will homemade equipment work? The operation of any (both industrial and domestic) similar equipment is based on the principle of the chemical reaction produced by the combustion of carbon. This element is capable of literally “greedily” wanting to reunite with oxygen (which was taken into account in metallurgy). Ores of iron and other metals are oxides and their compounds. When heated, oxygen goes to carbon, and the metal begins to be released in free form.

However, you need to make sure that the metal itself does not burn - if it is overexposed, it will simply become overdried (this is, for example, cast iron).

That is why it is important to regulate the flow of air into the furnace. And this cannot be done without a properly constructed structure.

How the forge works

The industrial apparatus has a slightly different homemade device. Before you start making such a product yourself, you need to study its basis:

1. Through a nozzle (another name for a tuyere), air enters the chamber space.
2. Refractory bricks will maintain the required temperature power.
3. The grate bars will hold the fuel used above the air chamber.
4. The fuel source will be loaded into the forge socket.
5. More bricks will form the frame of the device.
6. A fan supplies air to the furnace.
7. The overall frame is usually made of metal.
8. Air chamber.
9. Ash pan.
10. Air duct pipe.
11. Casing.

Of course, in order to comply with all of the above, to an ordinary person there is not enough knowledge and funds. But a more simplified version can easily be installed on your own.

Brick forge: a simple closed version

A temporary forge is easily erected from available materials. For this you will need:

• six refractory bricks;
• blowtorch;
• homemade grate (grid) made of steel strips with a thickness of at least 3 mm.

All work must be carried out in a pre-designed fireproof place. Correct sequence The stages can be considered as follows:

1. The bottom “layer” of bricks (two pieces) is laid.
2. Then two cut pieces are placed on them drainpipes, on which the grating is placed so that a gap is still visible between it and the bricks below.
3. You need to slightly bend the cross slats on the grill - this will help them capture the flame of a heated blowtorch and direct it straight upward.
4. Two side bricks are laid (these will be the walls).
5. On them, similarly to the lower ones, the remaining upper pair will be located.
6. Coke (coal) is poured onto the grate and a blowtorch (already heated) is placed in front of the forge itself. Its flame ignites the coals and maintains further combustion. Now all that remains is to find the optimal direction of the flame so that the output temperature is very high.
7. For safety reasons, it is better to isolate the blowtorch from the hot forge with some kind of screen made of non-flammable material.

Manufacturing of parts

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The working surface will be a table - that is, the base of the forge, where the hearth with fuel will be placed. It is on it that metal workpieces are heated. This design usually turns out to be very heavy. It’s easy to make: for example, you can make metal cover in 4 mm steel sheet.
How is the grating made? You can “adapt” an old cast-iron frying pan for this (just before doing this you need to drill several holes with a 10 mm diameter). Alternatively, a wheel rim will do.
After completing work with the grille, we adjust it by inserting it into the hole in the table. To make it “fit” better, the brick can even be slightly sawed down (after soaking it in water). The height of such a table can be chosen arbitrarily, but it is better to do it at the level of the master’s belt.

Gas options

Is it possible to replace coal (usually coke) and a blowtorch with some other analogues? For example, it could be a gas burner. In industry - yes, it’s easy for the simple reason that the monogases used there are specially designed for such purposes (they consist of a specially selected mixture). But household gas will not provide optimal air heating that can heat the metal. In addition, a household burner contains an admixture of sulfur, which can simply “kill” all the operational properties of the metal (for the reverse process, everything will have to be melted again). Steel and sulfur from wood also “poison” it.
Of course, you can fight something like this. Only the methods are somewhat “exotic”:

1. Pass the gas from the cylinder through a container of mothballs before feeding it into the burner.
2. Use this gas to heat parts that are not too critical and subject to load (this could be any decorative artistic elements of forging).

How to use "homemade"

homemade brick forge

Additional air supply can be provided using a foot drive (usually mechanical). It can be replaced with both a fan and a vacuum cleaner. Regarding the latter, we can say that it is important here that there is a speed controller and that it makes little noise.
The brick forge is almost ready. Now it’s important to learn how to use it correctly:

1. The forging itself will begin with pouring fuel onto the grate area. Although many blacksmiths act according to this principle: the blanks are placed on the coals themselves, and another layer is added on top (this allows a roof to form inside the coal and create the necessary high temperature).
2. It is still allowed to use wood fuel, but to do this you will have to install one ring on the forge (height 15 cm and diameter 20 cm). A vertical cutout is made inside the ring and the same on the other side.
3. This way, as wood waste burns, it will fall down, and the optimal temperature for working with a metal product will be set at the very bottom. If you plan to work with workpieces big size, then it is better to increase the working surface - for this it is enough to make a special removable table of the required size from the corners.
4. You will also need to install a hood above the mini-forge workshop - such a box can either be purchased or made independently.
5. The workpiece selected for forging must be buried in already hot coal, where it is kept until it turns approximately light orange (this is an indicator that the temperature has approached about a thousand degrees). You can’t keep the workpieces for too long - this will only worsen them mechanical properties, and will make the metal too brittle.
6. For forging, a hammer weighing up to one kilogram is used. You need to wear special safety glasses when working - this will prevent hot scale from getting into your eyes.
7. As an anvil, you can use any massive metal thing - a sledgehammer or even a piece of rail.

A homemade forge will even help you do welding.- only in this case the parts need to be heated to white heat (and this is a temperature of at least 1300 degrees) and overlapped. But for this it is better to use low-carbon steel materials.
You can even solder on such equipment. To do this, the parts are first tied together with wire and coated with borax (or flux) and then sent to a furnace to be heated to a temperature of 900° - this will be visible by the orange color of the metal. All that remains is to bring pieces of brass into the soldering areas and wait until they spread along the seam.
Using such homemade equipment, you can make grates, fireplace tongs, decorative door and gate hinges, and even a candlestick. The assortment will depend only on the desire of the master behind the mine.
For a more detailed discussion of the topic, we recommend watching a video on making a simple forge: