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Homemade propane gas stove. We make a gas forge with our own hands - two design options. Blacksmith forge from a bucket

Today we have a master class on making a homemade blacksmith gas forge.

Hello! I divided the manufacture of the forge into 2 logical parts:

directly manufacturing a forge;
simple design improvements for comfortable operation.

The design is simple and does not need drawings, so without unnecessary water, straight to the point!

Part 1 - Making a gas forge

Materials needed to make a homemade gas forge:

fireclay bricks - 9 pcs for the forge +1 for the lid;
corner 25x25x3 - 2500 mm (the corner for the bed was not taken into account. Here it is more convenient for anyone);
construction stud m8 - 4x300 mm;
m8 nuts and washers - 8 pcs.

The tool needed to make a gas forge:

Bulgarian;
drill;
*welding machine.

* in principle, you can do without welding. Using bolted connections.

2 frames are boiled from the corner, with which the bricks will be pulled together. A drill drills holes in these frames for screeding with studs. You also need to drill a hole in the brick under. I did it with a drill and then bored with a milling cutter.
After that, the hearth is assembled: bricks are laid in the lower frame, covered with the upper one and pulled together with studs. That's all! At no extra cost, you now have a simple gas forge.
You can see in detail about its manufacture with your own hands in my video.

Part 2 - refinement of the forge for convenient forging

As I already wrote at the very beginning of the article, here I will describe the simplest improvements that I made in the first days of operation of the forge. He brought the design to mind with improvised material.

Materials needed to upgrade a homemade gas furnace:

corner 25x25x3;
profile pipe 20x20x2;
profile pipe 15x15x2;
metal strip 100 mm wide;
fittings round d10 mm;
wheels, 2 pcs.

The tool needed to upgrade the gas furnace:

Bulgarian;
welding.

It's even easier here. Since in the first part it was necessary to make frames according to the size of the brick. Now you just do what you feel comfortable with.

I did this:

I welded 2 wheels, so that it would be convenient to move the forge around the workshop. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen.
I welded 2 bars of reinforcement between the two legs of the bed. This simple action will allow you to securely store the pliers between forging and just keep them in order.
Working shelf. I welded a shelf of the simplest design to the right of the hearth. I'd like to note. What did it is not easy. I am right-handed and hold the workpiece with my left hand, and work with my right. And the forge is on my left hand, so as not to intersect with the flame, I work on its right side. Therefore, it will be convenient to place the working shelf closer to you.
Lid. she should have been in the first part. But instead of a lid, you can simply use the 10th brick from the first part and cover the furnace window. I made a little effort and made a hinged lid and take care of its appearance. Just something to please the eye while working =)
Light revision appearance. Purely personal choice.

There are a great many home-made designs of gas burners for a forge. The fact is that every master, making an instrument for himself according to someone else's model, necessarily brings something of his own into it. Let's consider some options.

You can make a burner of this type, which is a kind of modernization of a popular gas burner.

The design is extremely simple, but it has the necessary adjustments: the amount of gas (valve on the tube) and air (nozzle on the injector). But, it has a big “minus” when working with a forge: it has little power, it will take a long time to warm up the metal and, for this reason, it will quickly burn out.

The design of such a homemade product is somewhat better.

The principle of its operation is similar to the principle of operation of the burner shown in the sketch.

A big plus is the presence of a grid at the exit, consisting of 10 holes Ø 1.8 mm. As shown in the figure with the layout of the hearth, the burner is in the down position. Therefore, to create a uniform flame, it is covered with pieces of fireclay bricks. In addition, in order to maintain the integrity of the grid in the tube, the following design is applied:

in a fireclay brick, a hole is drilled for a tube (almost the same diameter);
the tube is "adjacent" to the fireclay brick.

As a result, the jet burns at some distance from the tube, the grid heats up less and lasts longer. The rest is similar to the principle of operation of the standard.

Making a gas forge burner with your own hands

Consider the manufacturing technology of a gas burner for a forge, designed for propane. Let us choose such a design, all the details of which are extremely simple and do not require high qualification in their manufacture.

The design of the gas burner is shown in the figure.

Designations in the picture of the propane burner assembly:

2. Gas valve;

3. Gas supply tube (diameter 6 mm);

4. Screw clamp M4;

5. Insert;

6. Nipple (from a primus stove);

7. Four air intake holes with a diameter of 4mm;

8. Nozzle tube.

Consider the design of the burner units.

propane torch nozzle

The figure shows a propane torch nozzle.

The nozzle of the gas burner is made:

from a steel pipe;
machined from steel Art.3. or Art.45. on a lathe.

Four holes with a diameter of 4 mm are drilled in the nozzle pipe, which are blocked by an inner liner. In this way, air leakage (its quantity) is regulated, with the help of which a gas burner flame is formed.

Propane torch insert

The illustration shows a complete propane burner insert.

Designations in the figure of the liner of the propane torch assembly:

1. Tube;

2. Mesh with 1.8mm diameter holes;

3. Sleeve.

The propane torch liner itself is machined from the same material as the nozzle. It can be made using two technologies:

as a monolithic part;
as an assembly made up of three separate parts. Parts are assembled into a knot by brazing. In this case, the sleeve is mounted on the gas supply pipe, and a mesh and a short section of the gas supply pipe are fixed on it. If you don't have silver-based hard solders on hand, then you should use any copper-nickel alloys or even simple brass wire.

The design of the gas supply channel in the burner

The gas supply channel is a copper or brass tube of the following sizes:

outer diameter 6 mm;
wall thickness not less than 1 mm.

Installed on this tube:

on the one hand - a gas valve with a hose that goes to the gas source (main pipeline, cylinder, etc.);
on the other hand, a nipple from a stove is mounted. In doing so, you must do the following:
- sharpen the working part of the nipple on the cone;
- cut the M5 thread inside the pipe and wrap the nipple into it (it already has a standard M5 external thread).

Burner adjustment

Attention! Subsequent work is fire and explosive, as it is carried out with open fire and combustible gas - propane. They must be carried out with strict observance of the norms " fire safety» and the following requirements:

all work should be carried out in a well-ventilated area;
remove (reliably de-energize) all spark-producing equipment;
the workplace must be prepared for work: everything superfluous should be removed not only from the workbench, but also from the floor, providing free passageways in case of force majeure;
prepare:
- primary means of fire extinguishing combustible gas;
- medical kit for first aid.

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Tiny blacksmith forge with your own hands from a tin can

I'm into blacksmithing and have been wanting to bring some of it to my suburban garage for a long time. After watching several thematic videos, I understood what to do, but I did not find any step-by-step instructions on this topic, so I decided to write down for you how to do it forge with your own hands.

Do-it-yourself mini-forge assembly time from start to finish is about an hour and a half.

Step 1: Gathering the necessary things

You will need:

Can
wooden block
Pipe connector - 1.5 * 5 cm
Two L-brackets
Two wood screws to secure the brackets to the wood block
A pair of small metal screws with washers and nuts to secure the jar to the brackets
Sand
gypsum
Large bag for mixing plaster and sand
Conventional propane torch with spiral gas nozzle
Protective glasses
Fire extinguisher - just in case

Step 2: Preparing the Jar

Drill two holes about 1.5 cm from each edge of the jar.

On the opposite side of the holes, about 2-3 cm from the back of the jar, drill a 1.5 cm hole for the pipe connector, at a slight downward angle.

Step 3: Screw the Brackets to the Wood Block

Measure the distance between the holes in the jar and screw the brackets to the tree accordingly.

Step 4: Attach the jar to the brackets

Secure the jar to the brackets using screws, washers and nuts.

Step 5: Insert a Pipe Connector into the Jar

Just screw it inside, everything should look like in the photo: link. Try to think over the position of the tube so that when the burner fire starts to flow through it, it does not rest against the walls of the vessel, but smoothly exits the tube and twists in the jar - this will increase the efficiency of the melting plant.

Step 6: Create the Heat Resistant Filler

Mix gypsum and sand in equal proportions, add enough water to achieve the consistency of wet clay. We used a 350 ml plastic mug and in our experience for a large tin we advise you to mix 3 mugs of sand and gypsum and add 1 - 1.5 mugs of water to the mixture.

You need to work very quickly, as the mixture begins to instantly set and harden.

Stuff the jar tightly to 3/4 of its volume, and then make a hole in the middle with a radius of about 4 cm (for example, using a spoon), leaving walls about 2 cm thick. Choose a wider cavity at the back (bottom) of the jar to create a better zone heat retention.

Use the back of a spoon or other thin object to clean the protruding pipe connector from the sand/gypsum mixture. Clean all surfaces with a damp cloth and let the mixture stand for about 30 minutes.

Later I came up with the idea that you could stuff the pipe connector with paper, and to create a hole in the jar, use a toilet paper tube and stuff heat-resistant mixture around it, and then all the paper would just burn on the first calcination.

Step 7: Turn on the burner, burn the homemade gas forge

Insert the propane torch nozzle into the pipe connector and light the torch. If the air holes on the burner nozzle are close to the tip of the nozzle, make sure they are not blocked. Your small forge forging should take about 10 minutes or so to warm up for the last moisture to evaporate from the flame retardant lining, and then you will see the classic red glow of a good red-hot forge.

Step 8: Fire up!

Now you can start small blacksmithing projects and glass work.

masterclub.online

Homemade and mobile coal forge

Dear site visitors homemade friend» From the material presented, you will learn how to make a mobile forge coal furnace yourself with your own hands. In this case, a coal-type hearth is presented, that is, the main type of fuel is charcoal or coal. As a base, a frame made of a square section is welded, the legs have swivel wheels with brakes, which allows you to move the forge around the workshop or garage directly during its operation. The working area under the hearth with coal is made in the shape of a trapezoid, a grate is also installed, a blower and an ash pan with a convenient ash discharge pedal (see photo below) The working area is cemented with refractory cement, this is done to avoid overheating of the sheet metal from which it is made bugle.

Air is injected into the hearth vent by means of a system of interconnected stainless pipes and a scroll with an electric motor, which actually pumps air by rotating the blades of an impeller installed in an aluminum scroll. Getting such a thing is quite simple, cars are equipped with similar ones, in extreme cases, you can simply connect a regular hair dryer.

And so, let's look at how a mobile forge works.

materials

sheet metal 2-3 mm
square profile
refractory cement
snail (for air injection)
bolts, nuts
swivel wheels 4 pcs
pipe for the diameter of the snail nozzle
adapter

Tools

welding inverter
drill
file
putty knife
spanners
measuring tool
clamps

Step-by-step instructions for making a mobile coal forge with your own hands.

First you need a sheet of steel with a thickness of at least 2-3 mm
A snail for forcing air into the mouth of a forge.
Metallic profile.
Swivel wheels 4 pcs.
Refractory cement.
Tools and fixtures.

Markup.

Metal can be cut both with an angle grinder and with a jigsaw with a metal blade.

Lubricate the place of saw cut with machine oil.
Making a trapezoid for a forge.

Air duct connections.

Installation of swivel wheels.

Refractory putty.

After hardening, the excess is removed with the help of an angle grinder.
Additionally, an ash removal window is made.

Pedal.
We weld the pedal to the hatch.

This is how she looks.
in the open position.
The snail is installed.

Next, the working zone of the hearth is cemented with refractory cement.

Here is such a mobile forge turned out.

FORGE

www.samodelkindrug.ru

How to make a horn out of bricks with your own hands: detailed instructions

Blacksmith masterpieces have always enjoyed special love and popularity. And if there is strength, desire and opportunity, then you can always engage in this profitable craft within the territory of your private home. Moreover, a home-made brick horn turns out to be very simple to do on your own.

Purpose of equipment

horn of brick

In any forge workshop, the forge is used for a number of important operations - to heat the metal immediately before forging, to cement it, or to do other heat treatment operations. Even outside production shop it allows you to get temperatures up to 1200 degrees. The most amazing thing is that such equipment can be made by 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 temperature and quality indicators of the heating process itself will meet the requirements for fine art forging and even melting.

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

open hearth made of bricks

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 on it).

How will homemade equipment work? The operation of any (both industrial and home) such equipment is based on the principle of a chemical reaction that gives the combustion of carbon. This element is capable of literally “greedily” wanting to recombine with oxygen (which was noted in metallurgy). Ores of iron and other metals are oxides and their compounds. When heated, oxygen goes to carbon, and the metal begins to stand out in a free form.

However, you need to ensure that the metal itself does not burn out - 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 built structure.

How the bugle works

bugle device

An industrial apparatus has a slightly different device from a home-made device. Before proceeding with the independent manufacture of such a product, you need to study its basis:

Through a nozzle (otherwise called a tuyere), air enters the chamber space.
Refractory bricks will maintain the necessary thermal power.
The grates will hold the used fuel above the air chamber.
A source of fuel will be loaded into the forge nest.
Another brick will form the frame of the device.
A fan supplies air to the crucible.
The overall frame is usually made of metal.
Air chamber.
Ash pan.
Air pipe.
Casing.

Of course, in order to comply with all of the above, ordinary person not enough knowledge and resources. But a more simplified version is quite realistic to install on its own.

Horn made of bricks: a simple closed option

closed brick hearth

A temporary forge is easily built from available improvised means. For this you will need:

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

All work must be carried out in a pre-designed fireproof place. The correct sequence of steps is as follows:

The bottom "layer" of bricks is laid (two pieces).
Then two cropped drainpipes, on which the grate is placed in such a way that a gap is still visible between it and the bricks from below.
On the grate, you need to slightly bend the transverse rails - this will help them capture the flame of a heated blowtorch and already direct it straight up.
Two side bricks are laid (these will be walls).
On them, similarly to the lower ones, a pair of the remaining upper ones will be located.
Coke (coal) is poured onto the grate and a blowtorch (already heated) is placed in front of the mountain itself. From its flame coals flare up and further burning is supported. Now it remains only to find the optimal direction for the flame, so that the output has a very high temperature.
For safety reasons, it is better to shield the blowtorch from the hot forge with some screen made of non-combustible material.

Parts manufacturing

forge making

>
The working surface will be a table - that is, the base of the hearth, where it will place the hearth with fuel. It is on it that metal blanks are heated. This design is usually very heavy. It is easy to make: for example, you can make a metal cover in 4 mm steel sheet.
How is the grid made? You can “adapt” an old cast-iron skillet for this (only before that you need to drill a few holes with a 10 mm diameter). Alternatively, a wheel rim is also suitable.
After completing work with the grate, we adjust it by inserting it into the hole in the table. To better “fit”, the brick can even be slightly filed (after soaking it in water). The height of such a table can be chosen arbitrary, but it is better to do this at the level of the master's belt.

Gas options

simple gas furnaces

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 is 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 give optimal air heating in use, which can heat the metal. In addition, in a household burner there is an admixture of sulfur, which can simply “kill” everything. operational properties metal (for the reverse process, everything will have to be melted down again). It also "poisons" steel and sulfur from wood.
Of course, this can be fought. Only ways are somewhat "exotic":

Pass gas from the cylinder through a container with naphthalene before feeding it to the burner.
Heat parts that are not very responsible and subject to stress with such a gas (these can be any decorative art elements of forging).

How to use "homemade"

homemade brick horn

An additional supply of air blowing can be provided using a foot drive (usually mechanical). It can be replaced with both a fan and a vacuum cleaner. As for the latter, it can be said that it is important here that the speed controller be present and make little noise.
The brick horn is almost ready. Now it is important to learn how to use it correctly:

The forging itself will begin with pouring fuel onto the grate area. Although many blacksmiths act on this basis: the blanks are placed on the coals themselves, and another layer is added on top (this allows a vault to form inside the coal and create the necessary enormous temperature).
Wood fuel is still allowed, but for this you will have to install one ring on the forge (height 15 cm and diameter 20 cm). A vertical cut is made inside the ring and the same on the other side.
So, as it burns, wood waste will fall down, and the optimum temperature will be set in the lowest part for working with a metal product. If you plan to work with large workpieces, it is better to increase the working surface - for this it is enough to make a special removable table of the required size .
An extractor hood will also need to be installed above the blacksmith's mini-workshop - such a box can either be purchased or made independently.
The workpiece selected for forging must be buried in already hot coal, where it is aged to about a light orange color (this is an indicator that the temperature has also approached about a thousand degrees). It is impossible to hold blanks for too long - this will only worsen their mechanical properties and make the metal too brittle.
For forging, a hammer weighing up to one kilogram is used. You need to work in special protective glasses - this will prevent hot scale from getting into your eyes.
As an anvil, you can use any massive metal thing - a sledgehammer or even a piece of rail.

Homemade forge will even help to make welding- only in this case, the parts must be heated to white heat (and this is already a temperature of at least 1300 degrees) and overlapped. But for this, it is better to use low-carbon steel materials.
On such equipment, you can even solder. For such a part, they are preliminarily wired and covered with borax (or flux) and then sent to the furnace to be heated to a temperature of 900 ° - this will be seen from orange color metal. It remains only to bring pieces of brass into the soldering places and wait until they spread along the seam.
With the help of 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 mountain.
For a more detailed disclosure of the topic, we recommend watching a video on making a simple forge:

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stroykirpich.com

Do-it-yourself forge mini-forge - how to make forging from refractory bricks

You must have a gas forge. It will allow you to make both a decoration and a pocket knife. Such a forging forge is vital in any workshop where metal products are made at least occasionally.

There is no photo in the article, but if you rest the forge with the back wall on something, you can completely melt bronze or aluminum for casting into molds in it, if you place a pot of hardened steel inside.

Step 1: Watch the video

Before you start making a forge with your own hands, watch the video, it has notes and tips that will help you.

Step 2: Gathering the right materials

You can purchase all the materials for assembling a homemade forge at your local building hypermarket and order online.

Refractory brick - 1 pc.
Aluminum corner 3.8x3.8x61 cm - 1 pc
Bolts 15 cm, washers and nuts - 4 pcs

Refractory brick is made of refractory fibrous material. It is different from ordinary clay bricks. Clay bricks are very hard to drill and will not withstand the heat you will be working with. Refractory bricks are very light and can be easily cut with conventional tools.

Step 3: Cut the brick and drill holes in it

First you need to cut the brick into two identical halves (if you want to make the forge larger, there will be notes for this at the end of the article). To do this, I used a conventional 25 cm gear saw, with a wood blade. Refractory bricks are easy to work with and cut well. Remember to wear a dust mask as you would when cutting any other material in your workshop.

No holes need to be made on one half of the brick, two holes need to be made in the second half. The first hole is through, its diameter should be from 3.8 to 8.9 cm, depending on the diameter of the mouth of the hearth. The smaller it is, the faster the crucible heats up, the larger it is, the larger objects can be melted. Something you will have to give up. The second hole comes from the side wall and connects to the first. This hole must match the size of the gas burner nozzle.

Step 4: Making the Calipers

Cut the aluminum corner into pieces. The size of the segments should be equal to the length of the half of the brick plus 2.5 cm. Drill holes for the bolts at the ends of the segments.

Attach the halves of the brick to each other so that the hole for the burner is on the right or left side (not above or below). Put the corners on top, thread the 15cm bolts into the holes, put on the washers and tighten the nuts.

Tighten the nuts carefully, do not twist, otherwise the brick will fall apart.

Step 5: Testing the Horn

If your burner has a curved feed tube, you will need to place your forge on a stand so that the nozzle fits into the hole without too much effort. If the pipe is straight, the bugle can simply be placed on the table. As a stand, you can take an ordinary cinder block.

Insert the burner about 1.5 cm into the hole. The nozzle must not fall into the furnace, otherwise the high temperature will damage it. If you have a flame adjustable burner, you can light it and let the flame burn.
That's all. I purchased a set of 45.7 cm long pliers to hold items in the forge without fear of getting burned.
Design notes:

Many have stated that the forge is inefficient and the object will only heat up to the temperature of the burner. This is true when you are heating something that is longer than a forge or very thin. In all other cases, this statement is not true. The object in the forge is constantly heated from all sides, for this reason the forge is excellent for making and hardening knives.
You can increase the size of the smelter at will. To do this, you just need to add another half of the brick with drilled hole and take longer bolts. Basically offer this improvement option. Some suggest using multiple burners to increase heat. Theoretically, if you need to heat a long rod, you can build up layers and add burners in any amount.

masterclub.online

Do-it-yourself blacksmith forge - manufacturing technology

Blacksmithing has long been considered honorable. Not everyone could master it: in addition to the necessary knowledge, the use of physical force, the necessary tool, was required. It was impossible to do without a workshop. Often craftsmen made the forge with their own hands.

It is quite possible to make a blacksmith's forge with your own hands. A true connoisseur of the craft, who is familiar with the principles of the construction, will completely cope with the task.

Without a forge, it is impossible to manufacture some metal products. If the metal is thin, it can be modified without heating. With a thick sheet, this will not work.

Working principle of a forge

The horn is the hearth. The principle of its operation is the reaction in which carbon is burned. The energy yield of this reaction shows that carbon is a reducing agent, greedily combined with oxygen.

There are two things that are important in blacksmithing related to carbon. Firstly, it is important that it prevents the oxidation of the resulting workpiece, as a result of which the material that has not received access to oxygen does not burn out. Secondly, carbon has a high calorific value.

Forge design

The forge, considered a classic, designed for use in the production of metal, incorporates the following elements:

Forge forge device

a table made of a material resistant to burning;
a firebox equipped with a grate;
air chamber;
air duct for air supply;
air drainage;
air valve;
a tent (chamber) of a forge;
bugle umbrella;
a window for feeding blanks, the length of which is significant;
removable crucible;
bath for hardening metal;
gas chamber.

Anyone who has at least a little experience with the tool and various types materials. To do this, you need to carefully familiarize yourself with the device of this type of hearth and construction technology.

Variety of blacksmith forges

Before starting the construction of a forge, it is necessary to understand what fuel will be used in the hearth. Depending on the type of fuel, the design of the forging furnace will also differ.

The type of structure may also depend on where the hearth is located and how it was built. In accordance with these criteria, the horn is divided into several types.

Stationary. It is customary to make such a furnace massive, solid, using bricks. A channel must be designed so that the combustion products have an outlet.

Stationary hearth design

Mobile horn. In this case, it is more rational to equip a small hearth that can be disassembled. The convenience of this design is that, if necessary, it can be moved: in the summer - to the street, in the winter - to the room to continue working.

Forges are distinguished by the types of combustion chambers. They can be either closed or open.

Self-manufacturing

The procedure for making your own forge is not very complicated. Regardless of the type of building, the rules for building all types of furnaces are approximately the same.

mini horn

The smallest bugle you can think of is a mini bugle. For a beginner blacksmith, this is best option designed for outdoor use only. The principles of construction are as follows:

Blueprint for a mini-forge

As the main building material 6-8 bricks can be used. Having built a stand from them, you can move on.
The construction of the grate can be carried out using scraps of metal pipes and a fragment of a steel strip, the thickness of which should be at least 4-6 mm.
Such a furnace can be heated either with coal or coke. For ignition and blowing I use an ordinary blowtorch. It provides both heat supply and process continuity.

The use of a mini-forge indoors is prohibited due to the absence of a chimney in the design.

portable bugle

The construction of a mobile hearth can be done using kitchen utensils such as a goose. As a pressurization system, you can use a fan from a hand siren or any other suitable device.

The portable bugle has certain disadvantages:

its design is non-separable, so it is difficult to get rid of soot;
does not allow creating very high temperatures, the maximum possible indicator is 900 ° C;
operation is quite expensive: only coke or charcoal can be used as fuel.

Despite this, this type of coal hearth has much more possibilities than homemade design from bricks, described above. This is due to the fact that the space for work in a portable structure is open from above and is much larger.

Stationary bugle

This design is the most complex in terms of construction. Experienced craftsmen are engaged in the manufacture of the forge on their own, taking into account their own anthropometric data. Its ergonomics must be perfected to the smallest detail: the work performed here is often very traumatic.

So, when building a stationary hearth, it is necessary to proceed from your own physical data. To do this, you need to measure:

Table height. Stand straight, feet are shoulder-width apart. The right hand must first be lowered, and then bent at the elbow. This will be the height of the table, to which you need to add 5-7 cm.
Half the diagonal of the table. In the same hand, you need to take large ticks and measure the distance from their sponges to the stomach. By adding 10-12 cm to the result, you can get the desired result.
The length of the side of the square table. To do this, the result obtained in paragraph 2 should be multiplied by 1.4.

A forge is an open or closed furnace used in blacksmithing to heat metal.

To make a stationary horn with your own hands, you will need the following materials:

heat-resistant steel with a sheet thickness of at least 4 mm;
fireclay brick;
rolled metal, from which the hearth frame should subsequently be mounted;
steel chimney for the process of removing gases generated during the combustion process;
refractory putty, which must be used to seal cracks;
steel for lining on the outside.

Materials for making a forge

Rules for the manufacture of a stationary structure

Since the hearth is a stationary unit, its location must be clearly defined. Access to one of the walls is mandatory, because the forge does not have to be independent. The presence of a wall will allow you to more reliably equip chimneys and install a fan. In this design, a homemade lance can be used.

Support frame for forge

The construction of the hearth should begin with the manufacture of the support frame. It is brewed from metal pipe. The arrangement of the upper part is carried out using refractory bricks. This will make the design durable and allow you to use the oven more intensively.

The channels provided for ventilation and the chimney should be trimmed around the perimeter with steel corners. Metal is also used in the construction of the lining and damper of the furnace. Sheets used in decoration must have a stiffener.

The hearth table should have a hearth nest, the optimal depth of which is 10 cm. Under it is an ash chamber into which air is supplied. The size of the table is not regulated, but it is better if it is designed taking into account the master's data.

From steel with a thickness of 2 mm, a square-shaped pipe should be rolled up. This will be the ash receptacle. A hole should be made in one of the walls, into which an air supply pipe will later be inserted. It can be done with a vacuum cleaner.

Furnace rules

Gas burner for forge

The simplest blacksmith's forge is heated with coal. It is possible to use firewood, but first they must be heated to the state of coal. The device can be simplified by turning it into a gas furnace. Butane or propane is perfect for a firebox.

The composition of these gases includes elements such as oxygen and hydrogen. When combined with oxygen, they release a large amount of heat. It is enough to warm up the device well. That is why the gas horn is becoming increasingly popular.

There is one caveat when burning gas. Management of this system will become almost impossible. Adjusting the air temperature is very difficult when it comes to the use of gas. In addition, the sulfur contained in the gases has a negative effect on the metal.

Do-it-yourself mini-forge: a budget option

The portal user shares his experience of making a "cottage" forge with minimal financial investment. Sometimes in the life of people living "on the ground", there are moments when you want to do something with your own hands, without putting it off indefinitely. Somebody
The portal user shares his experience of making a "cottage" forge with minimal financial investment.

Sometimes in the life of people living "on the ground", there are moments when you want to do something with your own hands, without putting it off indefinitely. Someone thinks about carpentry, someone is engaged in the manufacture of decorative products, and someone literally lights up with forging. Moreover, real, i.e. - "hot".

So, in this article:

What is the minimum set of tools and equipment needed for forging.
How to make an anvil from an old rail.
From what you can construct a portable blacksmith forge.

The initial set of tools needed for metal forging

The method of imparting ductile properties to a metal by heating has been known to mankind since time immemorial. Unlike the so-called. "cold forging", in which the metal is not heated, while forging "hot" (and, as it is considered, "real") the metal is heated in a furnace.

The forge is an open-type furnace in which the metal is heated to high temperatures for subsequent forging.

Due to plasticity, heated metal can be given a wide variety of shapes, which is what masters of artistic forging use.

In addition to years of experience, forging requires the right tools. These can be special tongs, mandrels, bending templates, etc., but the most important “helpers” of a blacksmith for many centuries have been a hammer and anvil.

Any person who has thought about doing blacksmithing is faced with the need to purchase the appropriate tools. A high-quality and heavy anvil weighing under 100 kg is not a cheap pleasure.

Screw FORUMHOUSE Member

I bought my anvil by weight on a secondary metal. Based on my experience, I can say that what I could not flatten on a rail, I succeeded on a real anvil.

Olger73 Member of FORUMHOUSE

Vtorchermet, although a "gold mine", but a lot depends on luck. We have the price of a used anvil is approaching the cost of a new one. Although I managed in this way to acquire a powerful vice and an anvil weighing about 30 kg. True, her “face” is wrinkled, but this is fixable.

So, what if you want to forge, but the family budget does not allow such expenses? Especially if it is not known whether the business will be to your liking, or in a few months all expensive equipment will begin to gather dust in the garage.

In this case, you should take advantage of the experience of FORUMHOUSE participants and acquire a mini-forge made from materials that are at hand. Moreover, even on such a “country” option, you can make a lot of various things that are needed on the farm, and which you cannot buy in a store or on the construction market.

There are few good blacksmiths and, as a rule, they are loaded with orders, and the farm often needs specific products, for example, a forged nail or some kind of “cunning” rivet. In order not to rack your brains with finding a master and ordering, as well as saving money, it’s easier to do everything yourself. After all, such nails, as in the photo below, just can not be bought.

Forged products, even entry-level, allow the home master to significantly expand the range of their work. Handmade furniture or “antique” decor in a country house looks especially beautiful with forged details.

How to make an anvil from an old rail

The experience of the portal user with the nickname DIMDIM is interesting. He tells what can be achieved in the manufacture of homemade products, if you apply ingenuity to the matter.

DIMDIM Member of FORUMHOUSE

I decided to take up forging. I reviewed a lot of videos on the net and came to the conclusion that I could make the entire tool myself. First of all, I need an anvil, a forge, as well as various devices. To save money, I will do everything from what is in the "bins", i.e. from improvised materials.

From the Internet, the user learned that most often a homemade anvil is made from a railway rail.

Because there was no rail in the "bins", DIMDIM involved all friends, relatives and acquaintances to search for a "donor". Soon the search was successful, and the user became the owner of an old but strong rail.

It remains to cut off everything superfluous from the workpiece and give it the desired shape. Having uncovered the cutting machine for metal, the user set to work.

According to DIMDIM, it took 4 hours to cut and trim a rail made of high-carbon heat-treated steel, with regular stops for the cutter to cool down.

Then came the turn of making the so-called. "horns" of the future anvil. Because the sawn-off part of the rail did not fit at the right angle on the frame of the cutting machine, it was necessary to disassemble the clamping device and dock the frame with an additional table.

The user had difficulty cutting the rail into a triangle, then the dreary work of giving the "horn" of the anvil the desired shape began.

The work was carried out alternately using an angle grinder, a cutting machine and a variety of fasteners and linings.

This job took another 5 hours.

Having made the blanks, I proceeded to assemble the anvil and tried to connect all the parts together. Because the rail caught a curve, the parts could not be connected. My friend and user of the Movik portal helped me out.

A FORUMHOUSE participant suggested that DIMDIM assemble an anvil on a bed, which was used as a steel counterweight from an elevator. As the author of the idea, Movik welded all the parts into a single design.

The next stage is the manufacture of a square hole in the “tail” of the anvil, which is necessary for fixing various devices - mandrels, brackets, bending forks and cones, the shank of which has the same cross section as the “receiving” hole.

At self-manufacturing anvils craftsmen make a "square" in different ways. The hole is burned with a welding machine, drilled and then finished with a file. The user simplified his task - taking a "grinder", he cut a groove in the rail, and then welded a corner made of a T-shaped guide from the elevator to the end.

When assembled, the anvil acquired the following form.

The user also made a set of anvil fixtures.

Homemade portable blacksmith forge

The forge is necessary for heating metal blanks. The most commonly used fuel is wood or coal. In order to reach high temperatures, air is supplied to the forge. For the manufacture of the simplest open portable hearth, a “hearth”, or, as it is also called, a “hearth nest”, as well as a base and a device for forced air supply, is required.

To understand how to make a forge, I again sat down to study the Internet. The search yielded a bunch of ideas for making a homemade forge. As I understand it, everything is in play. Most often, forges are made from auto parts from the undercarriage, sets of pipes, fittings and electric fans.

In addition, blacksmith forges are made from what is “underfoot”.

Often used as booster building hair dryers(thermophanes).

Having roughly decided on the design of the hearth, the user again reached into the "bins" and dug out an adapter from a steel pipe to a cast iron one, which was used as a barbecue.

Fitting dimensions:

diameter - 35 cm;
height - 35 cm.

Inside the adapter looks like a pipe with a shelf. While DIMDIM was thinking about what to insert into the pipe to make a real "horn nest", Movik came again and brought a brake disc from an SUV that fit perfectly into the pipe.

At this stage, the homemade blacksmith's forge began to look like a finished item.

It remains only to attach the ash pan. A bracket from a heated towel rail was used for this role, which was welded to the pipe in the form of a valve.

As "bellows" the user adapted an old hot air gun. To do this, he disassembled it, inserted the air supply mechanism into the rubber sleeve and connected it to the pipe.

lvzh70 FORUMHOUSE user

If I'm not mistaken, then there is a collector electric motor in the hot air guns. Such a motor is not intended for long-term continuous operation, because. it will overheat. I think that you can adapt the fan that is used in computers as "bellows" and power it from the PSU from the old system unit.

You can also use exhaust fan for ventilation.

At the end of the work, an opening was cut out in the hearth wall, where a heated workpiece, for example, a steel bar, was placed.

According to the user, he was eager to test the forge. Soon such an opportunity presented itself. On the weekend, after smoking fish, there was a full grill of burning charcoal. Quickly reloading them with a shovel into the forge, the user turned on the hair dryer.

The air supply turned out to be so strong that a column of flame soared into the sky, and it became possible to approach the forge only when the coals burned out a little.

So that the coal would not be wasted, DIMDIM grabbed a steel bar with a diameter of 1.4 cm and thrust it into the furnace. While the metal was heating up, the user took a hammer, an adjustable wrench instead of pliers, and forged a simple poker.

After testing the mini-forge, I made the following conclusions for myself: forge with open source flames should be away from buildings that can catch fire. At the same time, just in case, you need to have a fire extinguisher on hand. You also need to make a bed (base or "chair") for the anvil. And most importantly - you need to come up with a way to regulate the air supply or put a less powerful fan. But most importantly, I liked forging, I will continue!

In the topic on FORUMHOUSE you can learn more about the DIMDIM mini-forge, as well as further modernization of the forge and various options air boost. We recommend a section on the portal, which contains home-made machines and tools that simplify work in the house, on the site and during construction.

The article reveals the secrets and nuances of the so-called. "cold forging, and in this material - a master class on the basics of manual arc welding using welding inverter. In the video, a professional blacksmith talks about his craft and the features of decorative metal forging.

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In the old days, blacksmithing was held in high esteem. Not everyone could master it, not everyone had the opportunity to acquire essential tool and set up a workshop. Now you can make a forge with your own hands without attracting serious funds. Even a simple design will make it possible to heat the metal to the required temperature and try your hand at forging.

Forge

People with creative inclinations involved in design work are often faced with the desire to use handmade decorative metal elements. You can make such things with the help of forging.

Thin sheet metal can be stamped, bent or minted even without heating. A thick workpiece cannot be processed without this. Making a tool out of carbon steel is all the more worth trying.

If you equip a blacksmith shop with a hearth and a massive anvil, you can not pay much attention to the thickness of the workpiece. When heated, it will be able to be forged, bent and flattened. The main thing in this process is a properly equipped forge.

It may not be possible for everyone to do it with their own hands, but for a true connoisseur of the craft, familiar with the device, features and principle of operation of the device, this will be possible. As experienced craftsmen assure, a simple forge can be equipped even with six bricks.

Purpose of the bugle

The steel billet must be heated to a light orange color before forging. This will approximately correspond to a temperature of 1000-1100 ° C. In this state, the metal can be deformed by a percussion tool.

Cooling down, the workpiece becomes less ductile, it is more difficult to forge. And if you use a heavier tool, the metal becomes brittle and prone to cracking. The only option is constant maintenance forging temperature. However, over 1000°C cannot be achieved in a conventional oven. This requires a hearth with forced air supply.

A blacksmith's forge, made by one's own hands, can be used to heat the metal to the forging temperature. In addition, it can also be used for other jobs. It is suitable for melting metal and its subsequent pouring into a mold, for hardening tools, for soldering using brass and copper.

Varieties of designs

First you need to decide what type of fuel the metal will be heated. Traditionally, forges used charcoal or coal (coke) for these purposes. In addition to solid fuels, natural mains and liquefied gas, as well as petroleum products (gasoline, fuel oil, white spirit, etc.) can be used.

Depending on the type of fuel, the design of the working zone of the hearth will differ. It will also depend on the method and location of the outbreak. If this is a stationary structure, then it makes sense to make the base massive and solid, using bricks and a channel for removing combustion products.

For a mobile hearth, a lightweight, collapsible version of the hearth is better suited. It is convenient because in winter you can work indoors, and in summer, if necessary, the workshop is taken out to Fresh air. This design is easy to disassemble and transport to the desired location.

Another feature is open or closed chamber burning. If a home-made forge has a vault or a round shape, then the metal in it will heat up faster, since heat loss is noticeably reduced. On the other hand, work with long or massive workpieces in the hearth closed type will not be possible, and this must be immediately taken into account.

You should start by choosing the type of base. For a stationary hearth, a brick is suitable, for a mobile hearth - metal constructions. The base should be located at the optimum height for ease of operation. The hearth for solid fuel assumes the presence of a working combustion zone. It can be lined with refractory bricks, lined or made of steel plate.

Another important element is the grate, which keeps the coals in the combustion zone and gives access to the air flow, which inflates the heat from below. Injection is usually made through a pipeline with a flow regulator. The source of pressurization is a vacuum cleaner with reverse air supply, a hair dryer, a “snail” with an engine from a car stove. There are drawings of a forge, where a turbine is used from a hand-held siren or fur, as was done in the old days. The hearth may have side walls and a vault with a channel for the removal of combustion products.

The designs of furnaces operating on liquid or gaseous fuels are distinguished by the absence of a grate. The combustible mixture and air are supplied through an opening in the housing. For these purposes, they often adapt a piece of thick-walled pipe or a tank that has served its purpose from a household compressor, lined with refractory material. The hearths are also laid out in the form of a cube of heat-resistant bricks.

Principle of operation

Even a person who does not have blacksmithing experience can assemble a blacksmith's forge with his own hands from six bricks. The device can work from pressurization of a gasoline burner. Two bricks are laid flat on the ground - this will be the bottom. Two more are placed on them with an edge - these are the walls. Moreover, the back of the bricks is reduced to limit heat loss. By their arrangement it is also possible, to some extent, to regulate the temperature within the working area. The last two bricks are laid on top - this will be the vault.

Grids can be made from a 4 mm steel strip. Two pieces of a half-inch pipe are placed along the walls. They put grates on them. Moreover, they need to be wrapped in the central part with a “propeller” so that the air flow is captured by the planes and directed upwards, where the coal is located.

The gasoline burner is ignited and sent to the furnace. It can immediately be buried in the ground and fenced off with a sheet of asbestos from the heat of the working area. To do this, a hole is made and a stream of burning gasoline vapor is directed through it to ignite coal. The temperature is maintained by the burner adjustment valve.

solid fuel forge

For one-time or infrequent blacksmithing, you can equip the hearth simply on the ground by digging a recess of the required size and laying it out with refractory bricks. It is most suitable for heating metal with solid fuel. Another option for table material is a thick (at least 5 mm) steel plate. You will also need to install a grate made of steel strip or cast iron. It can also be replaced by a steel air supply pipe. Her butt is brewed. In the combustion zone, the grinder cuts slotted grooves through which the outgoing air will disperse the heat.

How to make a blacksmith's forge simple and mobile? You can weld the frame from improvised materials and install a steel countertop on them. Interesting, convenient and practical design of the base from the old gas stove. A tabletop with a combustion zone is installed on top. The oven serves to house a vacuum cleaner or other source of air. Below there is also a compartment for tools and accessories.

Craftsmen consider this version of the hearth the most economical and effective. Gas is an inexpensive and affordable fuel. The design of the hearth is simpler for it, since there is no need for a grate. Adjusting the gas supply with a tap is convenient, which means that it will be easier to achieve the required temperature in the working area. The hearth design may consist of a minimum set of elements. It is enough to adapt a suitable base for it.

However, it also has its own peculiarities. Gas is an explosive substance, so you need to work even more carefully. Adjusting the supply of a combustible mixture also requires experience and practice. Otherwise, everything is not so difficult. A brick cube is folded according to the size of the planned blanks. The back wall is deaf. In front, the hole is covered with bricks or equipped with a door. From above, a place is equipped for the entrance of a pipe through which a combustible mixture is supplied. Its length in different schemes is different. There are masters who make it up to 1.5 m long, and they say that this way the mixing of the combustible mixture goes better.

Natural or liquefied gas after the reducer is fed into this pipe through a nozzle. That's where air gets blown in. The intensity of combustion is controlled by the gas supply and the blowing speed. Above the mountain, when working indoors, it is necessary to equip the hood. Otherwise, the designs can either become more complicated (lining, thermocouples, forced removal of combustion products, additional dampers) or, conversely, be simplified.

There are no standards for a home craftsman. The main thing is to know the principle of operation, select materials, withstand technology, obtain the required temperature and at the same time observe safety precautions.

“Horn” is a word of German origin horn, originally “horn”, then horn received many other meanings, if only the object somehow looked like a horn or came from it; one of the highest peaks of the Alps is called the Matterhorn. The ancient smelting furnace, in which flash iron was obtained, looks like a signal pipe from a horn, placed with a bell down, so it became a furnace, and from it a forge, although it no longer looks like a horn.

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

To use a traditional blacksmith forge, you need to be quite knowledgeable and skilled craftsman, especially in terms of fuel selection, which will be discussed in more detail below. Considerable experience is also required for the basis of the hearth of the hearth - the lance - and the pressurization device. The use of natural gas for heating, although it does not allow you to forge a Damascus blade or Indian damask wutz in a home forge, like a classic coal forge, it greatly simplifies the design: a gas furnace can be assembled in half an hour or an hour from 6 fireclay bricks and a few scraps of steel, and the temperature and quality of heating will be sufficient for the now so popular small art forging or smelting of non-ferrous metals and alloys for casting.

Horn device

The classic production forge is arranged as follows, see the figure on the right:

a horn table made of refractory material;
firebox (hearth) with grate;
air chamber;
air drainage;
supply air duct;
air valve;
chamber (tent) forge;
window for feeding long workpieces;
bugle umbrella;
chimney (gas outlet);
removable crucible;
hardening bath (tub, tub);
gas chamber.

The principle of operation of the forge

In order to make a bugle yourself and use it successfully, let's figure out how a bugle works, what's in it, and what can be made cheaper and simplified under conditions home use without compromising the quality of metal processing. The work of the forge is based on chemical reaction combustion of carbon 2C + O2 = 2CO2 + 188.1 kcal. According to its energy yield (94.05 kcal/mol, i.e. 12 g C, completely burned, they 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 derivatives. Carbon unceremoniously robs itself of oxygen, and the destitute metal has no choice but to stand out in a free form.

In the forge, the reducing ability of carbon is also used in part, as it prevents the oxidation of the workpiece. Simply, so that the metal does not burn out. But no less important here is the high calorific value of carbon: by blowing enough air into the mass of fuel so that it is enough for carbon, you can burn it quite quickly, and a large amount of heat released and the temperature will develop high.

Blowing into the furnace is regulated in such a way that the fuel is slightly lacking in oxygen, this will completely prevent the oxidation of the metal. However, if the workpiece is overexposed in the furnace, then carburization will begin: the metal, especially steel, will become, as they say, overdried - excessively, disproportionately to the increase in hardness, brittle. An example of completely dry iron is cast iron. In metallurgy, in order to obtain structural steel from it, molten cast iron is subjected to redistribution: oxygen is introduced into it in a converter or in another way, which takes away excess carbon.

On other fuel

This is how the old coal furnace works. Initially, it was heated with charcoal, then with coke. Both are almost pure carbon. Basically the forge can also be stoked with firewood, allowing them to pre-burn to coals, i.e. to charcoal; how - see below.

The device of the hearth is greatly simplified if purified monogas, propane or butane is used for fuel. They consist of carbon and hydrogen, which is also an excellent reducing agent and, when combined with oxygen, gives even more heat. Moreover, the gas can be mixed with atmospheric oxygen in advance, even in the burner. How are gas-burners for the hearth, we will also figure it out further, but for now we are stating a fact: a brick gas hearth can be assembled in haste, as long as there is a burner, see fig. (You can also watch the video at the end of the section for how to make your own gas horn.)

However, this applies only to pure industrial monogases. 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 here for heating the metal for high-quality hardening or cementing.

Secondly, sulfur, silicon, and phosphorus are present in negligible amounts in the composition of natural gas. At least in the form of artificially introduced into household gas for immediate detection of a leak of "perfume" - mercaptan. If phosphorus and silicon, with an accurate dosage, can still be useful (the first is for surface phosphating; the second is for improving magnetic properties), then sulfur is worst enemy steel, completely killing its operational value, and irreversibly, complete remelting is needed for restoration.

Therefore, household gas as a fuel for a furnace can be used, firstly, only after purification from sulfur-containing compounds. The simplest, but by no means free way, is to pass gas from a cylinder through a container with naphthalene before it is fed into the burner. He is as eager for sulfur as he is for oxygen. Secondly, to heat in the gas furnace only parts that are not responsible and not loaded in the future; say, decorative elements of artistic hardware.

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

Video: do-it-yourself gas horn

The purpose of the parts of the forge

Now let's go back to the list at the beginning and see what's in the forge for what. And then we will already take up the manufacture of the forge according to the samples discussed below or independently, based on the materials and capabilities available.

In industry, the lining of the table is predominantly quartz refractory brick, which, under intense workload, lasts for decades. A homemade hearth is usually lined with fireclay bricks., cheaper and more affordable. With occasional 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 hearth - a lance. In industrial designs, replaceable lances are used under different ways heating and heated workpieces. For an amateur or an individual master, most often one is enough 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, to regulate the blowing. It will not be possible to forge an underheated part and it will not accept hardening; overheated and overdried, it will break under the hammer, and in the hardening bath it will lead at least, or even crack. And in any case, it will be unacceptably fragile. How to determine its readiness for forging or hardening by the type of a hot workpiece is a separate conversation. But experienced blacksmiths know that it takes seconds to release excess air into the atmosphere.

The purpose of the chamber, or tent, forge, together with its umbrella and chimney, is to remove flue gases from the working area. There are plenty of them during the preparation of the coal mass (see below), and not one of them is good for health. The draft in the chimney needs a good one, because. the front (working) window of the tent and openings for long lengths (pipes, metal profiles) are constantly open.

As for the hardening bath and the gas-air chamber, they may or may not be, it's up to you. A hardening bath is a must 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 manners of the past. Once upon a time, damask blades were considered the best, hardened in the living body of a captive strong enemy or, in extreme cases, a muscular slave.

The gas-air chamber in the industry is used:

For additional drying and heating of air.
For purification of blast air from impurities and condensate.
For the introduction of gaseous alloying additives into the air.

At home, super-super special spawns do not get; the problem of condensate in production occurs when blowing from a common compressed air network. In a low-power hearth, the air heats up sufficiently, passing through the holes of the grate of the tuyere, and it is possible to purify household gas from sulfur by passing it through a layer of naphthalene, as mentioned above. In general, do a gas vent, don't do it, it's up to you.

Finally, crucible. This is a heat-resistant cap that expands the zone of extremely high temperature. It is set if non-ferrous or precious metals and alloys are melted in a furnace in a crucible (the 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. It makes no sense to look for an expensive ready-made crucible; in a home forge, it will be completely replaced by a dozen fireclay bricks laid out dry in detail. In this configuration, a home-made horn will also replace an expensive one.

How do they heat the horn?

To finally take on your own forge, it remains to find out, but how to drown it? Then it will be easier to understand the designs.

The best fuel for a forge is fine coke. Blacksmiths call it koksik, the name was adopted by merchants. If coke is on sale, but there is coke in small packages. Koksik costs, looking to the region, 3 times more expensive than coal, but it takes 1 forging with skillful handling 4-5 times less.

Coke is practically pure amorphous carbon, carbon. Really clean: coke oven gas is a valuable chemical raw material, so metallurgists don't cheat. It ignites at 450-600 degrees, so double kindling is needed: coal is kindled with firewood, and a layer of 150-170 m of coke is applied to it and the blast is turned on to the 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 heap, a billet is introduced into the hearth and raked in burning fuel. The blast is reduced to the norm for this operation and they wait until the part matures.

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

If you heat with coal, you need to let it burn out to carbon, i.e. volatile components, the same coke oven gas, must burn out. This again can be seen from the color of the flame. But such a complete extraction of volatiles, as in a coke oven battery, cannot be achieved directly in the furnace, so that decorative or medium-quality household products can be forged on coal. As a rule, one load of coal is not enough and it has to be burned. An additional load for afterburning is placed on the side of the hearth on the table and, as it burns out, the resulting carbon is raked onto the workpiece.

In general, firewood is heated in the same way as coal, but only hardwood. It’s just that a bunch of firewood will burn to ash rather than completely release volatiles and form coal. In addition, it is impossible to allow unburnt chips to get on the part, there are too many impurities in the wood that are harmful to steel. Therefore, firewood for carbon in the hearth is burned in the shell, see fig. The additional load is burned out by placing it close to it, and as it burns out, the coals are transferred to the shell with tongs.

Let's take the bugle

For a novice blacksmith, to gain experience and flair, it is best to quickly make a mini-forge from 6 fireclay bricks, see fig. It was possible to shave an ax blade, or you can’t heat a hunting knife in it for hardening, but you can heat a trifle for artistic forging, the ends of a long length for forging or bending, or melt a precious flower in a crucible.

Shelves of the grate from scraps steel pipes, and the grates themselves are made of a steel strip 4-6 mm thick. The grates must be screwed in at an angle to capture the blast flow, as shown in fig. Fuel - coke or coal. Ignition and blowing - with a blowtorch, gas or air-fuel burner. If a blowtorch is used, an asbestos partition with a window for the nozzle must be placed between it and the furnace: the furnace radiates intense heat and the lamp reservoir may explode. They use this mountain only in the open air, because. there is no umbrella with a chimney.

Note: more interesting option- a small bugle in haste of the minimum cost, see video:

Portable

The next design is a portable horn from ... goose. The design is clear from Fig. Lining - fireclay marl mixed with fireclay sand (ground fireclay bricks, commercially available). Roasting of the lining after drying - in the course of work.

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

The capabilities of the hearth from the goose are wider than those of the 6-brick one, because. the workspace is larger and open at the top. But there are also significant limitations:

Non-separable design: when cleaning the lance (see below about the stationary hearth), the soot falls down and clogs the perforation of the air duct, even if its holes are oriented sideways or downwards. For cleaning it is necessary to break the lining.
Works only on coke or charcoal, tk. there is no table with space for burning out.
Expensive operation: carbon consumption is comparable to that of coal in real forges.
Low operating temperature, up to 900 degrees, because a lining that has not been burned properly will crack at a higher temperature.

About cavalry and sewing machines

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

Now the cavalry horn can only be seen in the Museum of the Red Army. But - we will show ingenuity - the old Sewing machines with a foot drive are still in operation and sold. And this is the same crank with a drive pulley of a suitable diameter and a solid bed for the table. Plus wheels on which you can roll the bugle.

What kind of fan do you need?

Below we will move on to designs that are already quite functional, which require a full-fledged blast. And electricity for the fan is everywhere. But what kind of fan is needed for a forge? Once upon a time, horns were blown with bellows; who are curious about how the bellows are arranged, see fig. on right.

Note: it was from the remains of 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 under it in the forge - female.

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

More importantly, we need to push air through a rather 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. limit pressure. The meaning of this parameter is simple: the fan will create the maximum pressure by forcing air into a closed cavity.

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

In addition, they bring air up to the maximum pressure slowly, in minutes, and for fine forging and forging work, the blast must be changed in seconds. It is useless to install a receiver: when the valve is opened, the air in it will expand along the adiabat, which at 0.3 ati will only give a zilch.

Total output: to pressurize the forge, a centrifugal snail fan is needed. You don’t have to look at the specification, any centrifugal fan will give the required maximum pressure according to the very principle of its operation. It is best to take snails from the 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 need a transformer and a rectifier of the appropriate power.

Any old household vacuum cleaner will work fine, but here you need to consider that its power will almost always be excessive. You should not reduce it with a LATR or a thyristor regulator: the motor will work in the heavy mode of excessive slip of the rotor and the resource of an already worn out old man will be small. It is best to make a wide air drainage in the tuyere, as in the stationary furnace described below.

Mobile

Here in fig. - drawings of a deservedly popular design: a fully functional mobile forge designed for outdoor use. It was this kind of device that was meant when thinking about cavalry and sewing machines.

Pay attention to the node marked with the number 1. This is a fine blast control drain. The drainage tube slides in and out, and at the bottom a longitudinal row of small holes, 1-2 mm in diameter, is drilled into it. By passing air into the drain, you can very accurately adjust the boost.

Stationary

Stationary bugles are made by experienced craftsmen according to their anthropometric data. A piece of red-hot orange iron weighing several kilos in tongs is an extremely traumatic object, so the ergonomics of a stationary forge must be perfect.

Note: in the novel by A. N. Tolstoy "Peter the Great" a case is vividly described, how the still young tsar-worksman received a decent scolding from a forced blacksmith for awkwardness when welding the anchor paw. Only the enormous physical strength of Peter then prevented a production emergency.

We take sizes

Approximate dimensions of the stationary hearth are shown in fig.

It is approximate, but the height of the table and its dimensions must be determined exactly:

We become straight, feet shoulder-width apart. We bend the right freely lowered arm at the elbow.
The 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 ticks in the same hand, the assistant measures the distance from the stomach to the ends of their sponges.
We add 10-12 cm to it, we got half the length of the diagonal of the table.
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: it is not necessary to make the table round, because. parts with pliers will have to be taken differently. And rectangular - you can, if you work together with an assistant.

Design

The sequence of manufacturing a stationary hearth is visible from fig. It is better to lower the air of the lance with a pressurization from a vacuum cleaner or a snail of an auto-stove, and at the same time make the air drainage damper (items 4 and 5) retractable forward. It turns out air receiver a sufficiently large capacity, and the damper can be pushed in and out with the toe of the shoe.

Also pay attention to the one-piece grate, pos. 2. In this case, it is special for bugles. The secret is in the intersecting hollows dividing the slab into squares. They accumulate soot. If holes are drilled in a smooth plate, then after each forging they will have to be cleaned with a steel bar.

But why can't the grate be made of slats, like in an oven? Because the mass of fuel is not sintered uniformly. In the gaps between the slats, the air flow will jump to where it is freer for it to exit. In that place, the temperature will be higher, and the entire workpiece may be overdried in spots. An amateur master will not notice this by sight, but under load, local fragility will affect. And passing air through a two-dimensional regular structure (one-dimensional furnace grate) reduces the unevenness of air distribution by an order of magnitude. If the grate is three-dimensional, as shown in fig. with a hearth device at the beginning, then the uneven distribution of air has practically no effect.

But what if there is no place to take a special grate? Then an acceptable output 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 blowing over the area provides more or less uniform. According to the principle of operation, it is similar to a shower diffuser.

It is impossible to pressurize the air shower with a vacuum cleaner, the fuel will blow out. You need to take a snail from an auto-stove or the like. In this case, it is also undesirable to regulate the blast by drainage, the boost optimal for the uniformity of the blast is rather weak. It is necessary to build a throttle valve into the air duct, and make the bottom cover of the lance removable only for cleaning.

Gas-burners

And in the end we will give drawings of several burners for gas furnaces. For artistic forging, they are quite suitable, and, whatever you say, it is the most demanded of blacksmithing. All these burners are direct-flow injection burners. Much more efficient and versatile vortexes are too complicated for self-production.

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

The next one (see the figure) is simpler and contains fewer details, although even here it is necessary to accurately sharpen shallow cones. The blower is also great, but it only works on propane. For butane, a very narrow nozzle is required, and butane is used little.

It is necessary to grind clean the outer surface of the D1 injector and drill the nozzle in one setting. Nozzle drilled carbide drill and goes through a clean sweep. This is the main drawback of the design: a small, precise tool is required, which is not always and not always available.

Below in fig. two burners are simpler. On the left - chiseled universal for household gas or propane. A small mobile forge can blow through at most, but turning parts can be done by an average turner. You just need to master the technology of landing parts in a hot fit. Which, however, is not difficult.

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

Note: never feed these burners with acetylene! You will burn the metal in the furnace and it will not take long before the explosion!

Finally

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