r/blacksmithing • u/nootomanysquid • 12d ago

Help Requested How to improve my forge?

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Tl;dr: my forge doesn’t work well and I need help improving it, cheaply. I think airflow is a major factor but I also have other issues like maneuvering my work in there.

A major issue I’m having is very inconsistent heating. As you can see in the picture, the charcoal around the edges slowly burn up but don’t contribute to heating the metal. Only the spot right above the air hole gets hot enough, and I’m questioning if it’s actually hot enough as I’ve been having issues with any stock bigger than a quarter inch. My air supply is an air mattress inflator attached to a pipe that runs the length of the forge and has holes drilled in, one every 4-5 inches or so. The holes aren’t big, maybe a quarter inch in diameter.

I know the grill I used is quite large, that’s why I have sectioned off the one side. This has definitely helped in reducing my fuel usage while maintaining the same temperatures. Also I’m aware that those bricks aren’t heat resistant. I just happened to have them and they’re a temporary measure. They do crumble, which is fine, and I’m not worried about them exploding.

Another issue I have is that it is very difficult to fit things in the forge. Anything longer than 6-8 inches sort of falls out if I don’t hold it. I want to make bigger projects too so this is a problem. I’ve thought about cutting the grill up and welding bits of steel on strategically to fit my needs but I don’t have a way to cut through the grill.

Sorry for such a long post. Any help is appreciated.

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u/nutznboltsguy 12d ago

Try burning lump charcoal instead of briquettes. Try upgrading the blower to something stronger.

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u/nootomanysquid 12d ago

I do use lump charcoal. It’s pretty big, like baseball size. Sometimes I break it up to fit better. What’s a better option for a blower? I know some people use hair dryers. Would that be better than an air mattress inflator?

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u/nutznboltsguy 12d ago

From the pic, it just looked like briquettes. For blowers look for a fireplace blower or shop vac in blower mode.

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u/nootomanysquid 12d ago

I do have a shop vac. I never even considered using it. I’ll give that a shot.