How to Build a Blacksmith Forge from Scrap
In this video, I'll show you how to build a blacksmith forge from scrap... from scratch! This forge is perfect for beginners who want to learn how to build one yourself that will work for years AND on a budget as close to ZERO as possible. It's easy to build if you have a welder, and you can make it as small or large as you want.
A blacksmith forge is so handy for hardening steels and for making tools, and having one that can be moved around easily is also a great feature. In this video I build one completely from scrap, the only cost being the welding rods, my time, electricity and one dollar store paint brush. The rest of the materials I had on-hand already. The stand came from the drill press restoration I've just finished, it was not a great stand, but the completely steel top was perfect for this project. It is always fun to challenge yourself to see what you can make by limiting yourself to only what you have on hand.
I think a great feature to add later would be a hood of some kind as well as a pipe to help vent the smoke away, but aside from that and a few tweaks I'm sure I'll make over time, it works great, better than I would have expected. I'd love to make woodworking tools, knives, fix tools, make forge tongs for metal melting and in general be able to manipulate metal more easily.
My first forge was made from an old mower deck flipped upside down, mounted to a brake drum, with a vertical pipe and this same blower attached. It had rebar for the legs welded and it was horribly heavy and unstable. It worked well, but it was not safe and was hard to move around. It also looked terrible and it rusted out as it stayed outside all of the time.
Little disclaimer: working with a forge which can metal steel and heat beyond 1300C is dangerous, if you want to attempt a project like this, be safe and wear the proper PPE. This forge is for outside use only and should stay far away from your home any anything flammable.
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Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for the info ...im all over this👍🔥🔨
Awesome! You should make a tray/drawer or something like that to catch the ashes that are falling into the mesh.
Great idea, thank you!
@@NeedItMakeIt Thank you for making and sharing content👌🏼
I would add a foot pedal for blower on off
well made video and original use of odd stuff. thanks
Thanks a lot! I just need more time to use it.
Excellent.. It is all a learning experience.. Legendary ❤❤
This is pretty nice. i personally made a forge out of cement and made it kind of like a rocket stove. Can't get any coal around here though.
Thats a cool idea, a rocket stove design should generate enough heat to get a red heat.
Like your video thanks
Thanks I appreciate that!
I’ve just recently got started on learning how to build a forge and black smithing so I hope someone will answer my question. Why did he fill the brake drum in? Is it not better to have a deeper firepot?
A larger drum would be better, but it's a good idea to have a slope, that will allow better use of the coal/coked coal rather than some sitting around the edges not being used. Also, depending on your source of air and how much air you're brining in, you have the potential to melt your Cast iron, the filler is there to protect it as well. I'd recommend trying to find a bigger drum to begin with, mine were smaller and free so that's why I used them.
@@NeedItMakeIt awesome, thank you so much for the reply. That’s a good point with the slope and the filler acting as added protection. That didn’t even occur to me. I’ll definitely have to try that on mine. How long does your filler usually last before it starts breaking down/ cracking?
The end had me screaming, clean off your metal before welding you are a blacksmith you should know a clean surface is what you need but I get it, sometimes it just doesn't pop into your mind.
I'm no blacksmith, that's for sure, I'm a woodworker by trade, but I dabble in just about everything. Thanks for the tip. Sometimes I pay too much attention to the video work and not enough to the actual job at hand. All in good time.