Do-it-yourself blacksmith's forge on coals. DIY forge

In blacksmithing, a forge is used to heat and preheat metal blanks before heat treatment. The operating temperature in this device rises to 1200 degrees. By design, the device can be stationary and mobile (that is, placed directly in a specially equipped forge or transported to a place convenient for work). For industry, equipment is equipped with various devices, for household use The forge is produced in its simplest form.

Features of a household forge

Because of high cost melting plants, not every user can buy such equipment special purpose. For domestic needs, collect gas forge easy to do with your own hands subject to the correct determination of the shape, power and design of the supercharging system. A simple household forge for artistic forging or non-ferrous metal castings can be assembled from several fireclay bricks and sheet steel.

Making a forge at home for working with ferrous metal is not difficult. Make the simplest design possible from metal container, in the side of which it is necessary to make a hole for a gas burner. The fuel supply system can be assembled from a piece of pipe and coupling, for supporting structure Long bolts will fit under the container. The lining of a gas fireplace is carried out by filling a solution of alabaster or gypsum, sand and water.

The forge must be equipped protective casing, ceramic tube or suitable sized bottle. After lining and drilling a hole for the gas supply, the device is installed in convenient location, but at a distance from flammable materials. The advantages of the design include the ability to move the furnace and regulate the degree of heating of the workpiece, which is especially convenient when working with different forging materials.

Operating principle of the installation

Before you begin assembling the thermal unit, you need to understand the principles of operation of a homemade forge for forging metal to simplify the design of the furnace for home use. The operation of the device is based on the energy output when burning a mixture of carbon and oxygen, the percentage of metal released in molten form. During the smelting process, carbon stops the oxidation reaction of the metal; constant injection of gas into the fuel quickly increases the temperature in the forge.

The process of heating metal requires certain skills and specific knowledge. It is not enough to assemble a mini-forge with your own hands; you need to learn how to control the supply of oxygen to the fuel, the volume of which should be no more than 95%. If the workpiece overheats, carburization of the metal occurs, the steel becomes brittle, turning into cast iron.

While developing a drawing of the future forging device, Special attention should be given to the type of energetic substance influencing the design of the focus. The type of fuel for the forge is:

gas (butane, propane);
liquid (diesel oil, fuel oil);
solid (charcoal, coke);
mixed (gas-liquid).

Depending on the planned work and the size of the workpiece, a thermal furnace can have an open or closed hearth zone. For the home handyman it should be remembered that domestic gas can be used in a furnace only after preliminary purification from sulfur using the method of “driving” through liquid naphthalene. Products made from heated gas burner metal cannot be used as loaded parts.

The main requirement for ensuring the security of the master is the installation of a powerful forced ventilation system, even if a household soldering apparatus running on bottled gas is used to construct the forge. The device will allow you to manufacture decorative elements interior and exterior in own garage.

Making a stove from a blowtorch

Making a forge for forging with your own hands, blowtorch you need to install it in a recess, along the perimeter of which fireclay bricks with a grate are laid. When laying refractory bricks, it is necessary to maintain the distance between the enclosing elements in order to ensure the flow of air masses into the combustion chamber. The angle of the blocks relative to each other building material determined by the master.

Charcoal or coke is poured into a recess made of bricks on a grate, and a pipe is put on the blowtorch, which is fed under the grate. The blank for forging is placed in the gap between brickwork, the coal concentrate is ignited from below. To remove smoke, a probe, tent or chimney is installed above the grate.

Solid fuel device for forge

The simplest model of a solid fuel device for a private forge is an outdoor open stove, which does not require the installation of a ventilation system. The construction of the structure involves pouring reinforced concrete base, at the base of the structure it is necessary to lay wall brick. The table is installed at a convenient height, a hole is left in one wall for the blower.

The mountain pit is laid out of fireclay bricks supported on steel corners; in the middle part of the structure a cavity is left for the grate. A chimney or probe will help ensure sufficient draft in the fireplace; the air supply system is installed at the final stage construction work. Installing an electric fan in the chimney or installing blacksmith bellows will help increase the draft.

In a home forge, the tank for hardening parts and the gas-air chamber are not mandatory elements. They can be useful in cases where thermal or shock hardening is required when working with damask steel. In the gas-air chamber the following is carried out:

drying and heating oxygen;
filtering oxygen from condensate and foreign impurities;
mixing air with additives for alloying steel.

To melt precious metals and create an alloy of non-ferrous metals, it is necessary to make a crucible from a heat-resistant material. The device, made in the form of a cap, allows you to increase the operating temperature in the furnace without the risk of overheating the workpiece and the formation of soot.

Home gas forge

To make a simple home gas forge, you can use parts from an old bicycle. If on lathe grind the sprocket from the gearbox; the device can operate on butane or propane and heat closed furnaces of small volume. An important condition use of a portable design is prohibited from operating the burner with acetylene, since heat the flame can burn the former “star”, and the oven will simply explode.

It is not difficult to assemble such a device, and homemade horn for forging is not much inferior to industrial ones, but is much cheaper. The main thing is to follow safety rules during manufacture and use.

If you are one of those people who melts metal in your hands and you dream of having your own forge, then you need a forge. We invite you to use our example, and you can make a forge for yourself with your own hands, which will help you master the art of blacksmithing.

Carpentry or carpentry is, of course, good. Wood processing is traditional for Rus'. But we want to talk about metal. More precisely, about metal forging. What do you need to start forging? The first is a blacksmith's forge.

You might be surprised, but the forge is the easiest thing to organize a forge.

The task of the forge is to heat a piece of metal to a temperature that will allow it to be crushed without destruction.

The forge is, of course, fire. You can burn gas, liquid fuel, fuel oil or crude oil, coal and firewood. Only the firewood produces little heat until it turns into coal. Firewood can only be considered as a raw material for obtaining charcoal, but charcoal is an excellent fuel for a forge. Perhaps the best, but also the most expensive, although also the most accessible. Charcoal for grills and barbecues is sold in any supermarket. So on coal version and stop.

If we talk about a coal-fired forge, then there are two options: with side blast and with bottom blast. Side blowing is ideal for charcoal, and is also the easiest to implement. The simplest option- a hole in the ground where air is supplied through a pipe. You can also line the forge out of brick and cover it with earth.

With the help of such a forge, novice blacksmiths try their hand. A hose is inserted into the pipe and connected to the blowing hole of the vacuum cleaner.

The disadvantage of this forge is that you have to work while squatting, and this is not very convenient. However, you can put together a box required height, fill it with earth and make a forge in it. But since we are going this route, it is worth doing something more thorough. There is one more point. A side blowing forge is not very suitable for coal, while a forge with bottom blast, through a grate, is more universal in this regard. That is, a forge with bottom blast can work on both charcoal and stone. But the design will be more complicated.

We will need:

steel sheet five millimeters thick, about 100x100 cm;
sheet steel 2 mm thick;
corner 30x30;
six fireclay bricks ШБ-8;
angle grinder, popularly called “grinder”;
cleaning wheel;
cutting wheels for cutting steel and stone;
welding machine and electrodes;
two wing screws (eye nut).

The forge consists of a table with a forge nest. Below, under the furnace nest, there is an ash chamber into which air is supplied. The table is made from steel sheet five millimeters thick. The size of the table is arbitrary, but it is more convenient when you can freely place working pliers, a poker and a scoop on it so that they are at hand. We cut a strip 125 mm wide from a five-millimeter sheet; we will need it later, and from the remaining piece we make a table.

Scheme of a forge with a forge nest

Cut out in the middle square hole under the future forge nest. You need to decide on the size of the nest. A large nest will require a lot of coal. A small one will not allow heating large workpieces. The depth of the nest to the grate also matters. Without going into details, let's say that a depth of ten centimeters will be optimal, regardless of the size of the nest in plan.

To prevent the metal from burning through, it must be lined (covered) with fireclay bricks. We use ShB-8 brick. Its dimensions are 250x124x65 mm. These dimensions will determine the size of the forge nest - 12.5 cm at the grate, 25 at the top, 10 cm deep. Considering the thickness of the brick, the size of the hole in the table will be 38x38 cm.

From the cut piece we cut out a square with a side of 25 cm. In the center of the square we cut out a square hole with a side of 12 cm. We also need four plates in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid with base lengths of 38 and 25 cm, a height of 12.5 cm. So the previously cut strip came in handy . Now you need to cook it all.

From two millimeter steel we roll square pipe with a side of 12 and a length of 20-25 cm. This will be an ash receptacle. In the middle of one of the walls we make a hole for the air duct. We weld a pipe into the hole. We use a piece of ordinary water pipe 40.

The ash receptacle from below is closed with a lid. We do it with thumbscrews.

The table is ready. All that remains is to place it on the base or weld the legs from the corner to it. You can make the base from foam concrete blocks.

Pay attention to the opening. An air duct will pass through it.

Using a grinder with a stone cutting disc, we cut out the lining from the brick. Be sure to use a respirator and safety glasses. And follow safety precautions when working with angle grinders.

You can connect a vacuum cleaner and try to light the forge.

First we lay the wood chips and finely chopped firewood. We set them on fire with a weak blow, and when the wood burns well, add coal. Now you can increase the blowing.

The vacuum cleaner can be connected not directly to the furnace air duct, but through homemade regulator air supply. This device allows you to regulate the amount of air supplied to the forge, that is, reduce or increase the blast.

Typically, a damper is installed to regulate the air supply into the duct. But blocking the flow increases the load on the vacuum cleaner motor. An old vacuum cleaner is usually used, and in order not to overload it, an air supply regulator is built. The air flow is not blocked, but is diverted into another duct. For this purpose, a box with three pipes was made. Two opposite each other - the entrance from the pump and the exit to the furnace. The third pipe, on the top wall, is where excess air is discharged. The third pipe is shifted relative to the first two by the diameter of the holes.

Inside is a plate curved at a right angle, half the length of the box. The plate can be moved from one extreme position to another using a wire rod. As far as the air supply hole into the forge is blocked, the discharge hole will open to the same extent.

The box is closed with a lid with a hole for traction.

We now have a working forge suitable for use under open air. To protect from rain, you need a canopy, which must be non-flammable. And the forge needs an umbrella and a pipe to collect and remove smoke.

We make the umbrella from sheet iron two millimeters thick. Firstly, such an umbrella will last longer, and secondly, thinner iron can be welded manually arc welding more difficult.

For an umbrella to be as effective as possible, the slope of its walls must be at least sixty degrees to the horizon. The umbrella should be positioned above the fireplace so that an imaginary beam directed from the point closest to the edge of the fireplace, inclined outward at an angle of sixty degrees to the plane of the table, falls inside the umbrella. This means that the higher the umbrella is above the fireplace, the larger it should be. On the other hand, the lower the umbrella is above the table, the more inconvenient it is to work. Here you need to proceed from the available material and your anthropometric data.

The umbrella is supported by angle steel posts. We place a pipe on top of the umbrella, which we also weld from a two-piece steel sheet. The pipe must be covered with a spark arrester, which we make from metal mesh.

If you direct the air discharged from the throttle through the air duct (it will go water pipe 1 inch) to the beginning chimney, then you get an ejector that increases the efficiency of flue gas removal.

That's all. Your forge is ready. Forge to your health, forge like us, forge better than us!

I am interested in blacksmithing and have already for a long time wanted to bring a piece of it into my suburban garage. After watching several thematic videos, I understood what needed to be done, but did not find any step-by-step instructions on this topic, so I decided to write down for you how to make a forge with your own hands.

The time to assemble a mini forge with your own hands from start to finish is about an hour and a half.

Step 1: Gathering the necessary items

You will need:

Can
Wood block
Pipe connector - 1.5 * 5 cm
Two L-shaped 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 can to the brackets
Sand
Plaster
Large bag for mixing plaster and sand
Regular propane torch with nozzle for spiral gas flow
Protective glasses
Fire extinguisher - just in case

Step 2: Prepare the jar

Drill two holes about 1/2 inch from each edge of the jar.

On the opposite side of the holes, about 2-3 cm from the back of the can, 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 can and screw the brackets to the tree accordingly.

Step 4: Attach the can to the brackets

Using screws with washers and nuts, securely secure the can to the brackets.

Step 5: Thread a Pipe Connector into the Can

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

Step 6: Create a 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 can We recommend mixing 3 cups of sand and gypsum each and adding 1 - 1.5 cups of water to the mixture.

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

Fill 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 the walls about 2 cm thick. Select a wider cavity at the back (bottom) of the jar to create best zone heat retention.

Using the back of a spoon or other thin object, scrape the sand and plaster mixture from the exposed pipe connector. Clean all surfaces with wet wipes and let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes.

Later I came up with the idea that I could stuff the pipe connector with paper and use a tube from a bottle to create a hole in the can. toilet paper and stuff the heat-resistant mixture around it, and then all the paper will simply burn during the first ignition.

A forge is an indispensable attribute of workshops engaged in the production of various products using the method of hand-made artistic forging. Only a few forged elements can be made plastic deformation metals at room temperatures. In most cases, heating is required. For steel, in particular, the range of optimal forging temperatures is (depending on the steel grade) from 800...900 0 C to 1100...1200 0 C. A forge is the simplest type of heating device, which is quite suitable for these purposes.

Invented by the ancient Khalibs for forging copper knives and scrapers (Middle East, 6th millennium BC), the first forge was made in the form of a primitive depression in the ground measuring about 700 mm. The pit was surrounded stone wall, in which a hole was provided for air injection. Air injection (which is necessary for stable combustion of fuel) was carried out using blacksmith bellows. They were a cavity made of goat skins, where levers through air valve air was blown in. The reverse movement of the lever was ensured by a stone, which was installed on the top plate of the bellows, and the operation of the valve was carried out due to the difference in pressure of cold and hot air.

Existing forge designs are determined by the following factors:

Fuel, on which the device operates: coke, fuel oil, coal or gas.
Design fuel burning device.
Required sizes workspace.
Purpose, since, in addition to heating for forging, forges are also used for some operations heat treatment finished forgings – carburizing, tempering and even hardening.

For safety reasons forges often work on coal.

Coke is expensive, fuel oil has unsatisfactory environmental operating conditions, and gas furnaces require particularly careful routine maintenance. At the same time gas furnaces are characterized by higher efficiency, and also allow for fairly convenient mechanization of some heating control processes - in particular, ignition of gas in the burner or burners.

Common disadvantages blacksmith forges are considered:

Uneven heating metal placed on the surface;
Impossibility practical temperature control heated workpiece;
Undesirable saturation of surface layers heated metal sulfur compounds, resulting in increased fragility of the workpiece.

However, an experienced blacksmith is able to estimate the temperature of a metal by the color of its surface, and the problem of sulfurization is solved by using more quality type fuel.

Fuel consumption during the operation of forges is 40...150% of the mass of the heated metal, with its surface loss of 4...7% (depending on the duration of heating). Modern horns - mainly closed type, since in the opposite case the efficiency of the heating device drops to 5...10%.

Coal fired forges

The design of a heating device of this type includes:

Arch and side walls, which are laid out from refractory bricks (fireclay or dinas).
Horn nest, formed by the upper surface of the arch, where the workpieces are heated.
Umbrella, equipped with folding curtains, and designed to improve natural traction in the workspace.
Rear wall (firewall), which provides openings for supplying source air.
Air valve, designed to turn on the air supply to the forge socket.
Protective box made of heat-resistant steel, which connects the inlet cavity at the air supply valve with the forge socket.
Quenching tank(it can be steel or brick), designed to cool the workpieces during heat treatment or to cool the hearth nest itself from overheating and subsequent formation of temperature cracks.
Chimney, through which fuel combustion products are removed.
Coal storage tanks and various blacksmith tools.

Schematic diagram of the operation of a forge

A solid fuel forge is a rather capricious heating device, and heating it requires a certain amount of effort from the blacksmith. practical experience. It is especially difficult to ignite a forge that has not been used for a long time, and also if the external temperatures and air pressure are quite low. Coal, which is used in such forges, must comply requirements of GOST 8180.

Preparing the forge for heating metal is done in the following sequence:

Their furnace nest removes waste, leftovers forged metal, ash and scale (this should be done even when the surface has been thoroughly cleaned after completion of work);
Chimneys and air supply channels are purged compressed air (for small forges you can use a vacuum cleaner);
A small layer of coal is poured onto the surface of the forge nest., and the opening of the protective box should not be completely blocked;
Top on coal place the rags, soaked in flammable liquid or sawdust;
After ignition when combustion becomes stable, add the next portion of coal(the fraction may have an increased size compared to the original);
The air supply valve opens, and is installed in the middle position;
As it burns out, the blast intensity is gradually increased.

The required quality of heating the workpiece for forging in an open forge is ensured formation of a superficial crust, which is formed during fuel combustion.

The temperature inside the crust is always higher, so the workpiece is placed inside and covered with another dose of coal on top. At the same time, they try not to destroy the upper surface of the crust, since otherwise heating will be slower, and metal waste and scaling will increase. Sometimes, to weaken the processes of carburization of the metal, the crust is sprayed with water.

In open forges, the least intense heating of the metal occurs at the periphery of the forge nest, therefore fresh coal is poured precisely along the perimeter of the heated workpiece. If the crust layer becomes too thick (more than 5...10 mm), it is broken, because in this case, the thermal conductivity to the workpiece decreases.

The workpiece is periodically heated during heating. turn to provide all its parts with the same heating conditions. The flame when burning coal should have a uniform color with a minimum of soot.

Colors of heated steel at different temperatures are:

Dark cherry colors – 700...750 0 C;
Cherry red – 750...800 0 C;
Red – 800…850 0 C;
Light red – 850…900 0 C;
Orange – 900…1050 0 C;
Dark yellow – 1050…1150 0 C;
Light yellow – 1150…1250 0 C.

Overheating of the metal above the specified temperatures is unacceptable. Overheated metal is characterized by a coarse-grained structure, which is less susceptible to forging, especially when forming complex forged elements.

Gas-powered forges

Gas furnaces are brought to the design mode much easier, and this is their advantage over solid fuel heating devices. Typical design such a forge is next:

Camera, made of fire-resistant material, and externally lined with thick sheet heat-resistant steel.
Front flap, opening with hinges or a counterweight, and equipped with a viewing window.
Under, made of heat-resistant fireclay bricks.
Burner. The type of burner is determined by the calorific value of the gas used. For example, for a propane-butane mixture, diffusion combustion burners are effective, in which mixing of air and gas occurs only after the gas and air leave the device, and mixing of the components occurs due to diffusion processes. Such burners provide the most uniform heating of workpieces (especially long ones), and minimal metal waste is achieved due to the fact that there is always a protective layer above its surface.
Mixing reducer, providing mixing of air and gas (included in the structure of the liquefied gas cylinder).
Nozzle, the configuration of which is determined by the shape of the billets heated in the forge.
Grate, designed to improve traction and collect scale.
Fan, ensuring the injection of air in the required volume with its subsequent supply to the burner coverage area.

To operate such forges, a stationary source of electricity is required. It is advisable to use gas forges for heating parts of long workpieces for forging: heating occurs much faster, and therefore, scaling is less.

Using gas forge The following safety requirements must be strictly observed:

Thoroughly ventilate the forge room. Avoiding stagnant zones where flammable gas can accumulate;
Do not use oxygen or oxygen-containing mixtures that are prone to spontaneous combustion and self-ignition near the operating device;
Provide for complete afterburning of gas in the working space of the furnace (determined by a gas analyzer, which is required when trial run gas forge);
Thoroughly clean the grate after turning off the gas supply to the device.

In order to reduce scale formation, they are also used to heat workpieces for forging. and electric resistance heaters, But similar devices It’s a stretch to call them “horns.”

You might be surprised, but the forge is the easiest thing to organize a forge.

The task of the forge is to heat a piece of metal to a temperature that will allow it to be crushed without destruction.

The forge is, of course, fire. You can burn gas, liquid fuel, fuel oil or crude oil, coal and firewood. Only the firewood produces little heat until it turns into coal. Firewood can only be considered as a raw material for producing charcoal, but charcoal is an excellent fuel for a forge. Perhaps the best, but also the most expensive, although also the most accessible. Charcoal for grills and barbecues is sold in any supermarket. So we’ll stick to the coal option.

If we talk about a coal-fired forge, then there are two options: with side blast and with bottom blast. Side blowing is ideal for charcoal, and is also the easiest to implement. The simplest option is a hole in the ground where air is supplied through a pipe. You can also line the forge out of brick and cover it with earth.

With the help of such a forge, novice blacksmiths try their hand. A hose is inserted into the pipe and connected to the blowing hole of the vacuum cleaner.

The disadvantage of this forge is that you have to work while squatting, and this is not very convenient. However, you can put together a box of the required height, fill it with earth and make a forge in it. But since we are going this route, it is worth doing something more thorough. There is one more point. A forge with side blast is not very suitable for coal, while a forge with bottom blast through a grate is more versatile in this regard. That is, a forge with bottom blast can work on both charcoal and stone. But the design will be more complicated.

We will need:

steel sheet five millimeters thick, about 100x100 cm;
sheet steel 2 mm thick;
corner 30x30;
six fireclay bricks ШБ-8;
angle grinder, popularly called “grinder”;
cleaning wheel;
cutting wheels for cutting steel and stone;
welding machine and electrodes;
two wing screws (eye nut).

The forge consists of a table with a forge nest. Below, under the furnace nest, there is an ash chamber into which air is supplied. The table is made of steel sheet five millimeters thick. The size of the table is arbitrary, but it is more convenient when you can freely place working pliers, a poker and a scoop on it so that they are at hand. We cut a strip 125 mm wide from a five-millimeter sheet; we will need it later, and from the remaining piece we make a table.

Scheme of a forge with a forge nest

In the middle we cut out a square hole for the future forge nest. You need to decide on the size of the nest. A large nest will require a lot of coal. A small one will not allow heating large workpieces. The depth of the nest to the grate also matters. Without going into details, let's say that a depth of ten centimeters will be optimal, regardless of the size of the nest in plan.

From two millimeter steel we roll up a square pipe with a side of 12 and a length of 20-25 cm. This will be the ash receptacle. In the middle of one of the walls we make a hole for the air duct. We weld a pipe into the hole. We use a piece of ordinary water pipe 40.

The ash receptacle from below is closed with a lid. We do it with thumbscrews.

The table is ready. All that remains is to place it on the base or weld the legs from the corner to it. You can make the base from foam concrete blocks.

Pay attention to the opening. An air duct will pass through it.

Using a grinder with a stone cutting disc, we cut out the lining from the brick. Be sure to use a respirator and safety glasses. And follow safety precautions when working with angle grinders.

You can connect a vacuum cleaner and try to light the forge.

First, we lay down wood chips and finely chopped firewood. We set them on fire with a weak blow, and when the wood burns well, add coal. Now you can increase the blowing.

The vacuum cleaner can be connected not directly to the air duct of the forge, but through a homemade air supply regulator. This device allows you to regulate the amount of air supplied to the forge, that is, reduce or increase the blast.

The box is closed with a lid with a hole for traction.

We now have a working forge suitable for outdoor use. To protect from rain, you need a canopy, which must be non-flammable. And the forge needs an umbrella and a pipe to collect and remove smoke.

We make the umbrella from sheet iron two millimeters thick. Firstly, such an umbrella will last longer, and secondly, it is more difficult to weld thinner iron using manual arc welding.

The umbrella is supported by angle steel posts. We place a pipe on top of the umbrella, which we also weld from a two-piece steel sheet. The pipe must be covered with a spark arrestor, which is made from metal mesh.

If you direct the air discharged from the throttle through an air duct (a 1-inch water pipe will go) to the beginning of the chimney, you will get an ejector that increases the efficiency of flue gas removal.