Forge Identification

W

Will Estes

Joined
Apr 25, 2022
Messages
113
I have an old coal forge and I would love to figure out an approximate make/model, year, etc for it. I don’t know enough about this sort of thing to be able to do much useful research on it, so I was wondering if anyone else would be able to tell me anything about it. If I can’t get all of the pictures in here, I will post another one with just the pics.
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Look at the next post. This was the exact same as the first one. Whoops!
 
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The top photo is a link I found that looks almost exactly like mine, but it didn’t actually have any information on it. Also, I think I am missing a few pieces for the drive system, so would anybody happen to know which parts are missing and where I can get them? Sadly, I don’t think these are the kinds of things that I can just run down to Home Depot and get new ones.
 
That is a standard portable blacksmith forge. They were used by the military and railroad, as well as other industries.
There may be a name on it underneath or on the blower.

It has had some bolts replaced but looks in overall good shape.

From what I see in the photos, the handle is missing, and the flat belt is gone. These are easily replaced by making new ones. You can get the 1" belt leather and the staples from many places, but it is simple to make your own for a fraction of the cost.

The things that you need to check out are if the blower spins and how smooth the flywheel spins. A little oil/grease and some cleanup usually takes care of that. Also, see if the ash dump and tuyere work correctly.

Now, if you want to use it all the time ... and make your life simpler ... add a motor underneath and drive the blower with that. You don't need a big motor. 1/4HP 3-phase and a cheap VFD will run it just fine. You can get these motors for $30 and a controller for about the same.

Of course, to use the forge you will have to get a sack of fire clay to line the pan. That and a sack of Pocohontas #3 will get you forging.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
That is a standard portable blacksmith forge. They were used by the military and railroad, as well as other industries.
There may be a name on it underneath or on the blower.

It has had some bolts replaced but looks in overall good shape.

From what I see in the photos, the handle is missing, and the flat belt is gone. These are easily replaced by making new ones. You can get the 1" belt leather and the staples from many places, but it is simple to make your own for a fraction of the cost.

The things that you need to check out are if the blower spins and how smooth the flywheel spins. A little oil/grease and some cleanup usually takes care of that. Also, see if the ash dump and tuyere work correctly.

Now, if you want to use it all the time ... and make your life simpler ... add a motor underneath and drive the blower with that. You don't need a big motor. 1/4HP 3-phase and a cheap VFD will run it just fine. You can get these motors for $30 and a controller for about the same.

Of course, to use the forge you will have to get a sack of fire clay to line the pan. That and a sack of Pocohontas #3 will get you forging.
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Thanks for the advice! I replaced the bolts because I wanted to be able to take it apart and move it, and the originals were completely rusted together. I used copious 3-in-1 and got the flywheel and blower spinning. There is room for improvement there, but they are serviceable. Is there supposed to be a connector between the flywheel and the handle? It seems like there should be, but it seems like a real pain to take it off, so if it is missing I don’t really know where it could have ended up. Do you have any recommendations for where to get the clay and the coal?
 
You can get lots of refractory profits at Hightemptools. Just search for them on Google or whatever.
 
Do a search of "old hand pump coal forge". You will get lots of detailed images of the hand pump connection.
You can also change the forge blower to running on a motor and speed controller. If the blower is roached out you can put on an electric blower and speed control.
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Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Do a search of "old hand pump coal forge". You will get lots of detailed images of the hand pump connection.
You can also change the forge blower to running on a motor and speed controller. If the blower is roached out you can put on an electric blower and speed control.
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That’s great! I will look into that. Do you happen to know what the model of that rectangular forge is? From what I can see, it looks almost identical to mine.
 
Pumping a coal forge is a real talent. If you were planning on using that forge to make knives, I would change the blower to electric.
The best use is as a shop/home decoration. Mine is on the front porch with artificial ivy in it. I have seen several made into flower boxes by making a fiberglass liner for the dirt and flowers.
 
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