[Sca-cooks] Charcoal forge suggestion ;-)

[Bill Fisher]

On Sun, 17 Oct 2004 21:35:13 -0400, marilyn traber 011221
<phlip at 99main.com> wrote:

> Stefan,
> 
> Of COURSE it cracked- a flower pot just isn't up to the temperatures you
> generate when you're operating a forge. And the brake drum is not "just to
> fill up space", it's there not only to handle the temperatures that a forge
> can generate, it's to shape and direct the fire, so that it's controlled. I
> suspect that if you proceed with your cat litter intentions as you stand, it
> will work for a few uses, and then the entire thing will burn up, because the
> litter will crack, catching the shell of the barbecue on fire, or maybe
> melting it, if you're lucky- cat litter just isn't designed to deal with
> those temperatures. Myself, I'm lusting after some castable refractory I've
> found that's good up to 3000 degrees Fahrenheit, for the forges I want to
> build.

I made a forge at my Dad's, when he had his shop. out of clay I found on 
premises and an old duck egg tuerere(sp)  and some angle iron I 
welded together.

I built a wood fire and shoveled the coals into the forge (which I think I had
lined with wet large leaves to keep the coals from biting the walls) to harden
the surface, and let that go for a few hours, then let it cool.Then I 
built a soft
coal fire, and used the bellows towards the end, then let it cool,
then a coal/coke
fire and let it cool.   At least that is what I remembered doing, it
was over 10 years a
go that I did it ( I think 14 maybe).

My Dad disassembled it when he closed the shop, he had used it regularly 
over the years as a barbque when he lived in the attached apartment.  He would
turn on the blower for that "steakhouse salamander" effect. He said the clay
was fired through completely.and had to use a sledge to get the tuere

> The thing you need to keep in mind that if you'll be using charcoal for your
> fire, you want a fire that's deeper than you'd have for a coal fire. Part of
> what you're doing is focussing the fire with the blower and the shape of the
> fire pot, rather like what you're doing with a glass lens when you focus the
> sun's rays to catch a bit of paper or wood on fire- you can get forging
> temperatures by burning your house down too, but that much fire is a bit
> difficult to get close enough to use, never mind being a bit inconvenient,
> when you try to go to bed that night ;-)

For charcoal, wouldn't he need a more conical shape?  That would give 
him a deep, smaller, and concentrated fire.  It depends really on the size
of his project.

I think you could arrange firebricks that way (with some cutting), or clay.

Cadoc
-- 

"The 'Net is a waste of time, and that's exactly what's right about it" -
                                    - William Gibson