Get Medieval: How to Build a Metal Forge

I wondered if there was an electrical way to build a forge.

Nice build and shop. I may have to try this. I have always been interested in metal working and having a forge would certainly be a nice tool to have handy.

Wawa Peach Tea is awesome by the way. Shout out to PA!

--GTO--

@Azorus There must be, as there electrical induction furnaces and electric arc furnaces used in foundries. Those are operating at a higher temperature than a forge would. I have a feeling your electricity costs would be staggering. Here is some more info from wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_furnace
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_arc_furnace

What might be a neat DIY project would be a computer controlled electrical heat treating furnace. Totally doable, probably with the same coils they use in ceramics kilns.

@GTO Thanks! Those are actually all pictures of the old shop. I don't have any pictures of the new place online yet.

I definitely recommend trying your hand at forging. The propane regulator and hose were the biggest cost in the build, and even that was only about $40 if memory serves.

I didn't turn out to be much of a blacksmith, but it was still worth it. I got better insight into how metal moves, which helped me in forming sheet metal. And I'm inspired by the blacksmithing construct of building your own tools during the course of an apprenticeship and in so doing bootstrapping yourself into your trade (both in terms of skills and equipment).

And yes, PA is an awesome, awesome place.

This actually sounds like a lot of fun. How much life do you get out of the propane? In other words, how many hours of heating do you get out of X-amount of propane?

There are a number of induction heaters available. Mine is a 18 kilowatt machine. While that is a large amount of power the actual power consumed in practical use is not that great 'cause you are only heating at best 40% of the actual forging time. Don't forget to include time to actually figure out what you are doing... My heater will bring a 5/8" round up to forging temp for a length of 3/4" in about 5 seconds. To heat a longer section you just move the piece back and forth in the coil. The power level is adjustable so the 18 kw figure is extreme. I seldom have it turned up that high. The biggest dfrawback is, of course, the price. You are looking to put out about $2600 plus the water cooling system for the electronics.

Thanks vinmarshall!

@mranderson I haven't used it in a while, but if memory serves, I'd get about 1-2 days of forging out of a 20 lb (bbq grill sized) container. Those cost me about $15 to fill around here.

@ironmonger Interesting. Do you have a link to the vendor(s)? Did you build it from parts or get something ready made? Also, do you have a flickr account? You might want to consider posting pictures of your setup and some of the stuff you've forged in the popsci photo pool. It sounds like this post has gotten some people interested in trying their hand at forging, and it can be inspiring to see what other people are working on.

You should walk your cyberspace legs over to Instructables, you'd be the talk of the town!

I love this! Getting medieval, maybe I'll make my own excalibur!

I have personnel been lucky to visit quite a number of old school blacksmiths. If you are looking for an amazing day out with your family I would highly recommend it. Particularly some of the old codgers; they are an absolute legend and can tell many a tall story couple with a gift for creating art from fire and steel.

www.plastmo.co.uk

The art and craft aspect of metal work is still alive around the country side. Go and treat yourself. Watch the guys at work and you will be convinced of the need to build one just for yourself.

www.colorcoat-online.com/en/products/exterior_products

I just recently made one, unfortunately I used a gas grill propane regulator and the hose melted on me 20 minutes after having started up the forge.

This looks like a good design for someone of my skill level and limited access to space. I do have a few questions:
Is it possible to safely run this unit in an indoor space? I have a well-ventilated 2nd floor shop space, with large industrial windows and a double fire-door at the opposite side of the shop, allowing for good cross-ventilation, but as CO sinks, it's my main concern in building a propane fired forge. I had planned on building a forced-air ventilation hood that would be powered by an internal squirrel cage fan to direct the fumes up and out my shop window. Does this sound feasible? Where do you mainly run this forge, indoors or out?
My second question is: how hot does the burner structure get? I saw that someone else commented that their hose had begun to melt, and I'd like like to avoid combustion. Thanks for the input.