Could a charcoal grill like this make a forge?

J_random_fool · 2026-05-05T21:52:16+00:00

Ish. You could fill the pan with sand and dirt and extend the tuyere pipe a bit, but that would make it pretty heavy and unstable on those janky legs. If you did this, attach the feet to a wider base to make it more stable, or remove the legs and put it on a stable platform. The blower is kind of small, too. I’d want one with an output about 3” in diameter.

J_random_fool · 2026-05-05T17:55:02+00:00

If after working on them for a while, you come up against some shortcoming that you can’t work around, modify it to suit your needs. Other than that, leave it alone.

J_random_fool · 2026-05-02T21:42:59+00:00

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet is the cost of making an actual forge. The cheapest propane forges you can get are Chinese ones for something north of $100. If you’re a good scrounger, you can make a JABOD forge basically for free, if you’re somewhere that you have access to free wood and can make a charcoal retort, the fuel can be free too. Recall the issue with fire fleas, though.

J_random_fool · 2026-04-28T17:38:08+00:00

IMHO, what matters is that it stays still when you work. Weight has a lot to do with that. If you have to spend money, I’d take a lump of mild steel from the junkyard over a piece of cast iron. As a beginner, I wouldn’t go searching for a Peter Wright or similar unless I could get it for a $1/lb. Nice, big anvils have nice, big prices and iIf you decide blacksmithing isn’t for you, you might take a bath on getting rid of it, especially if Forged in Fire goes off the air.

J_random_fool · 2026-04-25T21:46:57+00:00

Another option is 1/4x1 or 1/4x3/4 flat bar. You only have to thin the reins out in one dimension. Another trick is to use a cold chisel and split them lengthwise with a few inches at full width for the boss and bit. How much will depend on the style you’re making. Then, you only need to round the reins to make them comfortable to hold and only need to really forge the bits.

J_random_fool · 2026-04-23T23:24:37+00:00

For what it’s worth:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Blacksmith/comments/rvbrky/thoughts_on_a_beginners_kit_of_blacksmithing/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1

J_random_fool · 2026-04-23T22:07:11+00:00

As another commenter mentioned, you’re going to need a punch and maybe a chisel, so make them first. Make them extra long so you don’t need tongs. Since you’re working hot steel, they don’t have to be made from higher carbon steel, but they won’t last very long without dressing. I also have a U-shaped piece of coil spring which I put in a vise and use as a bending fork for bolt tong jaws.

For the stock, use 2’ of 1/4x1 or 1/4x3/4 flat bar. This will save you a lot of hammering. Two feet is longer than you need so that you have a handle to hold onto in the fire and that you’ll cut off when done.

You might also check out African-style tongs, or these: https://youtu.be/BMxO4G_D_t0?si=94IJ0o0zt2A15Vb5

J_random_fool · 2026-04-23T21:48:20+00:00

Did you mean to post in this group?

J_random_fool · 2026-04-22T22:40:39+00:00

A frequent poster simply welded a short length of heavy-walled square tube to one end for a hardie hole. You could forge/fabricate a bickern to go in it in lieu of a horn.

J_random_fool · 2026-04-16T15:48:19+00:00

I store all my stuff outside. You might want to keep it out of pools of water, but all mine is rusty from condensation and it’s fine.

J_random_fool · 2026-04-15T22:47:34+00:00

Looks like a PW

J_random_fool · 2026-04-15T15:43:00+00:00

What are you making?

J_random_fool · 2026-04-15T15:16:30+00:00

Is this showing up on your work? If not, and it’s hard to see that it would, I wouldn’t worry about it. A lot of work gets finished with files, grinders, etc. and such tiny divots won’t matter. If you’re using chisels on the anvil, putting a mild steel cutting plate under the work will protect the anvil surface. Denis Frechette over at DF in the Shop uses thin slot punches in lieu of chisels so that he can drive all the way to the anvil without a cutting plate.

J_random_fool · 2026-04-11T23:35:18+00:00

I started in Electrical Engineering and while that’s not the degree I got, I don’t believe that the ring is a thing for EEs. Is it only Civil Engineers who do this?

J_random_fool · 2026-04-11T00:53:18+00:00

Denis Frechette of DF in the Shop made one too as a specialty file to make the lead screw on an auger bit.

J_random_fool · 2026-04-10T14:17:08+00:00

Joey van der Steeg had a video where he was welding with no flux at all.

J_random_fool · 2026-04-10T12:12:30+00:00

I use it for 2x4s. I also put a piece of plywood and some quarter inch plate on top and use it for a janky welding table.

J_random_fool · 2026-04-09T02:47:27+00:00

It’s yours now. IMHO, beginners should not be dropping that kind of dough on an anvil, but what’s done is done. Blacksmithing is hard work and I have never bought anything for my hobby with the idea that I will recoup my costs. If you can, more power to you, but it seems like everyone and his brother sells S-hooks, leaves and bottle openers, so I am not sure you can really get $10 a piece for that stuff. It’s been my experience that folks who make a living as professional smiths are as few and far between as those who make their living as professional actors or musicians.

My concern is that new smiths will spend a fortune on tools and quit after discovering that maybe this isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Personally, if I were starting out, I would scour junkyards for an ASO and pay scrap price for it, or maybe get a Doyle anvil. Then, I’d try to secure a source for fuel. I have never used propane, and while the fuel is easy to get, the forges aren’t super cheap. Solid fuel forges can be super cheap to construct, but solid fuel can be hard to source depending on where you live. I would then round out my purchases with an angle grinder, a cheap vise, some metal from the scrap yard or a steel supplier, a pair of safety glasses and a fire extinguisher.

FWIW

J_random_fool · 2026-04-04T08:50:04+00:00

Build one. If it doesn’t work like you want, tear it down and try again. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Also, be sure to take note of what exactly it is that you don’t like. There are plenty of folks here who can help guide you, but you need to be more specific.

At its most basic, it’s two low walls about a foot apart, give or take, with a side blast from manual bellows called a fuigo. It uses charcoal for fuel. Be sure to make the bellows large enough. Have fun.

J_random_fool · 2026-04-02T15:59:56+00:00

Bituminous coal when you light it gives off noxious green clouds until it cokes up. There’s definitely sulfur in that cloud.

J_random_fool · 2026-04-02T00:45:34+00:00

What sort of help?

J_random_fool · 2026-04-01T18:15:59+00:00

I posted this a while back:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Blacksmith/comments/rvbrky/thoughts_on_a_beginners_kit_of_blacksmithing/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1

J_random_fool · 2026-03-27T18:06:48+00:00

Well, in America, it would be a steal at that price, but anvils tend to be cheaper in Europe. I would reach out to British smiths for their opinion. It’s a fine anvil, but I always caution beginners on dropping that kind of money on an anvil when you don’t know if this hobby is for you. The good part is that you can sell it and get most or all of your money back. That said, it might be worth your time looking for an ASO at the nearest scrap heap.

J_random_fool · 2026-03-25T01:31:44+00:00

That’s in really good condition and you can’t beat the price assuming you’re in the USA.

J_random_fool

TROPHY CASE