Mike perry Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 I'm a newbie getting a shop together on a budget. I have one inch tread plate steel for material. After doing some research I want to make a coal/charcoal forge that is water cooled like an English side blast forge but bottom blast on an electric blower. My question is...couldn't I make a fire pot with a connected tuyere go into a one inch plate (hearth) and under that plate, a few inches of water connected to a tank of water like a side blast forge. So basically the fire is sitting in a one inch thick inverted pyrimid, partially submerged surrounded by water on the bottom. With the outside pipe of the tuyere going through water for a few inches then coming out of the bottom to the ash dump and blower... why cant I find anything like this? Am i missing something? Or will all that water keep the it from getting to the proper temp? It sounds like it would be really efficient and keep everything from melting/wearing in my head. Even maybe a connection for a garden hose to cirrculate fresh water in. It would never melt ?? I really want to build this and start forging. any input appreciated. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 The English-style side blasts have water cooled tuyeres to keep the tip from melting off. This is not an issue with bottom blast. Bottom blast firepots are never water cooled, it does nothing at all to help. Some of them have a jacket around them to preheat the air blast, but that too is an unnecessary complication. That's why you haven't been able to find anything like you describe. Just go with the pyramid, make it about 4 to 5 inches deep. Let it hang in open air, don't insulate it. It'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerald Boggs Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 13 minutes ago, Alan Longmire said: The English-style side blasts What about the Welsh-style? <p>Gerald Boggs <a href="http://www.geraldboggs.com">www.geraldboggs.com</a></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 Or Scottish, for that matter. We'll just call it the British-Irish style water-cooled side-blast tuyere, and agree that a water-cooled tuyere is of no benefit on a bottom-blast pot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike perry Posted January 17, 2020 Author Share Posted January 17, 2020 1 hour ago, Alan Longmire said: The English-style side blasts have water cooled tuyeres to keep the tip from melting off. This is not an issue with bottom blast. Bottom blast firepots are never water cooled, it does nothing at all to help. Some of them have a jacket around them to preheat the air blast, but that too is an unnecessary complication. That's why you haven't been able to find anything like you describe. Just go with the pyramid, make it about 4 to 5 inches deep. Let it hang in open air, don't insulate it. It'll be fine. Ok thank you. I do have (6) 11×4×1.5 fire bricks and a bucket of refractory cement. Where WOULD I want to insulate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 Nowhere. You do not insulate a coal forge. Steel plate tabletop, firepot hangs through it. If you insist, you could put a row of brick down one side of the table away from the firepot as a place to let things cool, but it's not necessary at all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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