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Lively, Tim
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Thanks Alan! I appreciate the welcome here. My Charcoal Burning Wash Tub Forge design has been morphed into a lot of variations by many smiths since I first came up with it over 20 years ago and that's all good.  Here's a link to a facebook page that shows more details. Thanks again!

https://www.facebook.com/Lively-Charcoal-Burning-Wash-Tub-Forge-215899918501872/

Lively-Charcoal-Burning-Wash-Tub-Forge-2

washtubforgekit.jpg

washtubforgeburning.jpg

Edited by Lively, Tim
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Knifemaking Unplugged - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000M5AUOY

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My Wash Tub Forge design starts with a commonly available wash tub of course. I used a 1 inch diameter black pipe for a tuyere with 1/4 inch holes spaced 1 inch apart. The wash tub is lined with adobe, a mixture of clay, sand and wood ashes. The hand crank blower I used is a Champion 60a. I originally used a Champion 400 but got this little blower at the ABANA gathering in Flagstaff, Arizona in 2000. I paid a whopping $25 for it then. Since then I've seen this little blower go for as high as $250 on eBay. Any blower will work but I like the little one for portability and it has plenty of power. I've used half a dozen different blowers for power over the years but my current set up is a 60a again. I love this little aluminum blower. There are imported copies available but none work as well as the original Champion 60a. Electric one work too but I prefer the control of the hand cranked version myself. Commonly asked questions are - Will the galvanized tub get hot enough to create poisonous fumes? NO! Can I use something other than clay for adobe? Some types of kitty litter will work. Do I put straw in the adobe mix? No, it creates voids when heated and makes the structure weaker. Here's another photo that might help people figure out how to make one for themselves. 

 

washtubforge.jpg

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I'll be making one of these. I have the jabod side blast version and a bottom blast similar to yours but made from wood and very heavy. I would never have thought of using a washtub.

How long does your tuyere last?

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Hi,Tim,really nice to see you on here.Heard your name for years,in connection with your knifemaking and the forge too,of course.

 

I like the way you finished that blade,i like that texture.It's appealing on some instinctive,gut level.Somewhat like the very classy old architectural ironwork by Yellin and few others.

And that forged-in bevel line,very satisfying to look at.

Good for the old iron-addled brain!:)

  

God is in his heaven,and Czar is far away...

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Randy, because the tuyere is incased in adobe except for the very top it never wears out. It doesn't seem to get very hot at all. I've made dozens of these over the years and have given many away to upstarting smiths and I've never heard of anyone burning out the tuyere.

 

Jake, Thank you very much. The forged bevel is my favorite part of the hammered finish as well. Getting a ridge line to pop is not as easy as it looks to get down. Not everyone seems to like it. Live and let live. 

Edited by Lively, Tim
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Knifemaking Unplugged - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000M5AUOY

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Tim, good to see you here. That is a great looking knife. I love the blade and the guard. They have style. 

kc

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please visit my website http://www.professorsforge.com/

 

“Years ago I recognized my kinship with all living things, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on the earth. I said then and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; while there is a criminal element, I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.” E. V. Debs

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