Coal forges can be used by a lot of beginners to learn blacksmithing. They provide different options for coal and sizes of the forge. So that people can tinker with small stuff or forge large items. If you’re a beginner and don’t want to buy a new fore for practicing, you can restore a cheap old one or create your own.
Or maybe you want to restore one just for the fun of it. This guide will show you the proper way of restoring an Antique coal forge.
The Frame
The frame of an old coal forge will no doubt be rusty and possibly bent or broken in places. The first thing you need to do is to get an angle grinder and grind the whole frame to remove all the rust. Then weld any broken pieces and straighten all the bend ones.
After you’ve done all that, you need to protect the frame from further rusting. Coat it with a layer of protective material. This can be paint or any other oil. Remove the pieces that are impossible to repair and cut out new ones from a separate sheet of metal.
The Blower of Antique Coal Forge
The blower may be the hardest part to restore. It consists of many moving parts, and some of them might be broken. The old coal forges used manual blowers that consisted of a fan and gears in a final assembly connected to a pipe underneath the coals.
Carefully disassemble the blower and remove all the rust using an angle grinder. Coat it with a layer of protective material, usually spray paint is used, but you can use any other equipment. Fix any broken parts using welding and put the blower back together.
Now clean the pipe that transfers the air to the coals and also the region where the fan is attached. Make sure that the gears in the blower are well lubricated.
Now attach the blower back to the frame and test it to see if it operates smoothly.
The Pit of Antique Coal Forge
After years of use, the pit may have to be renewed. Start by cleaning off the dust and the cement layer on top. Then clean the hole that transfers air from the blower. Remove all the old cement and start preparing a batch of refractory cement.
Cover the hole coming from the fan and add a thick layer all over the top of the pit but don’t cover the gap. Let it dry, and you’re done.
You can attach some wheels to it to make it moveable and easy to adjust. Perform some finishing touches, paint the whole frame, and start testing the forge.
Conclusion
Restoring something old can be fun. It may get on your nerves, but the result would be satisfying. You can always pick up an old forge from a scrapyard (only if you’re lucky) and restore it to suit your needs. So, you can easily repair antique coal forge without spending too much. It will also ensure your safety.
The process is quite simple and costs very less as compared to buying a new forge. You may want to use an electrical blower instead of a mechanical one, but it might cost you. But you won’t have to waste time pumping air every few minutes.