has anyone ever built their own backyard foundry/forge?

Question

i want to build one, ive got a pile of bricks and access to a brilliant skip for metal and stuff, but havent seenone before that looks like the one in my head,i might make arrowheads or knifeblades or something, who knows?, just liike being outside in the summer. anyone????

that isnt much help but i will google it manchest, cheers.

Answer 1

Sure. Got small versions of both.
Angelfire is great for forging, but you have to realize that these are two completely different things and most of what you might find on forging won't apply to foundry work.
Forging is working with hot iron that is never melted, using repeated heating from a hard coal forge fire or a propane forge fire.
Foundry is melting metal and pouring into prepared molds and almost all the work is in preparing the models from which the molds are made and making the molds. Usually it is aluminum, brass or bronze because iron has such a high melting point.
For one view, start here http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/firehole.htm
and wander to some of the linked locations.

Answer 2

I personally haven't but many people do. Instruction for one version can be found here:
e.g. http://www.anvilfire.com/21centbs/forges/forge01.htm
Problem with coal forges is that you have to have a good source of coal (barbecue coal is not what you need). Also it's more difficult to get even heat with coal than with gas and it's also much easier to burn the metal.

You still need to figure out something decent for an anvil. Good anvils are more expensive than good forges. Tongs are pretty easy to make yourself ones you got a forge and anvil. There are some instruction for easy ones in the iforge section on the anvilfire website. It's also a good place to get ideas what to make.

Generally the anvilfire website is pretty useful, check it out:
http://www.anvilfire.com/, for another good blacksmithing related website google ABANA.

Answer 3

The late, great Fred Dibnah from Lancashire had one in his back yard in Bolton. He used it to fabricate parts for his Steam Engines.