How to Build a Portable Forge
A portable forge is ideal when you travel a lot to different places and need to bring your blacksmith shop on the road. In fact, a portable forge can even bring in more business. If you do demonstrations at schools, or bring your work to a flea market, you can take this forge with you and draw many more customers as well as a great deal more interest in your work, products and business.
Instructions
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Locate a metal canister for the forge body. The best will have thick iron or brick walls and be small enough to carry. You will have to decide how small, depending on how far you will carry the forge and what you will use to transport it. A few ideas are small wood furnace hearths, metal brake drums and concrete blocks.
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Buy firebricks that are 8 inches by 8 inches by 2 inches wide, and lay two down next to each other. Then place your hearth or forge body on top of them. If you are using a brake drum, you can fill the drum with coal or thread a gas burner through the bottom by sliding the firebricks apart enough to allow the pipe to fit between them.
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Add firebricks around the metal canister you are using. This is to help retain heat and to provide a buffer between yourself and the hot metal. Any metal canister, including a small wood furnace, will get way to hot to touch and will burn you instantly.
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Fill the wood furnace with coal and kindling if you are using coal, or drill a hole in the back of the furnace and thread your gas pipe burner into the back. You will have to transport the gas burner apparatus separately and assemble it on site.
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Tips & Warnings
The best forges can be as simple as you like. As long as you use a strong metal canister or similar object to contain your forge fire, you can generate enough heat to blacksmith.
Never transport your forge with the coal or gas installed. The gas can become disconnected during travel, and coal and fuels can spill and cause a big mess.
