How to Build a Blacksmith Forge

Blacksmiths utilize forges for more than just making and shaping horseshoes.

Homesteaders who mastered the art of blacksmithing utilized their skills to create utensils, pothooks, furniture, candle holders and more. The blacksmith's forge is where the fire is held for heating metal prior to shaping. The forge also includes the tuyeer, a passageway through which air moves. It also houses an air source called the bellows. Forges have been constructed of numerous materials, such as stone, brick, cast iron and steel since the Bronze Age.

Things You'll Need

• 2 x 4s
• Plywood
• Nails
• Hammer
• Dirt
• Rocks
• Drill
• Drill bits
• 6 foot section of 3 inch pipe
• Air supply
• Wooden peg (to fit snugly in 3 inch pipe)
• Concrete
• Measuring tape

Instructions

1. Determine the ideal size for your forge and build a strong frame to those dimensions. The ideal frame height is waist high and at least 5 feet wide. This size allows for efficient work moving iron from forge to anvil and back. The finished top width needs to provide ample space for laying out pieces of metal, tongs, shovels, pokers and the like.

2. Close in the four sides with boards or plywood after assembling a solid framework. This covering box will need to hold large amounts of rock, dirt and concrete, so construct it accordingly.

3. Cut a center hole large enough to house the air pipe in each end of the forge, approximately 8 inches from the top.

4. Position a tube so 6 inches extend from each end of the frame.

5. Fill the covering box to pipe level with dirt or rocks.

6. Penetrate the upper surface of the pipe to allow air to reach coals in the completed forge.

7. Drill 20 to 25 holes, 1/4 inch in diameter, in a circular pattern near the center of the air inlet to form the tuyeer.

8. Construct a 1 inch square box, open at the top and bottom, to cover the tuyeer during concrete application.

9. Fill the frame with concrete.

10. Smooth and level the concrete.

11. Remove the wooden box when the concrete is almost completely set. This should leave a square opening, the firebox, in the top of the forge.

12. Mix thick concrete and shape the opening sides so they slope inward toward the tuyeer. This slope allows fuel to flow continuously over the air when the forge operates.

13. Connect the air supply to the left end of the pipe.

14. Insert the wooden peg into the opposite end and hammer it into place, allowing it to protrude slightly for easy removal.

References

• Beautiful Iron: Forge & Fire
• Mother Earth News: How to Build Your Own Forge