charcoal grill Charcoal Grill Forge: Become a Blacksmith on the Cheap

Smith is a bad guy for me.The roar of fire, the ping on the hammer hit the glowing metal;It is almost mysterious.They are legends that have been around since the Romans, manipulating elements to create long termSomething lasting, useful and satisfying.It has become a lost art since the Industrial Revolution and modern technology.However, this is a hell of survival skills.I will teach you how to start forging when it's cheap.I encourage you to try it.You can buy an old charcoal grill anywhere.I bought one for free through local classified ads.Clean the grill thoroughly.You really don't need a lid, though you'll want to keep it out once it's done (especially rain ).Your only real modification to the grill itself is to build an air inlet, which makes the burn hot enough to soften the metal.For this project you want to use iron (which I find hard to find) or black steel pipe;Do not use galvanized pipes or hardware products.You can find this at the plumbing supply.This will be one of the higher priced areas of the project (still at a reasonable price ).I used all 1 "diameter pipe joints and fittings1 x cap-2 x floor flange-1 x T fitting-2x4 long nipplesLong nipples-1x61x2 "long clamp plate you also need nuts and bolts to connect the two flanges to the bottom of the grill at the same time, one drill bit, one about.5/8 "and 1-1/4 "hole saw (maybe ).At the risk of sounding like a record breaking, I chose to use stainless steel hardware so that it doesn't release toxic gases (like galvanized nuts and bolts) if the weather is just hot enoughOf course, the NUT does not match the bolt (even bolts and odd nuts), so you may have extra.Drill a hole in the center at the bottom of the grill (I already have a hole in the grill that controls the airflow, which happens to be the right size ).Assemble all parts as shown in the figure.The One Inside is a 2 "nipple and a flange.The bottom nipple with the lid is 6 ".The lid at the end of the assembly can be removed to clear the ash falling from the pipe.Drill about 5/8 "holes for bolts on the grill.Connect the two flange bolts together and clip the grill together so that the holes are aligned and the pipes are aligned with the bottom holes.Screw the assembly into the bottom flange.Refractory is the material that is insulated at very high temperatures.This is a must-There is any legal forgery.This step is tricky because the question is what refractory should be used???Many people use a homemade mixture of many recipes on the Web, usually containing Portland cement, clay, Pearl rock and sand.Some mixture can make you "touch the glass" (glass-like/rock-It's like a very hot place after the fire.Ultimately, there is a general consensus that it is better to continue a business mix for this purpose, especially since it is not difficult to buy, about 70 cents/lb.I spent a lot of time working on the issue and then bought a pouring mixture of light weight but a bit weak (not too impact-resistant) from habison Walker International, it can work with a strong insulation capacity of 2300 degrees.According to the current design, the surface of most refractory materials will not be exposed to temperature even if it is close to temperature.However, I plan to cover most of the surface with some Latan furnace cement (up to 2700 degrees resistant) supplied by a local Ace or tractor to make it more durable.Please note how much weight your grill can reliably hold as some of the blends can be heavy and you don't want the forging to collapse while burning..Note: One thing to keep in mind is that the commercial mixture is made of crystalline silica or alumina, which poses a risk to your eyes and lungs and is associated with cancer (due to inhalation ), and can lead to silicone lungs by repeated or prolonged exposure.Be sure to use goggles and N95 or better respirator (well installed ).You should use a dry mixture outside or in a well ventilated place, and anyone outside can be restricted.Follow the manufacturer's instructions for mixing, application and curing.According to the manufacturer's instructions.Once the water is mixed in, there is no danger.I used nitrile gloves when using a wet mixture.Apply the wet mixture to the inside bowl of the grill a few inches thick.My result is the thickest (at least 4in) at the bottom and thinner at the top (1-2in).The manufacturer does not recommend troweling because the surface interferes with drying, so I use the hand-packed it.The cement manufacturer I used gave air-24 hours of treatment.After that, ignite the ordinary firewood, let it burn for half an hour, and then cool completely.Then ignite again, burn for an hour and let it cool again.Do not use water when putting out fire.Cement must be heated and cured all the time.Moisture may flow out at the bottom, which is normal.Repeat for an hour for the third time.Do not heat too fast to prevent moisture in the cement from creating building pressure, causing outbreaks and crushing (explosions?).Again, follow the manufacturer's instructions.Once the lining is fully cured and hardened, you can go.Now you need something to pump the air into the bottom assembly.Many people use old hair dryers and others use inflatable mattress pumps.Some people even use the opposite store space.I have a mattress pump that I haven't used for a while, and the effect is very good;major air flow.In fact, I plan to install a valve where the pump can control the airflow so that it doesn't run out all the time and the burn is out of control.As fuel, I used some plain asphalt coal for free on local classified ads.This may annoy my neighbors because of smoke/smell...This forge is designed to withstand the high temperature of coal burning, so I think coal balls or charcoal can also work.Burn an ordinary fire with a fire and a small stick, and once it starts to burn, it starts to cover with a small lump of coal.It would help to take some air at this point.I don't know if I'm ready.Light charcoal can be used or what results can be used.Take your pliers and metal and hammer off the hammer.