Alright, so I wanted to share this project I’ve been working on – building a forge out of bricks. It’s something I’d been thinking about for a while, and I finally decided to just go for it.
I started by gathering all the stuff I needed. Now, I had a bunch of old red bricks lying around from a previous project, and I figured they’d work just fine. You could also use fire bricks, but these were readily available. Apart from the bricks, I got my hands on a weed burner (yeah, the kind you use in the garden), a hammer, and some heavy-duty gloves – safety first, you know. I also made sure to grab my eye protection because, let me tell you, this thing gets HOT.
Laying the Foundation
First things first, I cleared out a space in my backyard. I wanted to make sure I had enough room to work and that the forge wouldn’t be too close to anything flammable. Once I had my spot, I started laying the bricks. I arranged them in a rectangular shape, leaving a hole in the center for the fire. I did about three layers, and each layer had around six bricks, plus another four on top. So, in total, I used something like 22 bricks. If you want a taller forge, you’ll obviously need more.
Getting the Heat Going
With the brick structure in place, it was time to bring the heat. I connected my weed burner to a propane tank and stuck the nozzle into the hole at the bottom of the forge. This is where the magic happens. When you light it up, the weed burner shoots flames into the forge, heating the inside to crazy temperatures. It’s pretty awesome to watch, but also a bit scary, so make sure you’re careful.
Forging Ahead
Once the forge was hot enough, I grabbed an old tree stump I had – oak, I think – to use as an anvil. I placed my metal piece into the forge, let it heat up until it was glowing red, and then used my hammer to shape it on the stump. It was tough work, but super satisfying. You really have to pound away at the metal to get it to bend and shape the way you want. And man, those gloves really come in handy. It is way too hot.
Final Touches
After a few hours of heating and hammering, I finally had my first forged piece. It wasn’t perfect, but I was pretty proud of it. I let the forge cool down, cleaned up the area, and admired my handiwork. It’s amazing what you can do with some old bricks and a bit of fire.
Overall, building a forge was a cool experience. It’s not something you do every day, and it felt good to create something with my own hands. Plus, now I have a forge, which opens up a whole world of possibilities for future projects. If you’re thinking about trying this out, I’d say go for it. Just be prepared for some hard work, and make sure you’ve got all the right safety gear. Happy forging!
