For a while now I've been wanting to make some items for campfire cooking with my cast iron cookware, but I didn't have a forge so I decided to make one!
Now I wanted to make this as cheaply as possible so this is what I used;
1. Sand
2. Plaster
3. Disposable BBQ
4. Hand crank BBQ blower
5. Washing machine waste hose
6. Steel tube
I only had to buy the BBQ (£1.99) and the blower (£1.80) as I already had the other items
First I removed the grill from the disposable BBQ and emptied the charcoal out for later, this tin tray would be the basis for my forge
Then I took the small section of steel pipe from my BBQ blower and I wrapped it in clingfilm and with my penknife I cut a small opening in one side of the tray that this could be passed through
I mixed equal amounts of dry sand and plaster until the mixture was uniform in colour before adding water and mixing again until I was happy with the consistency
This mixture was placed in the BBQ tray and shaped to form my fire bowl ensuring that the small steel pipe section wasn't obstructed as that will be for my air supply
The next day the mixture had set so I removed the small section of pipe and clingfilm and set a fire using the charcoal from the BBQ, then I connected the blower to the fire bowl with steel pipe and the washing machine hose which was a perfect fit!
After a few minutes I was able to heat a 10mm steel allen key to a nice cherry red colour which I was happy with so I declared the forge a success
I had an old pump for inflatable air beds that also fitted the washing machine hose so gave that a go too and it was much better
So it is possible to make a cheap working small forge from these materials that are readily available but add a small electric pump if you can for a much improved performance
Take care
Roo
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