Blacksmithing - Building a simple DIY forge

I get a lot of questions about how to start blacksmithing, how to get tools and equipment etc. I wanted to make this video to show people that are interested in trying this craft, that you don't have to weld or fabricate a simple forge. It's much easier than that! My video is not a tutorial, instead I hope it can spark interest and contribute to some inspiration.

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[johnlinquata]

Bro I found this video last night on Google watched it twice and made my first forge this afternoon! So incredibly simple after making a few tweaks to it I got it perfect and forged some tools to work the coals with! Thank you so much, now if my arms don’t fall off from all that hammering I think I’m gonna try to make myself a knife next.

[BrassLock]

I enjoy how all your stories have a start/middle/end clearly shown. It's easy to see you're enthusiastically encouraging us to experience the joy of shaping red hot metal into something useful or decorative. Thanks for the inspiration.

[plalonde]

My first forge was a hibachi BBQ with holes drilled out the bottom, sitting in a trench in the garden, with a hair blower pointing down the trench. The old codger who turned the 18 year old on to how to improvise a forge has no idea what he started. He did promise that by the time I burned the bottom out of the hibachi, I'd know what to do for a real forge. He was very right.
Thanks for the memories!

[adrianfdez]

Nice videos.
Is great that you dont use music. I love to hear the tools and nature songs.
Thank you!

[brucecrampton]

What I take away from all your videos is a relaxed, methodical approach with no screaming or wild antics just a pleasure to watch and learn. Thank you, it is a help to all of us who make.

[SkylerB]

i actually appreciate that there is no talking or music in this video. it allowed me to focus more on what you were actually doing. i wouldnt mind some more details about the size of the box, but i think i could figure it out. great video!! this might be what gets me into simple smithing. its winter and theres a global pandemic, after all.

[Mike-bmez]

Good tip don’t use river rocks or rocks that have been in water for a long period of time because the tent to explode when they get to hot

[TheMedic]

I really do enjoy videos like this one. No music, no talking, no show, no hectic! Just inspiration by watching the work. Thank you and greetings from Germany

[petercowell]

That video is poetry. I love the idea of a forge in a wooden box. It has made me realise that what I want to do is achievable. Thank you.

[blue_screen_]

My forge is build in the same way, but with a metal baking dish instead of the wooden pallet. And a hair drier is my bellows. That is very lightweighted, and it needs just a little charcoal to run. It is good to know that you can go as big as you need :D

[yewwtooob]

Love how you get right to the point. No extra filler words. Fewer words were never spoken!!

[ouiilest]

I think it's the easiest and most efficient method I've seen so far, and it's easy to maintain after that.
I thought that the biggest obstacle to making a DIY fire bed was the treatment after making it, but I was impressed that this was a temporary installation and easy to remove.
It's great to use sand or gravel for insulation or to hold hot coals.
Your method does a great job of using a minimal amount of charcoal to get the desired effect.

As others have pointed out, practitioners should beware of explosions due to water vapor expansion when gravel is soaked with water.

[Svensvenson]

Thanks so much!!! Ive been racking my brain to try and build a forge, but I don’t have a welder nor know how to weld (at this point in my life). This is exactly what I needed.

[thatgopnik]

I'm a beginner blacksmith and this type of forge will satisfy me...
Thank you.

[magicdaveable]

Really cool design. I would suggest to those planning to make any forge that there is no way to dispose of Coal Ash without environmental damage. It is incredibly toxic and will contaminate ground water with heavy metals. Use charcoal. It burns faster and not quite as hot as coal but much cleaner than coal. I like using black locust charcoal. It burns very hot

[ashleynelmes]

Great video, this is ideal for someone that's getting into blacksmithing but doesn't need a permanent forge, someone like me for instance, these things are accessible to anyone. Thanks for the inspiration.

[billknight]

Great video. I have seen other "box of dirt" style forges on other videos and they seem to work real good. This is how it was done for centuries. Don't listen to the blacksmithing snobs that say only 1000's of dollars worth of equipment will work.

[southronjr]

I have the boys in the merit badge class build a dirt box forge in much the same way but use a hair dryer for the air source. Never thought about using fire brick, I think I will carry some next week when I set up for class

[dainius]

4:33 what a coincidence, I use coke for fuel too. Never had much luck with charcoal - clogs the nostrils right up! :D jokes aside, love your work! Keep it up!

[arifakyuz]

A man of few words, but a video of a thousand. It was a pleasure watching this video!