Old forge

Age counts for about nothing, condition everything. If you plan to use it, anyway. Got a blower on it? Crank the blower in one direction, then the other to see if the gears run smoother in one direction. Check for excess play in the bearings (usually just the shafts riding in the castings). Firepot not rusted away? Clinker breaker not rotted away? Air ducts pretty close to airtight? Ash dump closes properly? Anything you can't live with? That last one is the biggie.

If it's in good enough shape to satisfy you, get it. It's not like there is anything resenbling factory parts support.

Cheers Trevor Jones

You're right to be worried. 1900 sounds distressingly modern.

(Nit-picky BG)

--Winston

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Winston

By about 1900 blacksmithing stuff was already mass marketed, in the Sears catalog for example. Frank Morrison

I'll check out the things Trevor mentioned and if I screw up.... it will make a nice planter!

Thanks Dan

New manufactured firepots are available, just not affordable unless you have dumb, loaded clients to sell to.

Cheers Trevor Jones

I suspect that if you're a busy farrier you might find it economic to buy rather than make. Particularly since buying crusty old equipment or building new equipment requires specialized knowledge that may take a long time to acquire. 'Course if you're a farrier or smith who has a lot of down time and a decent home shop, or if you're doing it all as a hobby, the equation might be different.

Dante, Just don't pay a fourtune for it

Only problem I found with my old forge is that the vanes in the hand cranked blower had mostly rusted away. I just bunged a piece of 2" copper tube up the in-end of the tue as a temp connection to an old vacuum cleaner motor in a box. The box has holes in the top with wooden swivelly bits I can open or close to adjust the blast. (my fairer told me it is possibly from a Cavalry regiment - handy because the legs are detachable so you can fit it into a saddle bag).

Please note - if you use an electric blower motor directly into the forge, you must disconnect the pipe when the blower is off. The guy who taught me smithing had horrendous tales about how far a jet propelled vacuum cleaners can travel when filled full of flammable gas when it is switched on again and the sparks ignite the gas.

Happy hammering

Allan