Joined: Apr 23, 2008 Posts: 5656 Location: Near Karnobat
Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 12:54 pm Post subject:
sgb479 wrote:
MW, I posted this info last night and it dissapeared but anyway, my point was to save you gettin all hot and sweaty, there are a few companies who make all kinds of wrought iron components.Don`t know if of any use but theres a few names here, http://www.alibaba.com/countrysearch/BG/wrought-iron.html
I did see it yesterday, perhaps it got deleted, don't know.
Thanks for your input, I am aware of what can be bought fairly cheaply here and as I said in an earlier post, we made all of our wrought iron fence panels and gates ourselves making cold bends and tack welding where required.
The Forge is for thicker gauge metals that require heat to bend and/or hammering into shape.
Joined: Apr 23, 2008 Posts: 5656 Location: Near Karnobat
Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 9:35 am Post subject:
Ontario wrote:
MW making your own is indeed a good option. On my old puter I had a link to plans for a forge that could alos be used as a kiln!
Useful if you decide to take up pottery (or reinacting the movie Ghost with Mrs MW)
Point of this is there are loads of plans out there - it's just a matter of finding the right on for you.
Happy Hunting/Forging/Potting
Thanks. I have found a very good international forum with numerous plans and ideas from old oil drums with a steel wheel hub inserted through to all singing and dancing Forges.
Just at the stage of an Architect drawing up the plans for the new workshop/garage structure (twice the size of the house I live in), so hopefully, later this year, I might be at the Forge building stage. In the meantime, still keeping my eyes peeled for any Anvils and Blacksmith tools for sale here in Bulgaria.
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 10:13 am Post subject: Forge etc.
I am a keen amateur blacksmith and have set up a forge every place I have been. I intend to set one up once I get out to Bg. permanently. BTW I have never bought an actual forge in my life- I have always built them myself. Side draft is probably easiest although the tuyere gets overheated unless you run it through what is called a "water bosh". My preferred style is bottom draft with an ash dump.
If the site you have seen is either anvilfire or iforgeiron you will find me there as "philip in china".
Regarding an anvil to start with just get a heavy piece of steel. An offcut of railway line is ideal- a couple of feet of that on end in a box of concrete will get you started fine. Provided the face is bigger than your hammer face you are OK. Sure a 250Kg Brooks is better but you will probably find something somewhere.
PM me if you want any advice. It really is much more simple than most people think.
Joined: Mar 21, 2006 Posts: 256 Location: Clevedon in UK, and Dobrina & Chaika Beach in BG
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 11:19 am Post subject:
Hello!
Every Bulgarian town seems to have a small scrap yard of the sort where people take all kinds of portable metal objects for a few stotinki, paid by weight. Besides rusty nails, cooking pots, food tins and drinks cans these include nice old tools, among them blacksmith's tools and anvils.
I'm familiar with these places as I'm a keen visitor to scrap yards (always on the look out for interesting objects). When I last visited the one in Provadia, they had several beautifully shaped old anvils and lots of long-handled tongs and what-nots which all looked hand-made themselves.
Look out for front yards filled with small scrap, maybe with signs like ЖЕЛЯЗО (iron) and ЦВЕТНИ МЕТАЛИ (non-ferrous metals).
And a word of warning: once you have acquired lots of metal objects, remember to keep them very securely locked up. The poorest people of Bulgaria (usually Roma, sadly) will do their darndest to pinch them from you. Every metal object and bit of sheet metal etc. that we left lying around in our outbuildings got stolen before we realised how desirable they are. An anvil would be like a Christmas present for these people!
However, the best way to get hold of the contents of a blacksmith's workshop would be to ask around in your village/town before your neighbour's grandpa's forge contents get taken to the local scrap yard - cut out the middle man. Forges were once common in BG villages and many of those uninhabited houses still contain them.
Joined: Apr 23, 2008 Posts: 5656 Location: Near Karnobat
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 6:24 pm Post subject:
Rosa wrote:
Hello!
Every Bulgarian town seems to have a small scrap yard of the sort where people take all kinds of portable metal objects for a few stotinki, paid by weight. Besides rusty nails, cooking pots, food tins and drinks cans these include nice old tools, among them blacksmith's tools and anvils.
I'm familiar with these places as I'm a keen visitor to scrap yards (always on the look out for interesting objects). When I last visited the one in Provadia, they had several beautifully shaped old anvils and lots of long-handled tongs and what-nots which all looked hand-made themselves.
Look out for front yards filled with small scrap, maybe with signs like ЖЕЛЯЗО (iron) and ЦВЕТНИ МЕТАЛИ (non-ferrous metals).
And a word of warning: once you have acquired lots of metal objects, remember to keep them very securely locked up. The poorest people of Bulgaria (usually Roma, sadly) will do their darndest to pinch them from you. Every metal object and bit of sheet metal etc. that we left lying around in our outbuildings got stolen before we realised how desirable they are. An anvil would be like a Christmas present for these people!
However, the best way to get hold of the contents of a blacksmith's workshop would be to ask around in your village/town before your neighbour's grandpa's forge contents get taken to the local scrap yard - cut out the middle man. Forges were once common in BG villages and many of those uninhabited houses still contain them.
Did this ever get resolved? I shall want an anvil and a leg vice myself fairly soon. I have a full smithy here in China but the cost of schlepping the equipment to Bulgaria would probably be prohibitive.
I have always built my own forges so wouldn't need to buy one. Of course if one were available at the right price I would do. Many traditional fixed workshops would have a brick forge so they would be fixed but who knows, there might be a portable one out there somewhere.
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but anyway, my point was to save you gettin all hot and sweaty, there are a few companies who make all kinds of wrought iron components.Don`t know if of any use but theres a few names here, 
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