Blew a hole straight through my forge firepot after 3 years of using it wrong

2 comments

2 Comments

Man that sucks, I did the same thing with my first brake drum forge. Ran it way too hot for a whole year before I realized I was supposed to be using a shield or something underneath. Ended up patching it with some old steel plate and it actually held up okay.

terry_wood5116d ago

Kinda wonder if folks just get too worried about cracking a brake drum. I've seen guys run them till they're damn near glowing white and they still hold together with some basic patching. The real issue is if it starts warping or throwing sparks, then yeah maybe worry. But a little crack? Just weld it up and keep going, most of us aren't running forges hot enough to cause a real failure anyway. What's your take on when it's actually dangerous?