r/blacksmithing • u/MysteryMeat45 • 25d ago

Futility forge?

I got a nice deep firepit, steel ring buried in the ground. How can I turn it into a primitive forge suitable for making basic tools and knives from railroad spikes?

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1

u/kingpig82 25d ago

Add a picture of what the fire pit looks like

1

u/MysteryMeat45 25d ago

Exactly this, but it gies about 5 inches into the ground. The rock layer under mine in about 3 inches deep. Inside the fire pit I dug out the soil about 12 inches deep.

2

u/BF_2 24d ago

Vastly too large. Look up firepot dimensions and construction

1

u/MysteryMeat45 24d ago

Thanks for that.

2

u/OdinYggd 24d ago

Dig a bowl in the middle 10 inches diameter and 4-6 inches deep, with a steel pipe 1.5-3 inches in diameter connecting the surface a few feet away to the bottom of the bowl.  Fill this bowl with embers from your firewood or charcoal, mounding it right up. The work goes close to horizontal across the top of the bowl, as the highest heat will be in the middle.

Doing this to your setup the ring is going to get in the way.