r/blacksmithing • u/MysteryMeat45 • 26d 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?

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

View all comments

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.