[TheForge] Forge firepot.

[Fred Zickrick]

I'm using an old tractor rim that I found in a junk pile 
(nostalgia??) on our farm as the container for my "portable 
forge".  It's about 20" inside diameter.

I've already used Bob Patrick's plans for the all-steel firebox to 
build a firepot modified for the constraints of my rim.  It's 8x7 at 
the top sloping down to 5x5 at the bottom, is 3.75 deep and is made 
of 3/8ths mild steel.

I have an old castiron tuyere that has an inside diameter of just 
under 4".  I was going to make a grate at the bottom to fit over the 
tuyere out of the 3/8ths plate with slots cut in it.  I'd planned to 
put a fair amount of opening in the grate.

I felt pretty good about the dimensions until I read some info at 
Lytton Creek and now I feel I may have made the box and grate too 
big.    Also, LC seems to imply that I should have made the whole 
thing out of at least 1/2" plate.

What do y'all think of the dimensions?  This is not supposed to be my 
only forge just something to get started with and use at hammer-ins 
but y'all know how that goes!

Thank you,
Fred Zickrick, fredz72 at cableone.net