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I built my six year old a forge this weekend. Sharp intake of breath from all the responsible grown-ups out there. Actually there was an ulterior motive. Not only was I freed the task of heating nails in my fire (losing nails, melting nails, turning nails into clinker) for him to pound on, I got to build myself a portable forge, should I ever need one. And I got rid of all this old junk, some of which has been following me around for twenty years or more.
It's a pretty standard brake drum forge for coal or charcoal. The blower setup is the same as the one I made for my big coal forge. A bathroom exhaust fan pressurizes an enclosed box (in this case, the jerry can) which directs the blast up into the fire pot. On top of the can is a dump gate which bleeds off air to control the draft. Beyond that, everything is about how it looks. The round thing up near the handle is just an old axle flange, welded there for weight. It tended to be a bit front-heavy when all was said and done. It also turns out to be a great place to wrap up the cord. Painted at the request of, and largely by, its new owner "like an Army truck".
My only caution should anyone like to try one like this: This jerry can was used but I knew it's provenance. It's the junk I'd had for twenty years, mentioned above. It last had gasoline in it in 1990 and had sat open for the past two years or so. It smelled just slightly of stale gas but I was still paranoid cutting into it. It's probably better to start with a new one.
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