How to Make a Forge From an Old Grill

Building your own forge can allow you to create forged items from scrap metal. With an old grill, you can create an effective forge that will allow you to make smaller items with ease. Most of what’s required is a few black iron pipes to blow air into your forge and some firebricks to provide a surface capable of withstanding the heat of the charcoal.

2, 1-inch diameter black iron pipe caps
2, 1-inch, 6-inch long threaded black iron pipes
Vise
Drill
1-inch black iron T connector
1-inch, 8-inch long threaded black iron pipe
Old charcoal grill
Hacksaw
Masonry sand
Firebricks
1-inch black iron elbow connection
1-inch, 18-inch long threaded black iron pipe
Rubber hose
Refractory mortar
Trowel

Instructions

- 1
  Screw an end cap each over one of the ends of each of the 6-inch pipes.
- 2
  Place one of the 6-inch pipes into a vise to hold it steady. Attach a 1/4-inch drill bit to your drill. Drill a series of holes along the length of the pipe, beginning about 1/4-inch from the thread on the pipe’s open end and extending in a straight line along the pipe spaced 1/2 inch apart to about 1/4 inch from the capped thread on the other end of the pipe.
- 3
  Loosen the vise and turn the pipe slightly to the right, so that an area 1/2 inch to the right of the existing line of holes is at the top. Tighten the vise in place, and then drill a second line of holes, 1/2 inch to the side of the first line running the length of the pipe, only position these holes precisely between the positions of the first set of holes, creating an offset. Repeat the process with a third line of holes, but turn the pipe to the left of the original line. Drill the same pattern of holes in the second 6-inch pipe.
- 4
  Place the T connector in the vise with the wide cross section upward. Drill three holes into the T connector on each end, placing them at a point that’s 3/4 inch from the thread and spacing the three holes 1/2 inch apart so that they have the same spacing as the three lines of holes on the 6-inch pipes.
- 5
  Screw the 6-inch pipes to the two opening of the T on the T connector. Adjust the position of the pipes on the last rotation so that the lines of holes in the pipes are parallel with the holes on either side of the T connector. All of the holes should point upward when the T connector is held with the bar of the T facing up.
- 6
  Screw the 8-inch length of pipe into the remaining opening of the T connector. This will serve as the piece of your forge that supplies the air to your coals.
- 7
  Remove any grill pieces from the body of the old grill. Use a hacksaw to cut through any permanent pieces present.
- 8
  Drill a 1-inch diameter hole into the base of the grill, positioning the hole in the base’s center.
- 9
  Place a layer of sand into the bottom of the grill surrounding the hole, to create a flat surface on which you can lay the firebricks. Lay the firebricks onto the sand, filling the base of the grill while leaving the hole in the center uncovered.
- 10
  Push the 8-inch pipe through the hole in the grill, until the T section and 6-inch pipes rest against the layer of firebricks. The diameter of the pipe should prevent the sand from escaping. Connect the elbow to the bottom of the 8-inch pipe, and then connect the 18-inch pipe to the end of the elbow to give you something to which you can hook the bellows.
- 11
  Connect a hose to the exhaust port of a shopvac and the other end to the end of the 18-inch pipe.
- 12
  Mortar a line of firebricks around the perimeter of the top of the forge surface on the flat layer of firebricks to build a containment wall for your forge using refractory mortar to enable it to withstand the high heat of the forge. Spread the mortar along an edge of a firebrick with a trowel and then press the brick onto the edge of the surface bricks. Allow the mortar to cure for three weeks before using the forge.

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