Project: Coffee Can Forge

The other day I spent some time cleaning up my cachibachis, the local term for "junk pile."  It lives in what should be a carport just outside the kitchen door, so it's a very noticeable part of our ambience.  Lately, due to lots of busyness, it has been a WRECK.  As I cleaned and organized, I decided to finally figure out a solution to hang my sheet goods from the roof.

I wanted to use some 3/4" steel pipe that I had removed during a recent bathroom remodel and hang it from the steel rafters using hooks made out of 3/8" rebar.  The problem is that #3 rebar doesn't bend very easily unless heated.  I came up with an easy solution.

I buy charcoal for my grill in 100lb feed sacks and the bottom of the bag is always full of tiny bits and pieces that are too small for grilling.  I have long thought that they would make excellent fuel for a forge, but have never had a reason to make one.

Charcoal, Bolivian style

To make the forge, I took a large powdered milk can, a bit bigger than a coffee can, and whacked a hole in the side of it, set it on a concrete block, filled it with charcoal bits, and lit it up with my weed-burner.

Voilá!

To stoke it, in place of a bellows, I used my electric blower.

Red hot and ready to bend!

You can see two completed hooks next to the water bucket

For the initial turn, I just stuck the end in the vice and bent it, then tuned it up with the hammer until I was happy with it.

Cheap, easy, and effective!

And while we're on the subject of cheap, effective fire containers made from powdered milk cans, check out my latest video: