My big mistake with a cheap coal forge from an online auction

I got excited about a coal forge I saw on an online auction site. The pictures looked okay and the price was only $150, so I bought it without seeing it in person. When it arrived, the firepot was cracked in two places and the blower was completely rusted shut. I spent another $80 on a new blower and about four hours trying to patch the firepot with refractory cement, but it just wouldn't hold heat right. In the end, the whole thing was unsafe and I had to scrap it. I lost that $150 plus the cost of the blower, and all the time was wasted. I should have just saved up for a decent one from a known seller. Has anyone else been burned by a 'good deal' on used equipment that turned out to be junk?

3 comments

3 Comments

benclark1mo ago

Yeah, I've been there with a cheap anvil that was basically a hunk of useless cast iron. What saved me was finding a local blacksmith group; someone there had a decent used one they sold me for a fair price. It's worth asking around in those circles before you buy anything sight unseen.

emery1991mo ago

Check online marketplaces too. I found a decent Peter Wright hiding in the "farm tools" section. People often don't know what they have.

oscarc531mo ago

That local group idea is smart, but I'd also check scrap yards. Sometimes they get old industrial anvils that just need a clean up. You can find solid steel ones for way less than the fancy new stuff.