I spent about 250 dollars purchasing the materials to make this forge, and 3 days putting it together, including mortar curing time.
So far, it works pretty well. It holds the heat pretty well and I am able to heat the metal to about 2,100 Degrees Farenheit, according to the internet (may be reliable, may be not). I did not do much hammering today, but the test fire that I did today was very good.
I use a hand crank blower meant for a barbecue, but still works very well. It cost me about 40 dollars on Amazon, Along with a 15 dollar hose segment that I use to get the air from the blower to the forge.
Right now I am using a railroad track as an anvil, which rings a lot more when struck than a usual anvil might, due to how thin it is. However, it still does the job. I got it for 35 dollars on Ebay from a railroad track seller. Interesting guy.
Either way everyone, I hope you liked the look at my basic forge. I will be working on this more in the future, and I will post as cool things happen. Have a good day Steemians!