Brick Blacksmith's Forge with a Bottom-Blast Tuyere

A forge is a hearth with a bowl for the fire and an opening in its bottom, the tuyere, through which the blast of air is forced. One smith's forge of the 1880s was two feet four inches high and four feet square, built of brick and stone, with a 12-inch chimney flue, the tuyere iron set four inches below the surface and the forge hollow underneath so the fire could be dumped and the ashes cleared. Advice of the same time: keep the tuyere's centre at least eighteen inches from the back wall and the working side, set its top four to six inches below the hearth (deeper for heavy work), and leave a recess in the back wall at least 8 inches deep, 24 high and 24 wide. The blast came from a blower or bellows.