I love junk piles too. I drag home all kinds of neat stuff.
I guess you have seen the youtubes on making a coffee can forge?
I plan on making some knives, but that will not happen very soon. That’s why I asked about your knives a few months back.
I've gotten this far on the new forge. I need to take it to my brother's and get it welded. And then I'll need the refractory cement to make the lining and the tuyer. But I'm close. I've got a leaf-blower on a variac for air that is adjustable to very low CFM.
I did have to make an 8 inch long sewing needle for a project earlier this week, but for little stuff like that, I really don't need a forge.
/johnny