Large Quanity Finishing

[JWBIRONWORKS]

I am starting to make some larger items like fireplace pokers and tripods in quanity batches. I am looking for a good quick way to finish them. Right now I heat and wipe with canola oil. Heating and wiping down 30 tripods is time consuming and messy. Anybody have a faster way or something better to finish with?

JWB

[Ron Hicks]

I dont know but thought you wire brushed and used wax????????????

[Strix Varia]

Hvae you considered something like a presure sprayer filled with your canola oil?ive never tried it,but the idea just struck me as i read your post.We use a back pack sprayer to apply pesticides etc on plants in the summer,....its bound to be faster than wiping.

[scrapman1077]

Hire a helper !

[skunkriv]

There is cheap spray canola and also olive oil in the "Pam" cooking spray section at wally world. Used this on a bunch of weenie roasters.

[Ten Hammers]

Production techniques can be used for finish work. As the stuff is out of the forge and still hot or warm, finish is applied. Like Steve says, Pam will work for some stuff. A roll of blue paper towels is handy for finish. If you are working a single digit temps or below zero, the issues speed up some. You will need a fan blowing out of the shop to take care of the smoke and depending on the oil you are using ( or wax ) to remove some of the nasties in the air. Of course you will need space for finished goods cooling and hanging stowage is sometimes used for this. In really pretty short order, the space is full between incoming and cooling parts. Items need to be inspected before being stored for transport. Material handling is a key need for any business. Common olive oil works pretty fair but you have to watch how much you cook it like anything else.

[skunkriv]

Something else I do sometimes, may or may not work in your situation. On stuff I make for buckskinners etc I just leave things unfinished. I give them one of my old waxy rags that has got so much on it its not good for wiping things off anymore and let em wax their own stuff. Really no better way to heat big stuff like tripods or grates than over a campfire. I even give them a 0% discount.

[JWBIRONWORKS]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I am trying to get stock built up for 2 early spring events. Storage is quickly becoming an issue but some pipe thru the rafters to hang pieces from will help alot. I will experiment with some of your suggestions.
It's sometimes the details that hang me up. At this point a helper is not possible. If things go well with the events this year then maybe a helper is in the future. But that will be another subject for another time.
Time is always a problem and I am looking for better ways to utilize it (As I sit here two fingering these keys). Once again thanks for everyones input.

JWB

[Glenn]

A pipe through the rafters is good for small quantities but you must be mindful of the total weight applied to the building. Look at some of the stock racks that the clothing stores use, a Z type frame at the bottom so they nest into each other when empty and a horizontal pole at the top hanging things. Add a 2nd or 3rd horizontal bar for more storage and some wheels for moving the whole thing easily. Leah's Blueprint on a stock rack could easily be converted into a stock rack for finished goods.

All this will involve hanging things so now is a good time to practice your "S" hook skills <grin>