Slack tubs in freezing weather

[dimag]

Ah yes...frozen slack tubs.I have one of those,frozen solid.I've had one of those every winter. I take a small bucket of water from my house[providing it ain't froze too] to the shop to use as quench. I dump it when I'm done...usually.I have on occasion, had 2 frozen slack tubs.Life in northern Canada.However not only do we walk on water,heck we drive trucks and Cats and all kinds of stuff on it.Now..if I could just change this water into wine...ah ha ice wine!

[welder19]

It's that time of year, I had to break about 3/4" of ice off this morning.
What about RV antifreeze?
Anyone tried that?
Would it affect the quench?

welder19

[Dale Russell]

Look bloke's OZ is great this time of yr ,, fly sth for the winter & enjoy


Dale Russell

[ApprenticeMan]

Originally Posted by dimag

Ah yes...frozen slack tubs.I have one of those,frozen solid.I've had one of those every winter. I take a small bucket of water from my house[providing it ain't froze too] to the shop to use as quench. I dump it when I'm done...usually.I have on occasion, had 2 frozen slack tubs.Life in northern Canada.However not only do we walk on water,heck we drive trucks and Cats and all kinds of stuff on it.Now..if I could just change this water into wine...ah ha ice wine!

WINESICLES!.

[welder19]

Well flying for the winter is a great idea...if your a duck, I used to use a 5 gal. bucket which was no big deal to dump when done for the day but when I started doing bigger work I got an old wooden wine barrel and cut it in 1/2 and use one half as my slack tub, the barrel was around 70 gal give or take, so I have around 35 gal or more slack tub, so dumping it isn't really an option.
I had thought about a heater but really want to keep from raising the elec. bill any, which is why I also decided against putting air from the compressor into it for bubbles.
Dish soap doesn't really protect too low....I don't think any way, anybody know how low? Which is why I ended up at the rv anti-freeze, and it isn't designed for cooling purposes, just for freeze protection, plus no enviromental issues. But as I said, I'm not sure what if any affect it would have on the quench.

welder19

[RainsFire]

I think salt water would do the trick right?

I just break the ice.. not a big deal, its pretty much 30' constantly here right now..

[the_sandy_creek_forge]

EUREKA!!! BP0453 Drum Dolly. Fill up slack tub and wheel it in. End of day, Wheel it outside and dump it. Kinda heavy on the water usage, but better than a frozen solid to the point of uselessness slack tub.

-Aaron @ the SCF

[blubrick]

Just on that BP0453 Drum Dolly... It looks to me like you could light a small wood fire underneath the drum to thaw out the ice. That might take a little while to kick in, though.

Living in Australia, where pretty much the entire continent is in severe drought, I kinda baulk at the idea of emptying and refilling the slacktub every day. Good thing it will never freeze around here - well not solid, anyway.

[welder19]

I don't know how much salt it would take but I could try it, salt water will freeze, being from the shore area I can tell you that first hand, but I would imagine that enough in a tub would atleast lower the freezing point quite a bit.
Well as far as the dolly goes my forge is more or less out side, so I could just empty it but (A) I am about 100 ft from running water which would mean dealing with a hose in freezing weather, put it out drain it roll it up etc. and (B) like you said heavy on the water usage/ tough on the well, tub is 35 gal or so.
Wooden slack tub = fire under it bad idea.
There are a bunch of alternatives, smaller tub for the winter and so on which I will do what I have to in the end but I was hoping to be able to just keep it from freezing with out costing too much, ie. electric for a water heater.
Well I guess if no one knows about using the rv antifreeze then I'll be the test dummy and give it a try.

welder19

[Ten Hammers]

I need water in the shop ( coal, quench, fire prevention ) year round. The 1500 watt floating tank heater is part of doing business just like the steel bill and the $ 165 I spent at the welding supplier last evening for consumables. All goes with the game. This is a profit oriented game.