Source for induction forge?

[RogueRugger]

I'm aware of the "Paradise Lost" situation surrounding the discussion thread related to a new source for induction forges. Until then, can someone suggest an alternative source for purchasing said equipment? 

[EricJergensen]

I purchased a LH-15a on ebay. It's not customized for use as a forge. You'll at least want to ask for a horizontal coil arrangement. You should read my Saltfork Craftsmen newsletter article before you go this route (Feb 2016 issue).

You might consider buying from Mettle Works. I suspect it's the same unit, but working with someone in the USA that understands using it for Blacksmithing is valuable.

In any case, keep in mind that you'll spend a few hundred $US on a cooling solution as well.

[RogueRugger]

Eric, thanks for the info. I had already read your excellent Saltfork Craftsmen article and it was what made me lean toward a US supported unit. EE was not my strong suit in school and it's only faded further. I'll look into Mettleworks. Thanks again. 

[Kozzy]

Eric,

I'm curious to get a little feedback from someone who's used one before I start phoning and asking questions from the seller(s).

So here's the deal--I need to heat the last 1/4" of length of a 3/16" dia round bar to 2050F for a forging (heading) operation.  Just wondering if you had a guess at the heat time and controllability on small bar like that with the machine you are using.  The e-bay version says it can be set up with an IR input to help control heats but I don't see that mentioned on the Mettle site.

Any feedback you can offer regarding such a heating operation?  Think it's fast and controllable with one of these in your experience?  The big issues for me are even through-heating within about 5 seconds and  consistency from heat to heat--which might be asking a LOT from a low-end machine like this.  That pricing is sure tempting just to get a new toy, though.

Yes, the 440V 3 phase machine on the Mettle site could melt the end off in the blink of an eye but it'd sure be nice to start experimenting at the cheaper end of the pool.

Thanks

[EricJergensen]

Kozzy,

With a coil designed to do this, yes, 5 seconds. Using the timers and automatic mode, you could probably dial this in nicely with some trial-and-error. There are three timers which are intended to be used as a heat time, hold time and reload time. As a wild guess, 2-3 s of 800A heating followed by 2-3 s of 400A holding (for a soak, induction is a bit of a surface effect) followed by enough idle time to head and reload. With some trial-and-error, you could find the parameters that hit your forging temp window. This kind of "light industrial" operation is what this kind of heater is designed for.

A coil for doing this would probably feature two turns of 6mm tubing with an inner diameter of 1/4". I'd set up some angle iron in a V config to hold the stock and push it into the coil with a fire brick as a stop.

I can't imagine you'd need 3-phase to do this. Picture how quickly a 220V welder can heat 1/4" by 3/16". Pretty much instantaneous.

[Kozzy]

1 hour ago, EricJergensen said:

Kozzy,

With a coil designed to do this, yes, 5 seconds. Using the timers and automatic mode, you could probably dial this in nicely with some trial-and-error. There are three timers which are intended to be used as a heat time, hold time and reload time. As a wild guess, 2-3 s of 800A heating followed by 2-3 s of 400A holding (for a soak, induction is a bit of a surface effect) followed by enough idle time to head and reload. With some trial-and-error, you could find the parameters that hit your forging temp window. This kind of "light industrial" operation is what this kind of heater is designed for.

A coil for doing this would probably feature two turns of 6mm tubing with an inner diameter of 1/4". I'd set up some angle iron in a V config to hold the stock and push it into the coil with a fire brick as a stop.

I can't imagine you'd need 3-phase to do this. Picture how quickly a 220V welder can heat 1/4" by 3/16". Pretty much instantaneous.

Thank you.  The "chinese" thing always has me a little gun shy on machines like this and it really helps to hear the experience side rather than the sales side (been burned by claims before).  I appreciate your taking the time to help.

[brianc]

If you want to see one of these machines used in a production situation search for “nakedanvil” on YouTube. Grant Sarver was one of the early adopters of these machines and started bringing them in for sale. He used them extensively in his “Off Center” tong product line as well as many other uses. He was a frequent contributor to this and other online forums, with a wealth of knowledge to share.