Danocon

This is my site and the system works well. But all things can be improved. I am in the process of building an improved, larger capacity kiln that is a little more controllable. Surprisingly there is a lot variation in the quality of charcoal. Things like carbon content versus retained volatiles, friability (breakability) and fines(dust)affect heat output, handling and transport. Not surprisingly, the Japanese have made charcoal making into an art. Many things like restaurant cooking, the tea ceremony and swordmaking each require a specific type of charcoal. I visited a sworsmiths shop in Nagano last year and the charcoal was an art unto itself. Don't let this deter you though. Using the system Grant described or the one on my website will give you good forging fuel. Dan

I want to make a point of this one. Read it again or for the first time if you missed it. Big muscles are nice, running a marathon is great. But doing and teaching smithing on a regular basis at least into your 70s------that's a win guys. Good on you Frank. Dan

Yep that's me. I created it about 8 years ago and left it to its own devices, while I dove off into building my own house by myself with occasional help. I get close to 4,000 visits a month mostly to the charcoal making site. I am slowly going to morph it from a static site to one that is more dynamic. Katanabuilders is part of the initiative. Dan

Thank you. It has been quite enjoyable. Dan

I have started the sword forge build with the ground container. Will start discussing air supply and the Fuigo (box bellows) build on Monday.

These are some very nice personal carry knives. I could see any one of these on my belt. Wouldn't mind a close up or two tho'. Very Nice work. Dan

Whoop! I got moved. Sorry if I put this in the wrong place when I first posted it. Figured since I was building a charcoal forge I should be in the solid fuel forge section. Although, this does seem more like being in the big leagues. Dan

For anyone that might be interested I have started a blog on the building of a Kagi-ba or Japanese swordsmithing shop. Still in the beginning stages but hang in there and we will cover Forge building, Fuigo (box bellows) charcoal making and the like. You can find it here. www.katanabuilders.com Come hang out with me- I can use all the encouragement I can get. Dan

Jason, The billet is rolled in ash then simply held over the bucket of slurry where the clay is ladled over it, then rolled in the ash again.

Hello guys, This forum is great for easing back into things. Here is what I know on the subject. Not definitive mind you just what I observed and what I believe were the answers to my questions. The Japanese smiths I worked with used NO FLUX in the tamahagane. I suppose it has a high silica content like wrought iron so there is less of a need for flux. They did use a liberal amount of straw ash and clay but as far as I can tell only, as Jim said, to reduce oxidation. In the initial weld when all the pieces were piled on a flat plate welded to handle it was wrapped tightly in paper, a clay slurry was ladled over it and straw ash sprinkled liberally over that. It was then very carefully placed in the fire and held there as it was brought up to welding heat then carefully hammered. Once the billet was solid they were constantly rolling it in the ash and less often ladling the slurry over it and before every weld the surfaces were water hammed to blast the scale off the surface. When welding the modern day steel handle to the tamahagane plate I did see what looked like anhydrous borax make an appearance. But I never saw any kind of foreign material go between the welds. I worked with two different smiths for a grand total of 4 weeks. So, I can safely say I was not exposed to every trick they had. Dan

Hi Louis, If everything is working correctly the fire can be very big. The idea is that the air is blown in a slightly downward direction and away from the steel so that you do not oxidize it. The design looks very simple but there are lot of dynamics involved. 1) width of the firebox 2) Height of pipe above floor 3) Angle of pipe 4) Material on floor When I was working with the Japanese smiths for the short time that I had I didn't think to take exact measurements. Hey, it was a trench in the ground with a pipe what else do I need to know? Oh well. Other factors I have found that affect how this works I never could get hardwood charcoal to work well in this system. I burns into small pieces and a lot of ash. There is no place for it to go. Pine just burns away-Really fast though. Processing the charcoal: Cut the charcoal into about 2x2 squares for general forging. Sift out everything smaller and ALL the fines and dust. For heat-treating use 1x1 squares and again sift out anything smaller and all the fines and dust. Small pieces, fines and dust are what restricts the air flow. After I made this tutorial I did some more experimenting and then shut everything down to start a new job AND build my house myself. House is now far enough along and I will start again in my new location. Will keep you informed. Dan

Here are some links to how I built my Japanese style forge as well as a box bellows. Please note the section where I explained how I modified it later to be more efficient. It still needs some work and will rebuild it again. What Frank said about the charcoal powder bed is key. Also the 2" pipe needs to point slightly down. http://www.twinoaksforge.com/BLADSMITHING/FORGE%20BUILDING.HTM http://www.twinoaksforge.com/BLADSMITHING/BOX%20BELLOWS.HTM I have been inactive for several years but am starting again in a new location.

I know this is an old thread but I thought I would add my 2 cents and hope it is still relevant. I joined back in January and promptly got sidetracked. Anyway I am back now. Regarding the Machinist degree-Go for it. Learning on the job is Okay. That's how I did it but getting all the information up front with a degree will let you progress much faster than I did once you are in the workforce. I started out as manual machinist in 1977. I then moved to CNC operation then programming. Then for ten years I was application manager and then training manager for Mori Seiki USA. I am now Regional manager for Lyndex-Nikken selling machine tool accessories. I agree that you should get the basic manual skills but then go after the most complex machines out there. This is machines like the MAZAK Integrex, MORI NTs and OKUMA Macturns. This is were the market is going. If you have the skills and aptitude to run and/or program these machines your market value is very high. These machines are very productive thus eliminating manpower. But, the people that can run these machines efficiently are hard to come by. I won't say it makes you layoff proof but pretty darn close to it. These are not load em up push the button kind of equipment. It takes a lot of imagination and 3-D mental imaging to keep it all going and not reduce it to a large pile of very expensive rubble. They are fast, powerful and scary as hell. Some have as many as nine axis going at once. Don't let it scare you off though. If you can stand in front of a fire and mentally see what you want and then apply it you can learn these machines. Dan

Thanks Guys, Thomas-I am in the Kaufman area. I spent my teenage years in Tyler, Graduated from Robert E. Lee. It was so long ago I was one of the last Rebels. I am a manufacturers rep and some of my customers in your area. I will give you a holler when I come that way. Dan