rlonstein

Didn't know about Fastenal, will have to check with the one close to me. Grainger also carries Schedule 80 1/8" black pipe nipples and was willing to sell me a quantity of one (I bought two).

I swapped the 20# for a 30# tank and kept careful track of my usage. I burned 7.3 gallons of propane over 8.75 hours (full tilt, no idler, kept freezing up near the end of the tank). The 30# Tank refill rounded up cost $23, so works out to about $2.63 per hour in fuel. Less economical than I thought, but still reasonable for the fun. I'm going to take MRobb's advice and plumb in an idler and see how my consumption changes.

You might be over-thinking this. You want something that is [A] stable and at a convenient work height. Try it and see. I brazed two pieces of scrap bed-frame angle-iron to mine (a single burner, freon canister shell) to the shell with the vee pointed down and brazed two pieces of flat scrap 2" wider on each end than the width of the shell body across the points of the vees to make feet. It raises the forge about 2" off my workbench. Good enough.

A lot... Charles Picard invented the acetylene blowpipe in 1901. The technique of dissolving the gas in acetone dates to G. Claude & A. Hess circa 1895-1897. Nils G. Dalen perfected a tank with porous material shortly after and invented an improved blowpipe in 1905. According to my 1943 edition of Oxy-Acetylene Handbook oxy-acetylene welding was in common use by 1906.

I bought three 6lb bags and used two bags to line the forge. If I recall, the refrigerant cylinder is 10" diameter and 17" long. Smaller than a 20# propane tank for the bbq. If I had used a bbq tank, I'd probably have run short on castable. It might be more economical to buy a 50# bag.

Looks good. I found the Plistix made a big difference. It cut heating time on a piece of 1/2" stock by about 40% vs. uncoated. Ramsberg is right about the adjustment, you'll have to readjust once it's in the forge.

Yes, that's the intake and at 1.5" it's really not enough for a 0.030" mig tip into a 3/4" tube. If I had access to a drill press, I would have done like Phil K. and Frosty do with their T-shaped intake. I may still hunt down blackpipe cross and double the intake just to see how it burns. NBlackMon96, take a look at http://ronreil.abana.org/design1.shtml and maybe buy the book by Michael Porter I referenced, http://www.amazon.co...s/dp/1879535203 I didn't follow Porter's design but between the two I got a good idea of what needed to be done. Good luck!

Wayne Coe sells it. He's on this site. http://www.waynecoea...blacksmith.com/ High Temp tools is another, http://www.hightempt...refractory.html I'm sure there are others (http://www.google.co...?q=kastolite 30).

I think what you have is a "mixing tube", see https://www.maxoncorp.com/Files/pdf/B-mix-lg.pdf I can't tell you any thing else about it though.

Something thing I learned (and I had been warned) is that large, bent, or odd-shaped pieces will not fit into the forge or will but only after fiddling the entry angle, etc. This isn't an issue with a open firepot. Wayne had suggested making a hinged cut-out on one side to accept larger pieces or to exclude most of a bend from the heat. Next time.

Hard to know, I swapped the 20# tank to the BBQ grill this weekend when I ran out of gas during cooking. I'd say I ran the forge a little more than six hours over a few evenings and burned over half a tank. I don't run with an idler valve so if it's burning, it's at full blast. I refill tanks at a local hardware store for $20 (for 17# of gas, not the 15# at a tank exchange). Probably works out to $1.50-$2.00 an hour which doesn't seem too bad in terms of entertainment value :P I'll keep better track after my next refill.

Don't forget box jellyfish. Just the exhibit on them in Darling Harbour aquarium was enough.

:blink: Wow. That is a deal.

I remember the most recent thread... it was a, uh, vigorous discussion and so were the older ones. There's always some topic that gets the fur flying, maybe someone can start a "removing the guard on my angle grinder" discussion :lol:

Yes. I stuffed the collar with scraps of kaowool when I was tuning it. For the record, I used a large punch to put a hole in the empty canister then filled it with water before mangling it. The MSDS (and the side of the can) say the contents are non-flammable but I didn't feel much like proving it.

I'm just starting out but last week I assembled my first gas forge from a scavenged refrigerant canister. Lined it with 1" of Kaowool all around then about 2" of Kast-o-lite 30. After it dried for a couple of days and I ran a few test firings, I painted the interior with Plistix 900F: The burner ran great outside the forge (see my earlier topic http://www.iforgeiro...my-first-burner) but it ran rich in the forge itself so tonight I replaced the 0.30" MIG tip with a 0.25" one. Less gas, higher velocity. Nice. Almost no orange. It gets good and hot for forging. And it works! My first effort with it (also my first effort without anyone coaching me), a 1/2" steel bar drawn, scrolled, and twisted: Thanks to all of you for the info and to WayneCoe for the supplies and advice. Now I just need practice :rolleyes:

I bought and read Porter's book and followed the threads of other's experiences (thanks Phil and Frosty) and built my first 3/4" tube burner using locally available parts. (Yes, I know there's a galvanized bushing in there... I used what I could get. I'll have other problems if I get enough heat up there that I need to worry about zinc fumes) Burner in operation. It holds a steady flame on the workbench. The tube behind the "flare" get just hot to the touch after twenty minutes of use so I think I have the flame where I want it. I don't have my forge built yet, but the burner brings a 1/2" square bar to light-red in open air before I get bored holding it in the flame.

My google-fu is strong today... Here's a different one cleaned up: http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-history/foot-operated-leg-vise-search-195799/#post1292451 Nice find :)

Crazy. I picked up a used in one in better condition but with an exposed screw (replacement for the original box?) for less than 1/10th that.

Two cents here from a newbie... What you're annoyed by isn't limited to this forum. It's a chronic problem with software and computer systems where someone turns up who can't put together a coherent question or won't take the time to research their own problem before asking. Responses like "RTFM" (read the "fine" manual ;) ) or "LMGTFY" (let me google that for you) are common. If the person comes on with an attitude or sense of self-entitlement they can forget getting help (and sometimes you just want to reach through the screen and throttle them). On the other hand, if they've done their homework-- read a book or three, tried several things, searched the web-- and can "show their work" by asking a good question then people generally go out of their way to answer. It's usually appreciated not just by the one who asked the question, but by the dozens of others who quietly stumble across it later. I know I do when I'm out of my area of expertise.

I put together a stand from 4"x4"s, 2"x12"s, 19/32" scrap and structural screws for my first anvil: I haven't hammered on it hard yet, but so far the little anvil isn't bouncing or moving.

I saw it on craigslist in the mid-afternoon so I sent email. Then it showed up a few hours later in tailgaiting. I was sure someone would be faster than me, but I lucked out. Seller was a really nice fellow. I looked at the swage block (good shape, someone will get a deal), but since I barely know one end of the tongs from the other decided against buying it too. Don't know. It's about the size of a silver dollar (remember those?), even, and shallow. It really shows up now that it's clean. Thanks!

New hobbyist here putting together my garage workshop. I picked up this Peter Wright 138# locally over the weekend: I doused it with liquid wrench overnight and hit it this evening with a wire hand brush and lightly with a wire cup: Also bought from the same guy, a 5" leg vise which seems to be in good shape. Now all I need is to build a forge and find some more free time ;)