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I Forge Iron

KeithSS

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Everything posted by KeithSS

  1. Just read the replies, thanks. After getting a vibrator, and buying different media I wasn't satisfied. So built the 5 gal.bucket tumbler. I did put in two 1by2 boards to drop the media when it reaches the top. i don't think I have enough media in it. I will try some nails that I have . The ballcones sure are pricy. The noise is really loud. I only run it at night because I don't want to hear all day. These tumblers have to be set up just right from what your saying. I bought this disk for my 4 1/2" grinder and it is taking the scale off very fast and it looks like it was just lightly sanded. It is a woven material so it should be used with a mask. Until I get the tumbler stars all aligned . I'm gonna just use this disk and a slow wire wheel. Yep, it doesn't matter how good of work you do, if you don't Finnish it nicely. Type 27 Grinding Wheel, 4 1/2, 7/8 NORTON Zoro #: G4415381
  2. Hi, I have been making hooks ,and it takes as long to wire wheel them and wax them as it does to forge them. So I made this 5 gal.bucket as my tumbler. My question is now, how do I use it? What type of media should I use to descale? Should the bucket be 1/2 full or 3/4 full of media? Also, should I put some thin cuts in the bucket to let the dust out? Thanks for any help you can give me. Keith
  3. Yep, the mfg. said it was supposed, To read 250.000 btu. Not million.
  4. I will ask the company if its millions or if its thousands of btu. Thats a good point . I have seen boilers rated in the millions , but they had a 4" gas line going to them with a big gas pump. It's a 3/4" fitting going into this unit. I think the strength of this forge is the shell and firebrick, it has 2 gas lines coming in the top side of the shell and on the other side 2 gas lines going in the bottom and it must make a swirling movement. Rated to 2400 deg. The brick is all curved round and in perfect shape. i ordered a $100 dollars worth of parts a spark plug ignitor and a flame sensor. im thinking if it doesn't start, its going to be the fire eye box which I'm thinking its a $500 dollar part . Then I might have another machines skeleton standing in the corner of the shop taking up room.
  5. I didn't pay $2500 for it .i got it for a couple hundred . I was just Useing ebays pictures. The company that makes these said , the new ones are built the same as the old ones except for the electronics are updated. So, I couldn't figure out how to see what the cost to operate it will be. The name plate says 250 m btu. 1.000.000 btu = 10 therms = $9.00 I pay 90 cent a therm in mi. (How long does a therm last?) i know it can't cost as much as my math says.
  6. I will do that formula and figure out what it will cost. Thanks
  7. I do forge everyday. Mostly 1/4" 3/8" 1/2" steel and railroad spikes size is about my limit. Natural gas is cheap now, I thought that if it runs off nat.gas it would be cheaper to operate. I use around 300 gallons of propane a year. i built a ribbon forge and fired it up a few times , I only had 1" of kaowool in it and it got very hot very fast. I was just experimenting with it. And now I'm adding refractory 3000 on the walls of it. Don't take this personally, but do you know for sure that the Spiro-therm forge would be a gas hog? Thanks
  8. Hi, was hoping someone had experience with one of these forges. There is one on eBay for $2500. I just got one in good shape needs some parts and some work. I really like that this forge use propane or nat.gas.its all automatic as far as adjustments ,set the temp and go. I do guess that this is how it works. I have been forging from a aspirated propane forge and it works great for me. im just wondering if this forge is worth spending time setting up and Useing as my daily forge? heres some pics.
  9. Got the old pulley welded on for $45. Dollars. Couldn't quite figure out where to get a pulley to put on after turning a shoulder. The welder said it was good cast iron ,no sand in it . If this breaks then I will pursue the other option of finding a pulley with 2 grooves to have machined on. Yes, I am very fortunate to have only broken the pulley. Will let you know how it works after installing.
  10. Found a guy who is going to weld it for me. Let you know how it turns out. Thanks for all your help. Keith
  11. I think it maybe cheaper to fix it like peacock posted. Its just locating the right size pulley. I checked ebay And surplus Center , I just need to figure out exactly the best way to get it to fit the hub or clutch.
  12. Yes it is a jardin. Artist I read your post on welding cast iron. Much more to it then realized. I did think about taking off the rest of the pulley and just getting smaller belts. Peacock ; I like the new pulley shouldered up and bolted on. Where is a place to get a 2 groove pulley from like that? Would you happen to have a picture of the other side of the pulley? I'm wondering if I have enough metal to turn a shoulder into? Thank you , Keith
  13. Thanks for the info and offer. I'm going tomorrow to a machine shop where a couple of old timers work. Hoping they will like a challenge. They may have some material that may also work.
  14. Yes I also think it is repairable. Do you think a minumum of 1/8" wall thickness would hold if screwed together and braised ? I have brazed steel but not cast, I know it must be preheated ,should I grind a channel around the cracks to have more brass adheishion ? Here are more pictures
  15. Braising is what I will do to hold it in place . I will need to find a piece of 10" x 3 1/4"steel pipe to put over old pulley ,then drill and tap into cast,to fold it together . I took Sids class a few years ago , strange I brought the parts to ask his opinion of them , he said they all looked ok but, you can't get this part anymore.(the part I broke.) The saying ; Haste makes Waste is a reality to me now. I think I have done my very best work when I've taken my time. Do you know where I can buy a piece of steel pipe this size- 10" ID. X 3:1/4" wide x 1/8"-1/4" or any smaller thickness? (My other thought was to grind the rest of the broken pulley off and use the hub for a pulley? Any thoughts on that idea?) Thanks for your help and ideas.
  16. While trying to get my Canadian little giant in the back of my van, I was in a hurry and by myself I didn't secure the strap to the top of the fork lift. While I was leaning it on the floor the strap slipped off and she fell on the clutch hub and it broke it 3 pieces. The crank was not bent or anything else. The belt drive is exactly 10" across 1/2" thick and 3"1/4"across,all cast iron. I was hoping someone would have an idea on how to fix it or does any one have this part around they want to sell? Keith s Here are 2 pictures.
  17. Thank you for educating me on forges. I like that statement a no maintenance forge is an unused forge. Kiln shelving , that is what I m going to try next. The itc-100 is supposed to go on after the refractory , I will try this next. The hard surface may be ok with me ,I'm still slow at the forge ,not always sure what I'm gonna do when it heats up to fast. Keith
  18. I've built 3 forges .2 aspirations and 1 with a fan to force air into. The fan seems to use less fuel and gets hotter. After a year or so the kaowool is starting to droop and the itc-100 is gone ,partly because I have bumped the kaowool when putting work into heat. My question is the folks who make the chile forges for example seem to use a ceramic board that seems to be durable and last a long time? I priced some ceramic board and it is 2/3 the price of a new chile forge . Is that why the chile forge is priced that high because there is no maintenance with them and they have the indestructible ceramic board in them? Is this just the life of a kaowool built forge to keep applying itc-100 whenever needed? Thanks for help. Keith
  19. These are good points the CO detector, and insurance. I do have some hvac training . I'm thinking maybe some type of exhaust vent that could reclaim the heat and get most of the CO out of the room. It may work with some air pushingi n the front of the forge and an exhaust vent going out. The magic heat claimer on the exhaust may work . A fan assisted forge instead of a aspirated forge would be more controllable. I'm sure someone has done this already . Hope they will please tell how they did it . Besides it may be time to clear the air that is in any structure we have our forges in. Keith
  20. Hi, I'm moving to a colder climate ,I am going to have a winter shop in the basement. My propane forge puts off a lot of heat .but not sure how much oxygen it will burn up. Does any buddy know how this will turn out? Will I need a window open or will I need to just bring in a 4" fresh intake? Thanks Keith
  21. My wording was not very well. I do want to slit it into a hole. A BOLTER. I will make a tapered punch. What I was doing wrong was trying to punch a 1/4" hole over the pitrel hole Then I would turn it over and try to punch out the slot ,which would only come half way out. I needed to punch on a solid base then turn over and punch on through pitrel hole. But I will also make a BOLSTER. Thanks , for taking your time to turn the lights on for me. Keith s
  22. Hi, I've been learning blacksmithing for 3 yrs. don't have a teacher but a member of 2 clubs. I mostly learn from books. I am wanting to put a 3/8" or 1/2" hole in some 1/8". X 1-1/4" flat mild steel. Do I need to make a punch to the size and a piece of steel below with a hole drilled the same size as the punch or a close fit to punch it through? I have been looking at some work from a blacksmith fron 1956 his holes are perfect .does anybody want to share the secret of how it's done? Don't want to use a drill. Keith S.
  23. Thanks Bob for the instructions on the set up of the hammer. I welded the 4" chain holder back on the top frame . Had to cut it off to get into the Van. ( holds and ajusts the Safety chain.) After being warned by a few people. I'm Taking the little hammer more seriously .
  24. Thanks for the warning. Are the back clamps and the threaded rod to get the hammer to hit harder or is it so you can get more room between the head and anvil. I bought a set of treadel hammer plans from abana, but they are different from this hammer ,it mentions Paul Marx in the plans,it looks the same except the plans don't show a crank or clamps for the back and it uses 8 springs instead of three. Maybe abana has more than 1 type of treadel plans?
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