saintjohnbarleycorn

thanks, I was looking to get a larger area for just forging, push the burners. I will go with a 700 cu", and probably a 250 cu" if I want to do welding billets. I guess the pictures just seem like they are bigger.

looks good. If you want to hide the weldments take some flat steel heat it up and wrap around the joint, so it looks like it forged not welded. Use pliers to bend them around and tap with hammer, then wet it, it will shrink some and be nice and tight.

I am going to build a couple of forges with interchangeable burners. I have 3/4" burners. I know you need 250 to 300 cu" for to get to forge welding temp. So I can build a small one with one burner for that. How many cubic inches would you need if you just want forge heat? I would build a bigger one just for that. thanks for any advice on this. kevin

One way to make a clapper is use a golf ball with a paddle like attachment so the wind can move it easier.

thanks, that is reasonable fro a large piece.

The tone and loudness of a dinner gong has so much to do with the thickness of the metal used. If you jump up from 1/2 inch stock to 1 inch stock it will be surprising.

A friend got a hold of some 1 1/2 inch round rod that was from some jet fighter landing gear struts - so some high-tech alloy. He made a few classic dinner triangle gongs from it. It had the most perfect beautiful tone you ever heard - except from a formal bell. And LOUD ta boot! Alas, he only got those couple pieces of scrap.

And Jay over at Big River Forge has made several large garden "gongs" from old 100# LP gas tanks. He "carefully" cut the bottoms off, and threaded in some pipe to form a hanger from the top. Then a simple pair of slanted 4x4's to hold it between a 1/2" plate bottom and and smaller version top plate turned it into a great garden/patio gong/bell. A rubber mallet hung from a hook on one of the uprights finished out the project. The tone was a lot like the large bells you hear in the Japanese temples.

Bells/gongs are always popular. Just keep in mind where you hang one for display around your shop. Kids LUV to play them!

Mikey

The torch idea has been used with very explosive results. People would use the torch, heat one part of the the thin metal, weaken it, raise the temp of the tank and yahoo! Its in all the hvac books as a real no no. Even though you were joking, just in case some one was speed reading and didn't get the joke.

sgropp, just out of curiosity how much did it cost to get the ul listing? thanks.

just for the record it is not legal to wire a lamp fixture, unless you have it UL listed, which is very expensive, I know people do it all the time. BUT if something ever happens the person responsible for the wiring or selling it wired will be the one who could be sued. Should you worry about it?? I don't know a lot of people do house wiring illegally and it doesn't bother them. I would guess the way around it would be to sell it unwired, or possible go with low voltage??
just an info packet.

I converted a log splitter, it was a hand built so I don't really know how big it is, probably a 10 or so maybe 20? in any case Its got plenty of squish power, and speed doesn't seem to be an issue. I just put a jack hammer bit in there and upset is about 1/2" in one heat with no problem. If you have a big system I am sure you would use it and be glad it is big. But for those without the big stuff, any log splitter will make quite a powerful tool. IT them becomes setting up the dies. You will really like it.

I looked at the centaur tailgate shear, but I am not seeing how the thing works. does the steel go between the cutouts?
Tail Gate Shear-Centaur Forge

I like it too!

IForgeIron > Blueprints > BP0223 Sharpening Drill Bits

Ferric chloride can form with muriatic and steel.

This is why it is so prone to re-rusting.

red rust is iron with an oxidation state of +3, Fe2O3, we don't like this kind.
black rust is iron with an oxidation state of +2, Fe3O3, we like this kind very much.

Old wrought iron that can't rust is already rusted with black rust. A protective oxidation. much like anodized when talking about aluminum.

Make black rust, it wont happen automatically anymore because old iron had phosphorous in it because it was turned into steel using charcoal, the natural phosphorous remained in the finished metal and helped to form a hydride upon atmospheric oxidation.

Modern steel is carbon doped with carbon from carbonate minerals like limestone. this causes a flux to lift impurities from the iron, subsequently modern iron has little to know phosphorous.

It is a tough question. How much are you worth, and how much the market will bare. From what I have found over the last 40 years is that artists of any kind don't so much make a good hourly wage. A select few make way over the hourly wage.
When talking value of art it is of course subjective. I have seen fireplace sets for $1600, I don't think my skill level will ever attain that high of artistry. Lower quality work should be lower cost. If I make something functional for someone I wouldn't charge artist prices.
You may not want to cutthroat someone else and sell it cheaper, but if you mortgage is due and you are offered the money it may become a tougher decision.
Things never seem to be so black and white as we would like.

mine is a log splitter, I can show you my dies but not sure if that is what you would use for a hand operated?

who needs engineers anway?

it this a graphite handle? CBrann this is my dumb question. or there is no dumb questions?

I am curios about the platen, how does the ceramic help?

just looked on the web page $160 per gallon before shipping

thanks that is a good price, I will check that out and see what there prices are on wool also.

Thanks I see what you are saying now.

thanks for the info, it makes sense. I wonder mixing the greenpatch with zirconia?

thanks, you are right. I am just curious really as to finding something workable. The products are made for use on a variety of surfaces. I don't think it was made specifically for wool, but I could be wrong. I think the zirconia is the material that reflects the infared and depositing that into the wool should do the job, maybe even better than the itc 100. But I could be completely off base.

you are lucky twofold, one you have met such an inspiration and two that you recognize it.