raptorvan

now. i didnt put anything on the tip because the ray rogers one didnt have a tip and it supposedly worked just fine.

this is what i build mine from....http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/oliverburner1.htm lhttp://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/oliverburner1.html

ill have to get some pics. the flared tip...are we talking a reducer or a cone? you dont think my pipe is too long? the plans i got this from and the others out there are only using 7-8'' long pipe

my friend who i used to do my wetal work with on his charcoal forge moved so i decided to build a gas forge. its small it is a square tube made with fore brick and refactory cement. the back is closed off and that is where the burner enter. the front is mostly closed off except for the bottom half for putting the work piece in. my burner is a venturi style. a 12" 3/4" piece of black pipe. a 1"-3/4 inch bell reducer on the back with the gass feed going thru a 1/4" brass pipe...nipple? with a 1mm hole drilled into the side. i put two sets of holes near the back on the pipe so the gas could pick up some air. my problem is this...i cannot get the flame to stay lit. if i ignite it thru the holes the flame shoots from the back instead of the tip. i have to light it out of the forge then when i stick the pipe into the forge it immediatly goes out. if i light it from inside the forge it flashes out and the flameis fairly weak. i was shooting for a turkey ryer flame but im getting a lazy version. what am i doing wrong here? do i need some sort of air flow into the pipe? right now if i turn it up too far too fast it flashes out. if i turn it up high it will flash out too. is the pipe too long? so i need more opening in the forge? is a flare...or lack of....on the tip to blame.? thanks guys for any info you can give me.

lol i can understand the hesitancy to give out info to a "popup" hobbiest. Hrisoulas has done some work on rifle barrels and recievers that are...well...always going to be out of my skill set. man they are beautiful works of art. the forge i have right now is made from fire brick with about a half an inch of refractory cement outside and another 1/4" inside and right now i am using a simple venturi burner with a high pressure regulator. it does the job but i might have to either trade up the burner or make it a screamer to get it hot enough to do it right. the slide would be....well...basically what i would do is i would take the slide from the customer, scan it with the stylus and get it into the program, that way the demensions and fit would be exactly made for that specific gun then thats how i would machine it. the slide is basically a novelty. it serves no real advantage other than being a cool alternative and something other than paint. but it would be tuned, produced, sighted, serratted and all around made as if someones life depended on it so it would be up to the customer whether or not they wanted to carry it, compete with it or just show it off.

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thanks frosty. i hope to put people at ease as i plan on making a bunch and making them fail until i get it right. before any piece ever makes it into a shooters hand. i know the dangers. I do firearms training on the side and ive seen glocks and S&Ws blow up. thank you for the info and i do plan on staying around. i would like to soak it all up. as with any expansion of skills i like to dive in and get everything out of it. again, i am going off of recommendations, which is why i came here, because, to be honest, i dont know how certain metals will interact with each other and how well they can be worked.

i talked with a few semi pro blacksmiths who told me that this is what i needed. i think it was more for the composition more than the contrast. but like i said, if there is a better recipe im all ears. i am making the billet myself. i plan on making several and beating the hell out of each one to test and find their inherient flaws or flaws with my process. why i asked is i could heat treat the billet then machine it? because, at least as far as standard gun slides go, the manufactures lose a lot of them in the final treatment to warping. which is why a slide costs $200.00 or more. BUT if i CAN get it done professionally i will. i will also test one made my way and one made professionally (heat treated that is) before i ever put one on my gun and in my hands. But thank you for the info, i will look into those steels. i would like a medium high carbon steel though. i plan to take the death out of the equation. i have the capabilities to torture test this before it ever makes it into the hand of a shooter.

ok i guess i should have covered all that. i live in Dearborn MI. about 7 minutes west of Detroit. i worked for 8 yrs in a fabrication shop working with steel. i have blacksmithing experience HOWEVER i have not dont pattern welding....which is why i asked all these questions. i DO i have access to a #D printer, CAD CAM AutoDesk a Tor-Mac machine, metal lathes, Lathe, large metal, with digital readout and tooling Milling machine, large, with digital readout and tooling Milling machine, 4-xxis, CNC. as well as tig mig and flux core welders. i also work part time currently at a tool and die shop and build custom 1911's for competition. the tool and die shop i work at we also make many componants for firearms as well as service and installation of parts as well as refining OEM parts. slides are made out of either a stainless 440 or a high, medium high carbon steel.

Hello all. this is my first post here so please excuse me if this is in the wrong section. i want to do an experiment. i want to make a damascus 1911 gun slide as well as a few kitchen knives. now, the slide need to be exceptionally hard AND tough yet machinable AFTER heat treating as i cannot heat treat after machining. it was recommended that i use 1060 and 5160 steel. my questions are...1. is this a good fit? i cant use certain steels because of the application. 2. how difficult would these steels be to work with, forge weld, draw out, refold reweld draw out....you get the idea. i know some steel go together like oil and water and some are almost impossible to work with especially with several weld and folds. i need hard and i need tough and i cannot heat treat after machining so i figured what i would do is, after the last weld heat and draw out i would heat it up one last time and let it air quench. is this a good solution? remember it still has to be machinable. KNIVES. i kind of wanted to do the same steels with a set of knives, damascus style. now i know that damascus uses different metals (unless the recipe is strictly subjective) but i would like the watermakr designs and the stregnth that comes with this style. i CANNOT for the life of me find 1060 steel in small quantity. is there possibly another "just as good" alternative? i know each steel had slightly different compositions yet very different properties. i want a good color contrast though......do any of you guys know a good supplier of both these metals? now, these were the ones recommended to me and while researchin i would have to agree. BUT, if there are better alternatives i would most certainly love to know about them.. thank you guys so much for the help. Nick