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I Forge Iron

edennis

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Everything posted by edennis

  1. So after about a month of use, the high alumina kiln shelf has split into 3 pieces and the molten borax seems to be eating into it. I was under the impression it would be more resistant to both of these issues. Any thoughts or insights? Thanks, Eric
  2. haha, true, true. I'll give it a try. It's just so sensitive, and the problem is that the when I tighten down the hex screw it shifts the arm slightly, so where I align the arm before tightening the screw, and after, are different.
  3. I bought one from an old knife maker who was working in the 70's and 80's. It's great except I really dislike the round end on the tool arms. It means every time I need to change a tool I have to grab the arm with a wrench and tweak it while it's running. Bader sells an "adapter arm" that allows for BIII tools to be used on the B2. It works great. What is the "od bearing change" you are referring to? I'm curious. Same experience here with customer service. They answer any question I ask and I receive shipments from the within 1 or 2 business days. And the still sell parts for the B2 even though they no longer manufacture the machine! That's the best part of all!
  4. I was thinking of maybe mixing some plistix and spreading into the cracks, but I think you are right. I am just going to ignore them for now. Thanks for response.
  5. So, what do you guys think? Normal cracking with expansion or an error in application on my part? Should I worry about it and try to patch it? If so, what's the best method? Or ignore it?
  6. I've used the whisper baby. I really wasn't a fan to be honest. The burner left much to be desired. And getting things in and out of the little port holes was super awkward to say the least- partially because in the one I used there was a lip behind the door that small stuff would fall behind. It might not be too bad with some modifications though.
  7. There is no space between the two. It is completely welding around the opening. The heat is just transferring through. maybe I'll try cutting the top part off and coming up with a new solution. Thanks, Eric
  8. So as per Wayne's suggestion I drilled out the 1/16" hole I made in the propane outlet with a 1/4" drill bit. Thanks for the suggestion, this puppy cranks now. On 1/2PSI propane I was able to weld mild steel. Here are some photos of the forge setup with the ball valve for the air (I still plan on extending all the air and propane valves lower down to get them out of the forge heat), the forge just getting going, and the forge at welding temps. I also have another question: the final photo shows how the baffles I made to hold the firebrick doors are getting orange hot and thus seem to be conducting quite a bit of heat into the shell of the forge. Do you guys think this is detrimental to the long term health of the forge materials for any reason? Also after bringing the forge up to full heat I've noticed the Kast-0-lite has been checking as it heats and cools, thin cracks running here and there (one longer one near the floor). Do others experience this as well or is this indicative of an error on my part? Maybe I put it on too thick? Or didn't cure it properly? Thanks for looking! And one more time, thanks for all the advice along the way. I'm super happy I spent the time making this thing.
  9. The ball valve I bought (a big, 1.5" pvc valve) gives me 180 degrees from off to full on. I feel like I can adjust it pretty well for now. Though I will keep it in mind for the future if I come across a deal on a gate. Thanks, Eric
  10. UPDATE: I checked the burner. No cracks that I can see! I've added in a 1.5" pvc ball valve into the air line until I find a gate valve (though it seems to work just fine, and it was only $10). Now that the plumbing is all together with adjustable other than the gate on the actual blower, this this is cooking! Woo hoo! The time it takes to come to heat is still a little longer than I expected, but I havn't tried bringing it to heat on more than 3 psi, and I think the kiln shelf floor might be acting as enough of a thermal mass to slow things down a bit. Boy can I tweak it though. I can micro adjust the air and the needle valve is bring it exactly where I want the atmosphere. Once it was to heat I was able to hold it at forge welding heat with 1 psi into the system. I didn't try less, but I have a feeling I could hold it up there with less. My one complain right now, which is my own fault (I saw this one coming), is the thin-gauge metal holding the firebrick doors pretty much immediately warped, trapping the bricks, and causing me to need to bend them back and shave down the brick to fit in the now warped channels. I guess that's why people use proper thick channel for that part. Oh well. I'll post pics of the final setup and maybe another video of it running once I fire it up again. Eric
  11. Hmmm... that I will check later today, thanks for the tip.
  12. So I fired it up a second time, this time with soft firebrick doors. I'm still having a hard time bringing it past a bright orange heat, and I dont know why. i was able to tune my atmosphere to what felt pretty good, but each time as I came close to neutral (no dragons breath), an intense vibrating noise began that was quite loud. I'm assuming this is the air starting to blow itself out? I'm not sure what to try next to get this thing running as I expected it to. Any ideas? Thanks, Eric
  13. I think I am going to try silicone caulk underneath it. From what I've read that works pretty well. Hopefully it doesn't affect the performance at all. I'm fairly close to Bennington, though likely will be away during the beginning of August.
  14. I am using this blower: https://www.blacksmithsdepot.com/products/forge-fan-fuel/blowers/gas-forge-blower-2.html The blower has a gate on the front that can be turned to open and close. It is pretty much all the way closed so I'm thinking I might need another gate on the air pipe after the blower. In terms of atmosphere, will a dead neutral flame always be at the point where flames stop exiting the forge? Or will that vary some depending on forge design?
  15. I finally got this thing put together and running. First are a couple of photos showing the kiln shelf and plistix application. Next are photos of the plumbing: the propane orifice is a brazed shut pipe coupling with a 1/16 hole drilled in the end. Now some photos (and if it works, a video) of the forge running. I definitely have some tweaking to do. First of all the blower seems too strong so a second baffle of some sort might be in order. In the photos the propane is at 2psi and I'm having a bit of trouble getting past a bright red heat (the photos look brighter than it is). That said I don't have my front "doors" (soft bricks) put together yet, so I'm anticipating a higher temperature once the forge is closed off a bit. Does anyone have thoughts on the alumina kiln shelf in the bottom? Is this killing my heat somewhat. I like it because it is a nice smooth surface to place the steel, but the kast-0-lite beneath it is also hard, so I could just take it out. Any tips on tuning a ribbon burner like this? Tips for maximizing heat? VIDEO OF RUNNING FORGE---->>>> MOV03135.AVI
  16. I recently picked up a 185lb mousehole for 1.75/pound in pretty decent condition. My question is, I notice there is a very distinct arch on the bottom of the foot that seems quite intentional. The arch means that only the corners touch a flat surface. My instinct is to try and "fill" this arch in with something (lead, silicon...) to both deaden the ring and allow for a more solid contact point between the anvil and stand. Does anyone know the purpose of this arch? Do all Mousehole anvils have this? My other anvil is an "American" and has a flat bottom and do most other anvils I have seen. I will post a picture when I get a chance. Thanks in advance, Eric
  17. Alright, after a few days of slow drying I did 3 progressively hotter curing cycles. The Kast-O-Lite became a nice white color after the heat was applied. Next will be cutting and fitting the kiln shelf and then applying Plistix. After that I can work on all the plumbing for the ribbon burner. I'm getting stoked to finally fire this up for real at some point.
  18. It will likely be a couple days minimum before I heat it up at all. I know kast-o-lite has a very specific curing schedule, but I figure that for now as slow as I can go will be good enough. Thanks, Eric
  19. Well it went pretty well I think. I moved slowly around, turning the forge clockwise as each subsequent part set up. It was hard for me to gauge thickness, and I think it varied a bit through out especially at the joints and corners, but overall i think 3/8" - 1/2" thickness overall. I used somewhere between 12-15lb of dry Kast-O-Lite 30 and just mixing to what seemed like a good consistency (not to wet but still sticking together and spreadable). Anyway, I just covered it with a plastic bag so it can slowly. The forge is currently sitting on its right side, so the opening in the right part of the photo is the hole for the ribbon burner, and the hole in the back is the rear exhaust/pass through port.
  20. Thanks! Super helpful. I'll continue as planned with a photo when I'm finished. Eric
  21. Ok, time to tell me your secrets! I'm (attempting) to layer the inside with kast-o-lite 30 and I'm just not sure how to get it onto the walls and ceiling of the forge interior. As you can see I've got a good base on the bottom, but the kast-o-lite simply falls off with gravity. Is the trick to let it set a little bit and turn the forge, slowly applying it? Or do you folks cast it some other way? Thanks!
  22. ...making sure all the water is out of both layers of ceramic wool before venturing into the kast-o-lite 30.
  23. I've been in the process of constructing a ribbon burner propane tank forge. You can follow the progress here. The burner is cast from Mizzou, a high temp castable refractory, not ceramic, and I am expecting it to reach forge welding temps when finished. Other people here have more experience and will likely answer your questions. But from what I understand, the ribbon burners are quite efficient and hot under the correct conditions, plenty enough for high temp forging and the like.
  24. Here are some pictures showing progress on the ribbon burner and forge. I fabricated two plates for the front and back to hold the insulating bricks for doors (two per side). My worries after making them however is that the heat exiting the forge will warp the 16 gauge steel. Thoughts? I just finished installing the first layer of ceramic wool and rigidized via spaying. I wasn't totally sure how much to use so I pre-wet the surfaces with water and then sprayed the rigidizer until it seemed equally covered. Do I really want to soak the wool or is "damp" alright? I understand capillary action will pull it in, however I have a hard time imagining how much is needed to coat all the fibers. Is two coats preferable for durability or unnecessary. Thanks for looking. Comments and critiques certainly welcome. Eric
  25. Making progress. Here are some pictures of the casting process. I made the castable a little too thick as it was hard to press down the metal, but it seems to have turned out ok. I will post some pictures soon of the casting all dried out.
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