theimi

Moving from Australia to South Africa?

Most folks would be happy if they could go the other way around...

Hello from another Someerset/W blacksmith...

You guys have seen that gearwheel in the right hand corner in the first video? Is this from his Nazel around the corner?

17 hours ago, BIGGUNDOCTOR said:

Horns are kind of over rated, I rarely use the horns on my anvils.

100%. I'm 15 years in business and never owned  a real anvil ;-). If I really need something like an anvil horn I make my own hardy tools.

I know this is an old thread but anyway, for every South African looking for insulation materials this could be useful information (I'm wondering that nobody mentioned this company as they are the place to go in South Africa)

keramicalia.co.za

the general purpose material for gas forges would be the "Hollocast" range, for standard forges Hollocast 1. Affordable and easy to use.

I have no advantage advertising for this company, I'm only a highly satisfied customer.

Downgraded my Alaskan Malamute  to Husky... 

That's a different topic. Customers pay for the end product, they don't pay me for a few extra hours because I had to avoid a grinder as all those blacksmiths did it without before it was invented 

I think they hadn't to compete with cheap welding "wrought iron" shops on every corner and cheap mass imported Chinese junk....

Thanks for the answers guys.

Sometimes there is no other possibility than using the grinder even if I try to avoid it. Ok, in any case you can start from scratch and make a completely new part , but that's not really economical...

I realized there are many factors which affects the development of fire scale. surface texture, smoothness and - of course - time. The funny thing is whenever I put the part under the (power) hammer the scale develops much easier even if the part is not that hot and was in the forge for a short time only... something I don't have an explanation for and that was the reason for my confusion...

Yeah, of course, that's the problem ;-)

I think I will make some pics tomorrow...

Hello guys,

wasn't there for a very looong time (years!, sorry for that) but if one has a blacksmithing related question this forum is the way to go!

I'm doing a lot of work in stainless at the moment because my customers like the 'bare' steel finish without rust. So the fire scale it develops during forging is a necessary feature in my work as it looks as "normal" mild steel.

What I don't really understand is how and when the scale develops (and if not, why!!). After doing welds (sometimes) or after working with the grinder I often have the problem to get the scale back on the ground spots which looks really ugly (I have really problems to explain it as English is not my mother tongue, but if you work with SS you should know what I'm talking about)

Greetings from South Africa

Frank

11 hours ago, Andy98 said:

I've never used a PID controller for a forge, but I have used a lot of PID controllers and done a lot of other control applications. Disclaimer aside, are you sure you're actually doing PID control? Your description sounds more like on/off control. If it is actually a PID controller, and it has digital control outputs (and not just digital alarm outputs) then it should be able to do PWM (pulse width modulation) to vary the output and achieve something close to "in-between" values - see PWM here.

If it's doing PWM and you're not getting good control then maybe you haven't configured it correctly? It could be poorly tuned, or have too long of a duty cycle, etc..

FWIW, in process industries at least, you wouldn't typically have an "electronic regulator" - your controller becomes the regulator, and you wouldn't have it controlling for pressure - you'd have it controlling for temperature. It would naturally adjust for input pressure changes as the tank empties.

It's indeed a PID but I'm using the alarm relais outputs, only. Of course the PID is able to do the PWM but how would you use it to control mechanical valves?

Does there exist electronical controllable (needle) valves which can use the PWM output directly? I think I will need a component between the PWM out and a motor valve and I'm planning to use an arduino therefor as I've got some lying around and doing nothing :-)

Thanks for all the information :-)

I use a temperature control as described by Buzzkill in his first reply for a long time already (idle pathway and heating pathway) and it works perfectly for all normal forging operations. The disadvantage is, as soon as it reaches the specified temp the PID switches into idle mode and the temperature goes down instantly for at least 50...100 deg celsius, the PID switches into heating immediately again, and so on

But now I would like to have something with a more stable temp for different special uses (making mokume for example). It should not be too difficult by using an arduino or similiar PIC to program a nice regulating system, which controls the heating on a much finer degree, for example the more the temp approximates the specified temp the less power (lpg/air) the burner needs. Hope my explanations are intelligible

Thanks again, 

Hi guys,

wasn't there for a long time, hope everybody is fine

I'm running a blower operated gas(lpg) forge. I've got a pressure regulator at the tank and I use a needle valve and an air regulator to control my flame (in difference to most other folks I do not use a valve for the air but regulate the speed of my blower which works really nice for me.)

I'm busy building an electronic temperature control for my forges and what keeps me awake at night is the following problem:

If I would like to have a really low temperature I have two possiblities: 1) I crank down the pressure regulator and adjust the air to get the right flame or 2) I reduce the amount of lpg by using the needle valve and again adjust the air to get the right flame.

Is there any difference in gas consumption or any other disadvantage while using the second possibility? What's the difference in general?

For my electronic control it would be much easier to keep the pressure regulator on max. Haven't found an electronically operated pressure regulator til now, at least in South Africa....

Sorry, if my explantions are confusing you. I may chat to you with no problem for hours but explaining technical problems shows me that english is not my mother language :-)

Frank

4 hours ago, Charles R. Stevens said:

Might want to check that. Electric moters have a heck of an initial draw, as well as when loaded. Free running is one thing. The best thing that can happen is you pop the breaker. 

Initial draw, yes. But that's only initial

E motors are highly efficient. But anyway, not important for a home shop grinder, will never pop the breaker. I pop sometimes (not often) the breaker when starting a 3kW (one phase) motor for my hydraulic press.

On 6.1.2016 at 10:25 PM, Charles R. Stevens said:

Their is a disconnect between electrical KW Input and electrical motor KW output, no such thing as a one hundred efficient motor. If it's a 1/2 KW output you need a minimum of 1 KW Input (or what is recommended by code) 

jaaa, but I think that's not so important when building a belt grinder for home shop use. And as far as I know I think you are wrong. Electrical motors are really efficient machines with efficiencies of >80% for smaller motors (1kW) up to >90% for high power motors (100kW)

So if you want 0.5kW output you need 0.625kW input

Useful for calculations http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/electrical-motor-efficiency-d_655.html

On 12/24/2015 at 5:12 PM, Ratman151 said:

But just say i build my own belt grinder, how much power would the end product pull?

I'm not sure what you're talking about... amps?

I have no idea how to calculate the necessary motor power, I would say a 0.5kW, maybe 0.75kW  motor is more than enough for your work, but maybe somebody may help you there better. As you want to build it yourself I would look what motor I can snap up cheap and give it a try.

It should not be difficult to build it that way that you can change the motor quickly if you want more or less power and use the actual motor for another project (you cannot have enough e-motors in your shop  )

If you need the amps:  P=U*I     ->        I=P/U

(0.5kW) I = 500/230 = 2.2A

Of course it pulls that power only as long as you press your workpiece against the belt that the motor nearly stalls, less pressing power - less motor power - less current/amps

Hope that helps

2 hours ago, Daswulf said:

There are people like that here in the USA too but there are others here that see the value in hand crafted work or just like the look, or sometimes it's just bragging rights to say they have it. 

 Maybe give selling online a try. Broaden your audience. 

Maybe I should give it a try some day again...

In the meantime I specialised making the big stuff for the bold and the beautiful  

I would appreciate to sell smaller stuff too in these times as your money get scarce quickly between the big jobs

Nice ideas

I've never ever sold one hook since I do blacksmithing

People grab them up in one of the many hardware shop for a few cents or they want stainless (but cheap!!!).

All the small things (wine bottle hangers for example) do not work for me here in SA - even as I live in a wine region... "ooohhh, that's nice but sooo expensive" while I think myself I'm much too cheap

2 hours ago, Frosty said:

I like it, it'll look good. I can't tell from the pics but there ARE two screw holes. Yes?

Frosty The Lucky.

I would say it's one and a long hole for the second screw, right?

On 12/20/2015 at 1:55 PM, Ratman151 said:

Hey, ive been at the scrapyard, they keep any tools they find, even broken sledgehammer heads, saw 3 anvils there but they wernt for sale.

At the moment i just want to use it for bladesmithing, would really appreciate it if you could find out.

Im gonna search gumtree now, here isnt a builders warehouse, but just a vermeulens and small tool shops, (i live in Kimberely, Northen Cape).

Greetings 

Luc

 

Hi there,

I don't remember who it was, it's so long ago.

Anyway, there are just a few (but they are really expensive)

knife machine tools supply    kmts.co.za

herbst knife making academy  herbst.co.za

What you else can do, type into google "knife makers grinder site:co.za", there are sometimes a few at junkmail

or you try directly: "knife makers grinder site:junkmail.co.za"

Really, the best in SA is to make it yourself. No friend who may help? Unfortunately I'm not around the corner from you...

good luck

Hmmm, as I remember right you said money is scarce...(I know, money is always scarce) Maybe you should specify what you are looking for, what you wanna do with it, new, used and so on.

- For new ones Builders Warehouse if affordable, I'm sure there are some tool companies in youre area. I know there is a guy (a knifemaker) in SA who also sells tools, he sells fine knifemakers belt grinders, but they are not cheap. I don't remember right now who it was but I may find out if you want

-used ones: ask the precision machining companies (milling/drilling/lathe work), I often had luck with them when I searched used tools, gumtree is also good for used tools. Sometimes you will find something at the scrapyards (not so often, but who knows?)

If you have access to a workshop and you have some basic metalworking skills - I would built one myself if needed. It's only an e motor, some bearings and two rollers

9 hours ago, Ratman151 said:

I think most people that are interested are not willing to go through so much struggling to get crappy equipment and at least practice with that and getting creative and at least getting started.

Not everyone is wiling to go through so much.

 

Maybe. But hey, that's blacksmithing, especially in South Africa. I do not even have a right anvil (and I make a living from blacksmithing). I built all my tools and machinery myself. In SA you may buy some new stuff, but therefor you need lots of money. At least I once made an apprenticeship as toolmaker which helped me a lot..

And it's difficult to get used tools & machinery here. I often have had a jealous view to europe or the states where people are happy if you take it away from them. or you get it for a few bucks...

Oh, one more thing. You learn the most (and quickly) by just doing it. That's the way I did it, too. Just do it & have fun.

LOL

I think the problem is many South Affers are still living in the last century. We're little bit behind (and each year little bit more...)

depends what you are looking for. In SA there are a lot of companies calling themselves blacksmiths/wrought iron works but in the end these are welding shops.

So, if you want work to be done maybe one of these will do the job, otherwise one of the real blacksmiths in South Africa would be pleased to do it and ship it to you or may travel to your site (depends on job & money, of course). Hello, I'm in Cape Town :), it's not a world tour but only a stone's throw away from you...

If you want to learn blacksmithing or pop in into a shop quickly you may live in the wrong area :). But there are more in SA then one may think, I'm sure there is one in your area too.

ca Frank

Hi South African Blacksmiths

you're still here?? Seems there's not that much interest which is a little bit sad as there is no forum in SA (as I know). OK, we are not that many in SA but at least quite a few... Let's start a discussion :), maybe we can organise a hammer in or create something different to promote blacksmithing in SA. Difficult times, thinking about leaving the country but who knows?

Any ideas? Come on, guys