teenylittlemetalguy

Great job! 

I like to pull them out into a generally straight configuration so they are in the rack and handy when I need them. they are not perfectly straight so I know what they are. Anytime I need smaller stock I use them, very handy and you don't have to harden it. I have all kinds of small brackets made out of it. I can straighten about 10' at a time by myself in one heat. 

17 hours ago, Aaron Moss said:

 Might pick up a container of yellow ochre powder, having anti-flux on the bench might be a good think to have too.

 

I have not used yellow ochre with brazing, but I have used it soldering (with torch) and welding (in a  kiln) with it.  I am not a fan of it, It was 100% useless welding. You mix it with a little water and let it dry. Once heated it usually starts falling (or even jumping) off so it doesn't give  complete coverage. It was a much bigger problem for me welding that it was soldering.  

Great info Donovan!  You should post this on the group.

Sasans, thanks for pointing that out!

-Tristan. 

On 8/10/2020 at 1:11 AM, Frosty said:

Now if you'd stop trying to bury me under that big X in your hard.

Lol! I had to read that 3 times... love you man!

12 hours ago, Another FrankenBurner said:

He is also a dedicated giver, full of good ideas.  

Thank you curtis!

I am forever grateful to Frosty, he has been a true treasure to me. 

Curtis, 1AM here... I just remembered, I was going to use a flat bar, but ended up using expanded sheet for the toe support on the kastolite. 

That would be really cool if we were all closer. It would be nice to bounce ideas off each other in person.

Folded it can stand upright,  but this is how it rides in the car, keeping the forge above the carpet.

The metal bar doesn't go super deep, maybe 1/2" or 5/8". After 2 years of regular use and 12 road trips (90 mins each) it wore out partially along that line where the bar is, but only on the side where the flame hits directly. The screws are deeper near the side door openings and have held up well, which surprised me, I expected issues there but they have been stable. It might be from not putting them all in one exactly straight line. Just randomly placed. 

Your foam cores have me excited to possibly try another build this winter, if the world doesn't get any nuttier than it is... 

Cams- first small one with coil spring, happy with the action. Then I scaled up and made several hold downs using leaf springs, very strong solid lock. 

On 8/6/2020 at 7:49 PM, Another FrankenBurner said:

When you say you welded in screws, are they protruding inside the shell and cast into the refractory liner?

Thank you, nice to be called clever and not " that nutter that uses little forges" 8-)

I drew a little diagram of how I did it. My biggest concern was all the guts falling out while driving down the road so I have internal features for the Kastolite to grip on and the shape is an arch. The flat bar running down the length is set in the Kastolite on both sides giving the arch a toe to hang onto. The screws are there to brace the external facing ends. Overall my Kastolite was 1/2-3/4" thick, except for the edges which are thicker to add strength, but nothing over an inch. Underneath is  2" of wool (also held in with a few screws. I probably went overboard, but it hasn't failed) 

I actually don't like the door locks, I just used a bolt with the very end bent in a U shape to pin the door rod down, a wing nut loosens the grip when needed.  I have been forging cam latches for various things in my shop and my next version of the portable forge (v4, I think) likely will  have cam locks for the door stops.

My name is actually Tristan as Frosty kindly mentions me above. I am a fan of the Teeny Little Super Guy on Sesame street so I just co opted it.

The kind of messing about you are doing here is very near and dear to my heart. Obviously you are taking it to a higher, more refined level which is really exciting. Can't wait to see where you head with your ideas. If there is any way I can help out please let me know. 

Ha, I am a tease!

These pictures  take a little explaining as I did a lot different to suit my needs. My forge folds down, into the stand so I can stow it hot and drive home from meetings without setting my car on fire. One end of the turnbuckle is mounted to that pivot point. The other end mounts to the arm on the lid. 

The doors pivot  independent of the top.

I took special pains to mount the kast o lite rigidly to the frame to avoid it shaking loose in the car. I welded in screws around the kaowool so the kastolite hangs on by about 20 points. It's been very reliable.

I found that the joint between top and bottom doesn't need to be perfect to work. Under 1/8" won't let out enough heat to matter at all, the housing doesn't even get hotter there.

I really hope this info can help you, especially since I plan on blatantly ripping off your oval forge idea on my next version. 8-)

Join us for our next Blacksmith Meeting!

Saturday August 8th 2020

Arctic Fires Bronze 

15615 Outer springer loop.  (it is really Inner springer but don't tell the mailman that he is wrong...)

Palmer Ak. 

22 hours ago, Paul Kin said:

T burners are great! I cant even count how many I have built this year... I will eventually build a NARB... The bearded one on the right is mine

LOL, I am in the same place with burners. I have a little lathe and it is just easier to drill and tap the Tee than it is to explain it to someone. I am honestly scared that if I make one NARB I will have to make 20. 

Your axe looks sweet! I love bearded axes the best! 

On 8/4/2020 at 1:37 PM, Paul Kin said:

Thanks and good to know metalguy! It just so happens I have some hooks on consignment with a local potter. I will ask her! Kiln shelves totally slipped my mind for some reason.

Happy to help. 

I really like the T burners. Easy and let's me get on with forging instead of messing about with burners. The NARB looks cool, I need to build one someday. Good luck with your project. Would love to see some of your axes.

19 hours ago, Another FrankenBurner said:

Convertible as in split so the top can be raised?

Yep! I use a turnbuckle to lower  raise it. Holds it in place wherever I need it without tools or touching  hot stuff

On 7/30/2020 at 9:31 PM, Paul Kin said:

Sorry ran out of time to go over door plans. 1. Simple sliding brick doors. Easy peasy right?

I think your forge looks awesome for axes!

My two cents on doors- I have been using kiln shelves for doors on my own personal forges for a few years now and am totally in love with them.  I have never had a failure on one yet. I have used them in sliding situations over a steel runner with no trouble and I have drilled holes in them for pivot points for doors that swing up and out of the way. Not one crack or complaint, even driving them to and from (while hot!) our local meetings an hour away. I have had to replace Kastolite liners, but never a door!  If you know a potter you can often get their old broken shelves for free. 

On 8/3/2020 at 9:01 AM, Another FrankenBurner said:

This is very cool.  I am picking larger and larger projects to see what I get away with in the mini forges.  

Saving the fuel really makes me happy.  Large shepherd hooks was another fun project with it.  I still use a really small forge for as much as possible, but not quite that small anymore. I have been making mine convertible, so I can open partially and heat big stuff for bending. I think that oval one would be prime for that. Also the use of blue board for the mold is genius, I am going to make a foam cutter now for sure!

On 7/21/2020 at 6:04 PM, Another FrankenBurner said:

My apologies.  Nothing too juicy over here.  We have turned the experimenting towards forge design and kast-o-lite handling.  I am excited about it but I am excited by different kinds of mud.  

This is very interesting to me. would love to hear what you come up with. very cool design, I LOVE little forges! I once made a 2" hammer in a forge with a 2-1/4" bore...

Hmm, notifications aren't getting to me on this post I see. 

Thank you all for the kind words and the ideas. I am going to have to go look up destaco clamps now, bet I could learn something.

I agree this isn't going to replace a regular hold down but it does have a nice niche.  

6 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Aye a veritable Cam Bridge it is!

It is a tad on the big size. The one I made for Frosty is more compact. One could make it tiny if they wanted.8-)

4 hours ago, Frosty said:

Do we know anybody traveling between the Valley and your neighborhood? I don't plan on going to Anch. if I don't have to or until after a vaccine is approved. 

Is Sean  near you? Haven't seen him in a while, maybe he could?

6 hours ago, Frosty said:

This little innovation from Tristan's work shop works a treat.

Thank you,  glad it's working well. I made 3 and they all seem to have found new homes,  I gotta make another. Guess I wont break out the angle guage for the bottom.

I would love some aloe, I figured it was all taken already.

I have decided to put my amazing "skill" of drilling off center holes to use! Been messing about with forging cam latches and decided to try a cam action hold down. Used leaf spring so the clamp pivot was built in.i cut pipe to make an angle adapter for the bottom nut.  

It takes a little more time to set up but if you were doing the same repeated job I think it would be a big help. 

To make construction easier I cheated and built a bandsaw mount that lets me make end cuts. I used it on the cam lever and the big threaded rod so it could fit through the spring and into the cam cleanly. 

Below are a few pix and a couple of the latch levers that started me on this tangent.

Yep, I caught that. It's a great idea. Going to use it on the next one!

Thank you BartW! After using it a while I like it even more. Think I am going to keep adding little features to it as I can.

Flinging or flying both sounds like fun. Can we light it on fire first? 8-)

3 hours ago, Frosty said:

When are you going to get started on my flying car, Tristan?

Frosty The Lucky. 

That would be amazing. Thanks for the kind words Frosty, it's been a fairly productive spring/ summer so far! I will post on the hold down soon. So glad it's working out well for you!

13 minutes ago, Charles R. Stevens said:

Interesting, I had always thought about putting a vice on the other end, against the flange. Nice.

Thanks Charles, lovely to hear from you on it. I was thinking of the flange as well till it struck me I could make it slide out if the way on the rail top.