DC712001

In theory, preparation employing a 45-degree edge bevel around the perimeter of the ASO and the Steel Face material followed by Pre-Heating of the Cast or Wrought-Iron ASO and using Nickel or "Ni-Rod" welding filler material would be the way to go about it, Cast-Iron to Steel.

The Steel-Face (after welding) might well also need to be heat-treated and stress-relieved.

That would be my best guess, but I'm not sure if anyone out there knows any better from knowledge or personal experience.

I also wonder, does anyone know if the Harbor Freight Tools 55-lb Anvil-Shaped-Object is Cast-Iron (2–4% carbon, 1–6% silicon, and small amounts of manganese) or is it Wrought-Iron (less than 0.25% carbon?)

Historically, some anvils have been made with a smooth top working face of hardened steel welded/attached to a cast or wrought iron body, though this manufacturing method is no longer in common use.

Could someone today take a piece of harden-able Steel and Weld it to an Iron "Anvil-Shaped-Object," then use it as an anvil without it coming apart?

How was the Steel attached back in the day? Was the "Iron" portion of the anvil poured/cast onto the steel face upside down?

I worked 10-years in a forge-shop, but I wasn't a blacksmith and most of the parts produced were enormous.

It was a modern-day producer of seamless-rolled rings and forgings for the aerospace industry. We forged titanium, nickel, cobalt, chromium-based alloys, aircraft-aluminum, stainless, etc.

Schlosser Forge, USA - Firth Rixson

Still, each crew of 4 to 6 people was lead by a blacksmith. They just used bigger tools (like fork-lift manipulators to move parts, 4,000-ton hydraulic press, 10,000-lb Chambersburg steam hammer, etc.)

In addition to the artisan, farrier and small-shop blacksmiths, there are careers in shops that produce large forgings for industry, and many of the skills the hobbiest employs apply to heavy industrial forge shops as well.

We made everything from 4-inch to 120-inch diameter rings and used tongs (on the smaller parts) same as most of us here on IForgeIron do.

Yes (as Thomas said) the welding rod for cast-iron is called "Ni-Rod."

"Ni" as in "Nickel."

Thanks Promotive and EBurgBlue.

Agree with above, HFT will match the online price if you bring a printout of the ad.

I always like to inspect the items at the Harbor-Freight store before I buy. Usually the item checks out as Ok (not junk,) and usually you can tell from the looks of the item.

There are so many tools I now own (from HFT) that I never could have justified buying at traditional sources/prices.

Thanks for all the good tips, advice and photos.

Anyone have experience rolling rings (like for old-fashioned steel cart wheels?)

I saw this small ring-roller at HFT yesterday. It is rated to roll 3/16 x 1-inch strip steel.

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

I really need to roll 1/4-inch x 2-inch to 12-inch diameter. Wonder if I could either roll two 1-inch width rings, then MIG-weld them together at the center, or, perhaps if I heated the 1/4 x 2-inch strip, I could Hot-Roll the rings?

Is there any other or better way to do this at home? I looked into buying/cutting 12-inch pipe into wheels once, and it's cost-prohibitive.


Copyrighted photo removed and a link placed into the text.[

Appreciate all the great replies/advice.

I'll experiment around a bit and see how that goes. Buying 1/2-thickness brick would be great, but I want to do this today and not a week from now, and (unfortunately) there is no farm-supply store nearby that sells brick for pellet-stoves either.

I do have a chop-saw/abrasive-cut-off, and I thought about trying that too. In any event, I'll take my time and go slowly with it. If I can't make it work, I'll be forced to wait and buy them, but maybe I'll get lucky and it'll work.

Thanks Again.

The local Furnace supply didn't have any half-thickness firebrick. They said I should just go ahead and cut them down with a tile-saw/ceramic-cutter/cement-saw, etc.

I have a diamond saw blade (7-inch diameter) that I could mount to a circular-saw (electric,) or, I could mount it to a large 8-inch pneumatic (air) grinder, and apply a continuous spray with a garden-hose to it while I cut.

Of course, I'll wear a particle-face-mask, eye-protection and gloves.

They are standard 9x4.5x2.5 brick, and I only need to cut a few.

Which is the better way to go, or is there a better way (that DOES NOT involve buying more brick and paying for shipment?)

I agree with the above. I worked in an Aerospace Forge Shop (rings/forgings for jet-aircraft engines) for 10-years, then went back to college, earning a Bachelors degree.

My first job out of college, was in the Sales department at a Steel Mill. Originally the mill was fully-integrated (made steel from Iron-Ore and coal,) but had transitioned into a slab-re-rolling mill. We produced Hot-Rolled and Cold-Rolled sheet, coil and light plate, plus coated (galvanized) products.

Slabs were re-heated in a walking-beam furnace, then sent through a scale-breaker, then through a 5-stand rolling mill.

Steel-Coil (sheet-steel wound up like paper-towel rolls) was sold "as-is" (Hot-Rolled,) or sent through acid/cleaning-bath/dryer to remove scale and oil, then sold as "Hot-Roll-Pickled-and-oiled," or "H.R. Pickled-Dry" (no oil.)

To produce Cold-Rolled, pickled product was sent to the cold-mill for annealing and cold-roll processing; So, more expensive due to additional processing, producing material to closer specified tolerances and specific metallurgical properties.

Appreciate the replies. Thanks.

I bought a gallon of Kaowool Rigidizer Friday ($18) at a local Furnace manufacturer/Supply. Unfortunately, there were no instructions on the container.

I looked through Thermal Ceramics's website, but (so far) have not located any mixing instructions (if required) and only limited application instructions.

Is it used full-strength (undiluted) or do you mix with water?

In addition to coating the exposed Kaowool, is rigidizer also good to use as an adhesive to attach the Kaowool to the inside of the steel furnace walls?

Reading from Ron Reil's website, he indicated that the furnace should be fired to cure the Kaowool, then allowed to cool before applying the ITC-100 coating.

Last week, I bought a full Pint jar of ITC-100, and it came with a green-and-white ITC label.

The Top of the jar was sealed with tan, plastic masking-tape. I believe this is standard practice from ITC.

Maybe this might help a bit too:

POWER hammer PAGE, p. 2 - Bement Air Hammer

Photo is referenced to Anvilfire. Jock has stated that no photos from Anvilfire are permitted to be used on any other web site on the internet, so they have been removed.

For $150 there is an owner's manual for that hammer on Ebay:

CHAMBERSBURG MODEL L FORGING HAMMER OPER/MAINT MANUAL on eBay, (end time 04-Nov-08 21:28:19 GMT)

Thanks. Good to know.

Hmmmm... I was just nosing around on Ron Reil's website, looking up forge design info, and found this about ITC-100 and Kaowool:

A Note About ITC-100 and Kaowool:

ITC-100 is more than just a ceramic wool stabilizer. It is an infrared reflector that reradiates up to 98% of the heat that strikes it back into the forge chamber.

This will heat your iron faster, and will act like an additional inch of Kaowool, providing lower shell temperature and better fuel economy, as much as 30% better in independent tests.

It will also stabilize the Kaowool so that you don't have dangerous ceramic fibers in the forge exhaust. It will last almost forever if it is not damaged through mechanical injury by you or others using your forge.

Even though it is semi expensive, it is well worth the cost as it will repay you in various ways, directly and indirectly, very quickly. It may be used on any kind of forge chamber surface, not just Kaowool.

Thanks Frosty.

When coating Kaowool, do you need to apply Rigidizer, then apply ITC-100,

or

Can you apply ITC-100 only?

In other words, are BOTH products needed/required, or does ITC-100 accomplish the same end result as Rigidizer in addition to its IR reflective properties?

Thanks Frosty.

Thanks Mike.

My concern with the Coating application, is that I read something to the effect that if it was not dried properly, you could trap water/moisture in the refractories and this can result in damage to the refractories or even result in minor steam-explosion.

Thanks much for the replies/advice.

A few more questions:

How much should the Kaowool be compressed after it is placed?

When applying the ITC-100, do you mist/wet down/dampen the Kaowool with water prior to applying the coating?

How and/or how-long do you wait for the ITC-100 coating to dry before firing the furnace?

Building my first propane forge. Already made two 3/4-inch side-arm burners (burner-tubes are 3/4-inch dia. SS-pipe, tested burners and they seem to function well.)

I bought the "body" (a former, portable, Compressed-Air storage-tank, 12-inch Dia x 20-inch long) at Lowes for $35.

I cut one end-cap off the air-tank with a die-grinder/ attached cut-off wheel.

I plan to make the floor from a couple firebrick and line the interior with Kaowool (2 to 3-inch thickness) then coat it with ITC-100 (I have all the materials.)

Still need to finish cutting the two "burner-tube-holder-pipe" holes and line the furnace with the refractories.

Of course, first (before I line the furnace) I need to address the issue of the door/entry and furnace exhaust flow.

Had been considering welding a hinge onto the newly-severed air-tank end-cap on the one end, but realize that the furnace needs to breath.

Also, often a portion of the object being heated needs to extend out the front of the furnace.

So, in practice, should I cut a square, round or arched opening in one end, ... or both ends,... or what???

Of course, "Dragons-breath" is a concern, but so is keeping heat in (efficiency and generating maximum temperatures.)

Therefore, should there be openings in both ends to avoid having the single-opening act like a blow-torch?:confused:

Thanks WD.