jacobd

Thanks! I appreciate the advice. I'm not very experienced yet but I've generated a respectable amount of scale this far. If that's a decent measure of experience. I'm having trouble getting even heat on a blade that's a little longer than the hotspot in the coal forge, and figured I would do better in a gas forge, atleast in respect to heat control. I ended up burning a very small spot on a blade I have 8 or so hours in, and decided for knives at least I want a little bit better control. 

Hi guys, the shop I share has a regular coal forge, but I want to build a smallish propane forge for working on knives as in the past I've ruined knives due to improper heat control (burning them and yelling bad things). I just want to use 8-10" diameter piece of nongalvanized lightweight stove pipe, line it with Inswool, and use a couple firebricks along the floor, maybe add some ITC later. I plan only on it being 12-16" long, and with 2 inches of wool lining it. Recommendations on a burner to buy or build to suit that size? I don't plan on welding in it. Also, I've been looking on hightemptools but while I do have some disposable income I am on a college budget, so recommendations for where to buy and what to buy would be awesome. I could probably build it but I have no experience with gas forges and am sure you guys could help. If you wanted to build a forge that size on a budget how would yall go about it? Or should I just buy the smaller devil forge on ebay. I was hoping to get out cheaper than $180. Not including bottle and reg. My main question is about the burner but I'm all ears to anything you guys have to say. 

There are a couple places by Houston you can get coal, one in Conroe I know of. Also if you have the space and supportive parents, you can make your own charcoal. I did it in a 55 gal drum with fallen trees from the woods in my neighborhood. In Kennedale (by dallas) I can get coal $12 for 50lbs. Save up a hundred bucks and you can get enough coal to last a couple months of part time forging or more. Also, look and see if there is an ABANA chapter nearby, members might sell you coal. Also, tractor supply sells 40lb bags of coal. Never tried theirs, but my local store doesn't sell it (you'll probably have to order it).

Mr. Powers, you sir, are a revolutionary thinker. I wish you were a politician. The world would be a brighter place.

That is awesome. I still want to cast a 5-10 lbr for giggles one day. I really hope this makes it on YouTube.

It's a jungle in it's own right for sure. Born, raised, and still living in McLennan county.

That's some wicked stuff guys! Get any tools from Santa?

What kind of blacksmithing related gifts did you give or receive this year? Be it tools or products. Also, Merry Christmas!!

Any of y'all ever use these "modernized" muzzle loaders? I feel like it's a game of anticipation, waiting for the smoke to clear to see if you hit anything. I think anything in Texas would go down if hit with a 300+ grain hollow point tho. COM that is.

Sweet, I will probably just get a more affordable H&R in 45-70. I only have one muzzle loader, it's a wolf 50 cal. I may have shamed the traditionalists by putting a scope on it. My main pig gun is my tactical rifle. When I can find a farmer or rancher who wants pigs gone me and a couple friends can normally get 4-7ish hogs in a night if we play our cards right. We've never had a problem making sure the meat didn't go to waste either. I have lots of friends who will take the whole pig minus the innards. My grandfather gave me a repro cap and ball pistol that ive never even shot. I keep meaning to get some old wheel weights to make some balls but just never have.

My current favorite deer hunting caliber is a 45-70. I think it may be 120 years old now. I use pure lead bullets with black powder pressures and velocities. It groups under 1" at 100 yards. I shot 3 deer this season and recovered all 3.

I use a .270 or a 300 win mag. I'm getting a 45-70 as a pig gun. My uncle has one for pigs and likes it. I asked him when he was going to put a scope on it, he said "when you come up here to sight it in". He tells me it kicks like a mule. He's scared of scope bite from it. I'm around 260lbs, and he said it would throw me around. I'm a little nervous to shoot it haha.

They move a lot of air under decent pressure, which is good. When I was 15 or 16 I tried to make a blower from one and after shocking myself 3 or 4 times I threw it away. I don't know if I was just being an idiot. Even the metal part of the housing would shock me. My uncle and mom saved a vacuum for me, but I'm hesitant to mess with one. Maybe the one I messed with hated me. I have no clue. I just know it was out to get me. If I remember correctly it even shocked me through the mount I made for it.

Yeah, my whole thing on epoxies was only if they are safe. I may try to find a buddy with a lathe and some brass. I did find some culinary equipment grade epoxy for up to 450 degrees tho.

Guys I've known who dipped were hooked worse than I was, nicotine is additive stuff no matter how you take it.

I'm thinking the vapor thingy tech is pretty mature for something only a few years old. I think I'd make a steam punk cover rather than trying to make one.

Were I to need to "make" one I think I'd look into kiln hardware. Ni-chrome wire probably wouldn't be safe but the elec. contacts, etc. should be fine. Of course there are electric cigarette lighters that ought to be really easy to modify, it just wouldn't look like a cigarette.

How about making an E pipe? The world is full of electric stuff that gets hot enough to vaporize most anything not made of platinum, osmium, that whole part of the chart. Oh yeah, hookah, I remember now I sidetracked myself there.

I don't think vapor generators get hot enough to put non-volatile toxins in the air. Check out a toaster's innards that's more than refractory enough. You may not be able to use toaster guts but it'll give you a handle on material that'll laugh at a vapor generator.

Frosty The Lucky.

Ok I think you have my mind on the right tracks here. I just need to do some more hunting for an epoxy that won't poison myself or someone else.

I don't smoke, never been drawn to it other than an ocaissional Honduran cigar. It's snuff/dip I can't shake. I'll attach a picture of the coils from my handheld cig. The coils tbemselves can melt if the kanthal and the design of the coils means super low resistance. However, cotton running through the coils is fed by a mixture of vegetable glycerine, flavoring, and nicotine. This makes the vapor. When you change flavors and pull the cotton out, you "cook the coils" for a second to get the old stuff off. The coils reach an orange temp in a couple seconds. The terminals and kanthal I'm not worried about as they are brass or stainless, but my buddy wants a steampunk looking copper outer shell and floor to this thing. I don't if over time the copper oxidizing (assuming that's what the green stuff is) would become toxic. I can get lead free copper sheet, I just want to make sure there isn't anything I'm missing that could be dangerous. It would also be easier to clean if it was coated.

I went to the E-cig because of my struggles with Grizzly Wintergreen. I only buy fluid from one shop i trust and my buddy who is doing the wiring that makes his own. They both use vegetable base instead of god knows what. We have 2 friends who want one, and the owner of the shop is possibly interested in selling them if we get one working well. This at this point is just to determine if it can be done SAFELY and economically. I still have to find a diaphragm (I think I'm using that word right, I need a piece that will hold fluid until I increase pressure by pushing a primer bulb or something similar, and it lets a few drops out to re-hydrate the wicks). Another thought if I can find an epoxy that I know will take the heat and not leech anything nasty I might use it instead of solder. I've been looking for some if the epoxies used on appliances or culinary implements, just haven't found anything concrete yet.

I'm building E-hookah from copper sheet and soldering it together. My buddy is a wiz at making the wiring for them and such. So he's doing that part, I was just curious if anyone had any recommendations for a coating for the copper that would resist the heat (the exposed drip-tip style coils get pretty hot) and the chemicals (vegetable glycerin, nicotine, and flavorings). I know they make sealants for wooden pipes and such. Maybe in your past experiences you have come across a coating that had to withstand the same conditions even if not for the same reasons. I know this is rather odd. However, in the masses of questions asked I haven't found one that didn't get a good answer. Thanks!

Felt I should add this beauty I saw on CL.

If your near a tractor supply they have 40lb bags for 4.99, though you may have to wait for them to order it for you. I've never used it but there is a smith on here (don't remember his name) that I've seen make videos with bags of it in the back ground.

Err, I don't actually know. There's better pictures of it here:

That was before I crudely painted it to try and protect it from the rain/frost/snow/ etc........

Not that I have the experience to back up my preference, but I'm certainly digging the distribution of mass. Kinda the look I've come to know as "the mousehole" look. I would love one like that. Seems like all the hard stuff is where you'd want it! :)

So this is an oak stump which split in half when it was chopped down. I did think for a while that I would be able to put the anvil on the stump and then carry it inside when not in use, but its just to heavy to easily move it. But those 'handles' do make handy places to hold stock/tools.


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It was also my 1st day forging metal today :)

Tom

What kind of anvil is that?

This is all golden information, and by all means please continue.

Jacob: There's a good reason nobody's replying to this request. Messing with molten metal is deadly serious business deserving of careful research before one's first attempt, NOT something to jump into with iron. Responsible folk on Iforge who know the answers have given this kid about all the info they can in good conscience, up to and including just what and where to buy the proper crucibles. So far he evidently hasn't followed up on any. And now he's trying to guilt someone who laid out exactly what he uses as a crucible in a commercially broadcast program.

Now you are GUESSING about how to handle molten iron! Will you be able to look yourself in a mirror if someone uses one of your GUESSES and injures or kills him/er self? Maybe takes someone else or the family home with?

I know you want to help and I give you props for your efforts but brother this stuff is deadly dangerous, not a time to try figuring it out. This isn't the first time you've made faulty guesses but most other times the results would just be wasted effort for the person taking the advise. Please use some sense and do less guessing in your rush to be helpful.

Frosty The Lucky.

There was no guess, or recommendation. I asked a question.

What was your most difficult challenge you have faced in blacksmithing or the accompanying tasks? What was the most difficult to learn for you? How did you overcome this obstacle?

This is a post in the true spirit of thanksgiving.