JHCC

Trying to answer Basher's question: I suspect that the name got applied to the twist pattern found in Merovingian (migration period) blades.

I have a line on some 3M surface conditioning belts for cheap, but they are longer than will fit my 2x90 belt grinder. Does anyone here have experience splicing such a belt, as one might with regular belting material? Any thoughts, hints, cautions, warnings?

You're welcome! Our goal is to help people avoid making the mistakes we made -- we want you to make new ones!

"NA" means "Naturally Aspirated", and a ribbon burner can be either NA or blown (that is, with a fan-driven forced air supply). Frosty is talking about the NARB: the Naturally Aspirated Ribbon Burner, as described HERE, which is basically a naturally aspirated venturi burner with a plenum and a multi-outlet refractory block stuck on the front. Are you saying that you're planning to have a blown ribbon burner for each chamber of the forge?

Quick test fire. Looks okay; we’ll see how it does at full heat.

On a whim, I decided to put some furnace cement in the blade of the higanokami I’m working on, to see if this mystery steel gives me a hamon. Maybe I’ll get lucky.

I’ve never had fresh durian, but I have had durian milkshakes. They’re delicious!

Well, if it doesn’t hold up, we can tear it down to the wall and start over.

Well, I went to fill those cracks, and a couple of little chunks of Kastolite flaked off and crumbled. I’ve stuck everything back together with the Meeco’s and crossed my fingers. The Metrikote is expected in a couple of days. I’ll fire things up before I put it on, to see if the Meeco’s holds up to forging temperatures (it’s rated to 2000F).

By comparison, Kastolite 30 is: Silica - SiO2 35.8% Alumina - Al2O3 56.7% Titania - TiO2 1.1% Iron Oxide - Fe2O3 0.9% Lime - CaO 4.8% Magnesia - MgO 0.2% Alkalies - Na2O + K2O 0.6%

Will have to try the Jet Dry. We have several bottles from a bulk pack we got at Costco a couple of years ago, just before we switched to the dishwasher tablets that already have the rinsing agent.

The Rolling Stones had a great song about being unable to find good food in Jakarta. It was called "(I Can't Get No) Sataysfaction".

Do a quick hand brushing to take off anything that's really loose, but don't bother beyond that. You're probably going to be going over it with a brush after anyway. Remember that the anvil will start rusting again immediately after you take it out of the bath, so be ready to give it a coat of something to keep that from happening. A quick spray with WD-40 is good ("WD" = "Water Displacement"), as is drying off with paper towels and giving it a wipe-down with linseed oil, wax, or automatic transmission fluid. As for which clamp goes where, remember that "+" = MORE and "-" = LESS. Put the "+" where you want more rust and the "-" where you want less rust.

Only the ones I don't get to first!

I just got a mini-tub of Meeco's from my local hardware store, which has the advantage -- unlike the big-box retailers -- of actually carrying pretty much everything all year round. I'll let folks know how it works.

Beeswax is a good food-safe choice. Rub your piece with a lump of beeswax while it’s still warm from the forge, about the same as a hot cup of coffee. It should just barely melt and run over the surface; if it smokes, it’s too hot.

How about a miniature spider inside a rose?

It would work very well.

“Instant Pot” is the brand name for a popular multifunction cooker, essentially a combination electric sauté pan, pressure cooker, and slow cooker. Basically a combination gas forge, computerized heat-treatment oven, and molten salt pot for the kitchen.

Just keep the salty language to yourself.

Are we talking the stuff that comes dry in a tub that you mix yourself, or the stuff that comes in a tube (like caulk)?

Much better than my own first pair of bolt tongs!

"Then askéd he of her, 'Have you any onions? And have you savory?' "But she answered him not, saying, 'Onions have I, but savory have I none.' "Whereupon he scolded her, saying, 'Then thou art an unsavory rapscallion!'"

Does Metrikote stick to refractory cement?

Frosty, if you and Deb have an Instant Pot, there's a terrific book about making curries and other dishes therein, with great ease and major flavor.