Exo313

Did a bit of looking at furnace brazing, though a lot of the initial info has to do with automated processes..  Also found a manufacturer recommendation to keep the working temp around 400F in order to preserve the properties of the AR500. Suffices to say that the temp range for brazing/silver soldering is past that.. 

What about controlling the HAZ so as to preserve the properties of the steel plate to at least some extent?  

Are there ways to manage this? Heating the whole mess to brazing temp doesn't look like a very viable option...?

And here is the intended victim

Can anyone tell me what the steps for doing a brazed face to a cast iron anvil are? It's tiny. Maybe twenty pounds.  At most.  Not worth it for the size, just for the experience.  Face area is 2x6". I have some 1/2" AR500 plate I was thinking of using a piece of as a surface. Did a search of the forums, came up with a bit of info, but if anyone's willing to walk me through a step by step on this I'd be grateful.

Here's hoping my request was not too brazin'.

Curious, any smiths in the general KW/ area?

The urban issue is exactly the reason I ask.  I have access to lots of scrap wood. Also considering a wood-fired forge (aka turning wood into charcoal in the firepot) for simplicity sake. 

I'm wondering, how down-scalable is charcoal retort technology? Could small batches be done with a pyrolization chamber, say, coffee can sized, as an approximation? Thoughts?

CNR is probably Canadian National Railway?

That would be stunning. Someday, when I learn to make damascus, I will do one.

I was contemplating a tenoned steel handle. Potentially doing the springy bit.Thinking that I like the idea of non-flammable so I'll probably avoid wood.

No posts since last month, but I'll add my two cents anyway. I swear by Blundstones. I used to buy cheap at Wallyworld, but I would get knee pain that would then turn into an aching lower back. These boots aren't cheap, but they're made tough, and the pair I currently have pass Canadian Safety Association, are also electrical shock resistant (Omega) and have metatarsal protection.

Oh yeah. And my knees and feet and back don't hurt anymore.

 

Got a project to tinker with this weekend! What sort of steel should I use for a chipping hammer? Any recommendations? 

So I'm in school for welding, which is fun. There's definitely some overlap between what welders and blacksmiths do, and I'm learning lots regardless.

But... something that came up was eye protection. Apparently, over time, IR radiation given off by hot steel can cause eye damage. I'm still researching, but does anyone have information to hand regarding what sort of glasses should be used to protect from this sort of thing? Obviously, we want eye protection to keep things out of our eyes like bits of metal and scale. 

I've seen some recommend didymium, but realistically, if my reading  of company literature is correct, these -don't- block UV or IR. You can definitely block all the potential nasty stuff with a shade 5 green glass. But that would seem to make things difficult for judging color, etc.

Just trying to spark discussion, but I suppose ye olde "What we do now works, and it's not such a big deal anyway" is as valid a response as any. I just hadn't seen Weygers' illustration anywhere else and I wondered if anyone had done any experimenting with the idea of combustible waste gases from the coal fire.

There's some interesting stuff out there regarding how to burn coal more efficiently to produce steam, and thus, electricity. Not really applicable to blacksmithing but interesting nonetheless. 

I'm a process guy, what can I say? Some of us just want to get to the beating of the metal the fastest way possible; I like knowing how things work, and what people are experimenting with. It's almost as much fun for me as the shaping and forming part.

Edit: Not intentionally snarky. I'm saying that pointing out the "this isn't that big of a deal" is -as- valid, if not moreso, than attempting to overthink the problem

So I think it was in Weygers' book. I saw a system once for permitting the thick green smoke to burn off while the fire coked up. I believe it recirculated the smoke through the blower. Anyone had any experience with their own homebrew systems for this? 

Just theoretical for now. I don't have a forge built at all, so we're not trying to make something work with what I already have. Throw your ideas at me!

(How many nights now, 3?)

Having washed up slightly apart from the rest by a trick of the tides and currents, I find myself alone. I'm not sure where I am, but I have found a bucket in which to carry water. I bed down at night by getting low, out of the wind and covering myself with detritus. There is a creek nearby. I have a pair of eyeglasses which may have allowed me a chance to make a fire for warmth. I smell smoke from another fire as of night one but haven't located its origin. I am uncertain about food sources at present, although I do recognise the fiddleheads. Have I survived thus far, and if so, what is around me that I can use to find my way to the group? I'm contemplating picking a direction and following the coast for lack of better options.

Excellent point.  Also. How much airflow would you think I'd need to keep anthracite burning? I hear it likes the air..

Planning on building a side blast forge, but curious on the need for water cooling? Most plans I have examined include this. I have some leftover kast-o-lite I can use to help shield the tuyere to help preserve it. Thoughts?

Fisher? Any other marks on it?

In a 1/2" burner build, d9 I still use a .035 tip?

In addition, I needed to use parts I had available.. (I  know, I  know...) The mig tip threads were too small to tap a 1/8 mpt to fit them.  But the id of a 1/4 flare fit perfectly...

So I have 1/4 flare going into the tee, tapped to accept the mig. It lengthens the rig inside slightly. So just trim the tip shorter to accommodate, yes?

This has probably been asked, but I've done some searches and extensive reading, and I've not found what I'm looking for.

So, what's the smallest practical T-burner arrangement? I'm concerned with the practicality of the burner setup, more so than the practicality of the small-volume forge. I've seen 1/2" pretty commonly. Can it be done smaller?

Essentially, I like the concept of a tin-can style forge, the kind you usually see paired with torches off the shelf, but I really dislike the idea of using a torch. Seems like a t-burner would give a better result from my reading thus far.

Apologies if I've missed this somewhere in the pages here, or in the threads.

Upon further reading, the 'good stuff' in quench water appears to be ferrous sulfate, good for iron deficiencies. (Hence the cures for weakness, 'delicate' boys, anemia and general other issues with lack of iron.)

Buy a sieve. Strain the mice.

Well if it's just starting to grow, I would be watchful. I hear the way things go, the higher the post count, the more glorious the neck beard...

I hear it makes your hair grow back too...

Anyone familiar with this forge, or the guy making them? 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/U-S-A-Made-Propane-Forge-for-Knifemaking-Blacksmith-Forge-Farriers-Furnace-/231671397371?hash=item35f0b0fbfb

I like the idea of proceeds going to a blacksmith school. Looks like I'd still need refractory coating, etc, but it looks to be built solidly. Also not entirely familiar with that burner design. 

 

Frosty, thank you sir. Local hunt wasn't panning out very well. I will drop him a line.