Jason Preglow

I was a prize idiot... I attempted and succeeded in creating a castable refractory liner for the kaowool in the helium tank forge I'm building. I needed to preserve the space inside for the work and in a hurry...I grabbed the first thing I could find. Wait for it... ...a stack of red Solo cups...(yeah, I know). I have read that diesel or gasoline can dissolve them, but I don't want to make another mistake that's WAY more dangerous. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks all!

I found this in Michigan actually...ann arbor area. It is magnetic, and it's a solid slug. The mark made by the cut is not typical. It's about 1/2" wide and 4-5" long. I found a whole collection of them in a plastic bin out for the trash.

Hey everyone! I happened upon a lot of these during my evening scavenging run. Can anyone tell me what they are? Thanks!

Hey all, I couldn't find a good place for this in the general Internet, so I thought I'd share it with you folks first. Craftsman and B&D sold a 20v power tool system with interchangeable attachments (drill, saws, etc.) called BoltOn and Matrix respectively. I've used this ever since I got it, and just used it to help build my forge, but yesterday it broke and I was heartbroken. Instead of running out and buying a whole new tool system, I happened upon a great solution! The problem was the switch in the handle. Since this model is very much discontinued, I couldn't find replacements easily. Ended up taking a chance and bought the current B&D 20v drill and took the thing apart. The electronics are basically the same, and with a little basic soldering, I was able to completely replace the electrical system in the faulty handle with the new drill's electric components. Worked like a charm! $50 for the new drill, but now I've got an extra battery and a spare motor! Used replacement handles for this system are on eBay for around $100. An brand new set of 20v power tools would've been several hundreds of dollars, so I think I'm doing okay! Couldn't find a good site to simply replace the switch...maybe someone here has a resource they can share? I don't know how many others might be BoltOn or Matrix owners, or appreciate the system the way I do, but for those of you who do, maybe this could help in that horrible moment when your favorite or only tools die. Anyways, hope this helps someone out there!

Hey all! I just started forging a few days ago and I need some advice before I do something to my forge. It's a single burner propane forge built from a helium tank (think Party City, the ones you can buy) with a kaowool liner. I'm torn between a refractory cement layer on the kaowool, and a steel cylinder about 4-5 inches in diameter. Would this steel inner wall help keep the heat better than the refractory cement? Thanks all!