Hans Richter

My dear Charles, I’f never been in the army (despite of my broken neck) but there is a slightly difference between a German ‘Hefeweizen’ 5-6 % alcohol and an Belgium Trappist 8-10%. But you also invited to taste the difference .

Tommie, Aric I will keep the bottles un-ripped till your guys are around. It’s a Trappist (monk beer) with probably 8 till 10% alcohol. So it needs usually 2 or 3 bottles to get reeeee…..al drunken. This is it worth to see you ‘Budweiser XXXX’ face a real beer (grin). However, wish to be closer to you guys/soulmates and share my experience, feelings and knowledge with you. Till then, cheers with a common ‘Pilsner’ over the long distance separate us from each other, Hans

However even that looks great. Keep us updated.

Hi Joe, this is a ‘steel’ wheel rim (melting temperature at <2500°F) and not a brake drum (melting temperature at +2800°F). So a real brake drum will last much longer. The sketch you mention talk about a brake drum not a rim. Don’t be afraid to ask we really like to help you. Your sincerely, Hans

Just back from a 5 days business trip to the west Flemish fields (heavy ISO & OHSAS audit at a big electric company place street lights all over Belgium). In the early days you could recognise Belgium even from the moon because every highway mile was lightened permanent at night to assure a save trip. In this days even Belgium safe energy and only the hot spots are lightened at night. Was able to catch two bottles of Westvleteren beer https://sintsixtus.be/trial/home-2/ , ‘the liquid gold’ in this area. The beer is brewed by local monks and only if they need some money to make their living, they set up a new brew. Very funny, if you want some (max. 2 crats) you have to subscribe in a tender and have to wait till you know you are one of the lucky few to get it. Still thinking, how is the one I drink them with. And yes, cheers this time, Hans

Drove another 160mls to my favourite art supply shop to buy a bigger crucible (25lbs) to melt down my bronze scrap pile more efficient in to handy ingots, fits nice in the melting furnace with even space for a bigger one. Was also running out of Superwool- and soft fire brick stock. Bought also some kanthal wire and ceramic buttons to finish the new kiln.

The new ‘ bronze lost wax mould kiln’ aka combined ‘Raku ceramic kiln’ is rising up. Cut all the insolation for lid, bottom and mid-section. Made her from (outside to inside) 2in sells aerated blocks, ½ in Pyrogel fibre mat, two layers of 1in Superwool and 26K hard fire tiles for the bottom. The lid have the same configuration without the tiles. The mid-section is reinforced with welded on rebar rings (same for bottom part and lid to give the parts stability) and lined with two layers of 1in SW. All the mats will be attached to the shell parts with ceramic buttons tensioned with Kanthal-wire through wool & shell. All mineral fibre will be rigidized and they will be no flame face (flame cone ends up in a hard fire brick camber to spread the heat) Please mention also the (height/angle) adjustable burner attachment. While burn out the wax moulds and ceramic firing I will use different burners (simple weed-burner& air forced ‘Hans-burner’) and set ups, to generate a slow rising temperature curve I have to follow for both purposes (bronze moulds & firing Raku/Biscuit). Very different in comparison to fire up a smith forge where you aim for a high temperature in a very short time and more compatible to the electric hardening/annealing kilns I see in other IFI-threats. Plan for today is making an ‘as build’ gallows and some hoisting device to lift up the ‘Bell’ (lid & mid-section) from the bottom while melting the wax out of the bronze moulds. If some of the lecturers have ideas (building plans) for a burner capable/adjustable to generate steady temperatures between 390 – 2200°F please feel free to chime in. Have a nice day, Hans

Great gift, Dave realy like it

Welcome Jimmies, Just add a 30lbs propane bottle forge to my tool yard because the 20lbs was not wide enough to take the slightly 'bigger' stuff (S-hocks, fire pokes, etc.) You prepare a 15,5lbs propane bottle forge. Nice for nails, spikes, small knifes. But as already said all depends on the work pieces you want to forge now and in the nearly future. Good luck & Cheers, Hans

So do I. This is heaven

Welcome back, Mike wish you a soon recovery Hans

Hi Jennifer, will use locks / closures like the ones you can find on ammunition boxes. Continue to reinforce the thin plate edges of the drum sections with reinforcing steel rings to stabilize them. After that I will weld upright edges of tin flat bar strokes on the upper sections that fits over the lower section to stack together like a sewer pipe connection and secured by the amo box closures. On the net you will find lots of films showing the construction of a Raku kilns but very simple with the internal lining of an oil drum or tin IKEA garbage can with unprotected wool. With the ‘bell construction’ over the bottom I have access to the molten wax and can let it drain out without the mess of molten wax on the bottom. The height of the sections is determined by the width and thickness of the available Superwool and insulation materials. As always I borrow ideas from numerous sources and try to realize them in a version 'Hans 2.0’. If you are interested in the dimensions and details please send a PM. Cheers, Hans

Made a start to build a kiln to burn out my lost wax moulds for the (future) bronze and silver castings. Use the 55gal oil drum witch followed me home. Will use him twice, ones as a ‘Bell’-configuration (on a gallows) while burn out the wax (lid attached to the midsection) and also as a ‘top-loader’ (midsection attached to bottom) to burn ceramic raku, biscuit and pottery for Lisa. After preparing the shell with all necessary issues (exhaust, burner connectors, wax collector/drain, gallows, mobile trolley) I will insulate them with 2in of rigidized Superwool. Keep u update with the progress. Cheers, Hans

Thump up, go for it. Cheers

Build a new pedestal from some scrap metal to put a ventilator/blower right under my shop roof and behind the forges. In earlier days, he stands on a shelf attached to the hard shop wall. After adding the extra noise insulation with foam mats not possible anymore. Carried out also some measurements by test running the new bigger gas forge regarding: -heat up time tiles and ceramic beaded blanket 20 minutes -maximum temperature at the exhaust after 20 minutes at 1835ºF -heat up time ½ in mild steel square stock in running forge till orange red < 3 minutes -CO-pollution to room <40 ppm -heat radiation to wall and roof -acceptable (touchable) -determine set up parameter pressure propane and pressurized air After all, very satisfied with the result and the intended swirl and heat spreading in the forge camber at a low dragon breath. Get lately more and more questions of students and starting smith brothers to assist/teach them how to build their own equipment without to have to rely on suspicious building instructions on YT. Till now I always refer to IFI, but for many applicant is English not his mother tong. Cheers, Hans

Wish you well, successful surgery, and a prosperous recovery. Good luck, Hans

Thanks, Steve

Das, Never mind, I envy you for the many places you have. Furthermore, you are much more productive than I will ever be. Sincererly, your Hans

Want to melt down some of the unused family sterling silver cutlery to cast into jewellery (fibulas, bracelets, pebbles). Any advice (treatment, degassing, moulds sand/lost wax) are more then welcome. Cheers, Hans

Seeing all this nice shops great equipment and fantastic environments (farms, museums) triggered me to add some pictures of my finished shop to. First of all, congrats to my smith brothers with there shops. Next to my professional occupation (50h/w as an HSEQ-auditor for a notified body) I try to spend some (most of the) free time in the shop near to my family. The ‘buildings’ (shed & capsuled carport) are putted down by me. Accept the anvils, plasma cutting & welding equipment, most of the tongs/hardy’s & hammers and the casting crucibles everything else is designed and build by myself. With my disorder and being a ‘control XXX’ I didn’t build only one of the items but (at least) two, to have some spare or replacement in case of. Started with the shed first, how is used for the ‘dirty’ work now -like coal forging (chisels + hardening), teamwork with a striker, heavy grinding and preparing the casting moulds for lost wax casting (what a mess) and placed the smaller (most used) melting furnace there and the used/hot mobile coal forge to cool down after class. Put the most valuable stuff in the carport like the plasma cutter and the welder (MIG/MAG, TIG & Stick) the noisy power hammer and the two gas forges. Same for mobile vice and light (and easy to steal) 150lbs anvil and my bronze/copper stock. The air bank and compressors are situated in my garage (without any space for a car no more) and if I forgot to mention -that I fear a lack of space very soon (one of the reasons to make the casting equipment mobile and easy to reshuffle) And guys, pleeeeeeeeeeeease no comments that -it is much to clean there ............. Cheers, Hans

Jennifer, really like your trailer -followed the restoration/pimping threat. This is a vehicle made for eternity. Also not surprised about the weight. Wish you many lucrative fairs and safe miles on the road. Btw also (as usual) great stuff displayed on the both table. Cheers, Hans

On my list to.

As possible extra information regarding the element measuring with XRF or spark-spectrometer I can tell you from my own experience, that most of the affordable XRF’s can tell you only the appearance and percentage of metals in the samples (the most important thing for the owner of the scrapyard) . In relation with the spark-spectrometer, how also tell you the percentage of the other elements like phosphor, sulphur, nitrogen and hydrogen. All the nasty stuff made your workpiece crack, brittle and/or able to (forge)weld (C). Cheers, Hans

Knuckle bones, Astralogus game are ready, also a Roman coat fibula. Maybe creasy to spend almost 1 ½ days (except making pattern) to reproduce an old game (and many others items) without the intention to sell or commercialise them. However keeps me near to my family and ‘off the street’. Weight around 1,1lbs for the set of four. Lisa and their gothic/cosplay friends ask for smaller ones to hang on a neckless. Next project will be a druid sickle or a bronze bell. Any other suggestions are welcome. Cheers, Hans At Frosty –got no other material for the gates at this moment and wont to avoid to scrape out the gates on the already fragile mould. Regarding the pebble markers I’m not familiar with this phenomenon and I don’t play golf ether.

Finished the bigger gas forge and monitored the first heat and got them with the single 1 ¼ air forced burner till 1700 F. Lisa name him ‘Platypus’ with the funny exhaust (face) and his form because he is cute but even dangerous. With the bigger camber I’m able to forge some bigger pieces witch was not possible in ‘Ms.Piggy’ the forge next to ‘Platypus’. Cheers, Hans