Mills

Wood Charcoal requires a deeper fire than coal due to its density. Corn cobs may need a little more, dung a little less. I am just guessing based on my limited use of other than coal fuels.
For an experimental setup as you adjust for the different fuels I would just put a tee into a flat plate and build it up with firebrick to create the pot. depth of fire can be adjusted as you try different things.
A dirt lined box can also be used similarly. Grandpas forge was 2x6's with a pipe up from the bottom and dirt shoveled in on that. Easy to build in an hour or two. he never had a Store bought forge as far as I know unless it was in the oilpatch of the 20's.

I have some tie bar from steel buildings. It is nice stuff, forges smoother than A-36. My guess is that it will be similar. Use it for scroll work and such, it won't be good for tools.

LOL! Yessiree bob

I would offer that crime has been around for a while and the good ol days of leaving things unlocked were more about the citizenry than the time. I live in town and we have no troubles at all in this neighborhood, now that the druggies on the corner are gone. And since college students quit renting the duplexes behind us (too many police officers coming around I guess ) the nights are peaceful again.

I'd really like to have an old Mossberg M&P with the bayonet lug and extended magazine as a primary defense weapon. For if it is ever needed, it is needed in a hurry.

QC good thought on switching to lighter shot. Up close even rat shot acts as a single frangible slug while at range won't penetrate sheet rock. goose shot is a nice balance of range vs penetration.

What a wonderful event. May there be many times for you and him such as this.

DC definitely! I have the lincoln ac/dc tombstone weldor and very seldom use ac except for 'hollywood welds' w 6013 <;)

Have you tried a different piece of steel?
If you are using charcoal then I would have 6 inches or more under the steel depending on how small the chunks are.
Dumping more on top would stir things up and not be helpful, how about get 9 inch depth of charcoal really burning, then insert the work and using a gentle blast bring it to heat.
That is what I can offer from your description.

upper right in the menu bar use 'search' I typed in weld cast iron and got a lot of hits where this same question is answered.

Synopsis brazing is preferable to welding.

The Saltfork Block is good quality and the savings is in you having to clean it up. It can be kinda lengthy. They are cast in USA to our specifications.

I have had some trouble with a stick of HR. After using it up my troubles disappeared.

One way that I do this is to just sit and sketch. When I get something I like I put it into a scale drawing and then make changes as I hammer. It helps to study some other scrollwork for inspiration. Also for simplicity, one scroll jig can produce different sizes of scrolls and those can be hand tweaked to make an infinite variety. So don't feel bogged with tooling.

Here is a link to some nice books on the subject. I get lots of ideas and instruction from them.
Craft publications

Water. I use a squirt bottle with soap. Soap helps the drilling and lets me check leaks on gas lines air lines and tires.

TimTSE if you'll start a new thread it'll help get your question answered quicker.

If you heat it, you have changed it. Most correct answer is pull it tweak it and and heat treat. Do you have a bender? You may be able to bend it into the position you want. You need to be aware that introduces stress that may shorten its life.


Mills, Thanks for the suggestion. I moved it to a new thread.

NExt step is what features are you looking for? What type of work will you do with it? I believe that a search for grinders on the web will yield a lot of ideas for you to think about incorporating into your design.

You might post this question over on forgemagic, grant shows up over there and on the anvilfire forum. He maybe the one who made them. he has made a bunch and would likely respond to the inquiry.

Echoing Thomas Powers, I started with the idea I wanted racks of neatly organized tongs by size and style. I still don't have a rack let alone one style. As I make tongs for certain projects I get better and faster and more adaptive at producing results rather than tools. Make a couple of woops they look real useful. Make bolts and flat and what ever else strikes your fancy. Its all practice and you will be gaining marvelous skills.

Sesshoumaru there are many that know how to get spring steel, some who know how to make spring steel and a few who have made spring steel.

What are you wanting, specifically? A crossbow spring to put one together, or a project where you are learning metallurgy and want to make a crossbow for the knowledge?

larrynjr - I check craigslist a lot and snagged a similar one for $60. Some of them take a lot of effort to get them cutting well.

Snap-on vs the wannabes. I have the breaker bar and set of 3/8 drive sockets I bought about 82 when I started as a professional mechanic. There are other ones as well but those were my first. Still works great. I also several set of the low end of the scale tools. It is easier for me to drive a socket onto a vice grip stripped nut or bolt if it isn't real expensive. Same for heating and bending a wrench into a special shape for this one job. Know whut I mean?

White, just at or below sparkle.

To draw, hammer square to about desired size then 8sides 16, 32 etc.. to round

The best money I have spent on tools is a milwaukee portaband and a dewalt 4 1/2' Angle grinder. the portaband CAN be chucked into a vise and used as a vertical saw but is best and safest when the stock is held and the saw moved around. The grinder is very multipurpose and having a good strong one for the most common operation, usually grinding, and filling in with HF cheapo's for cut off, wire wheel, flap wheel, fiberdisk and more.
A drill press would be next inline with a MIG right behind it.

Facium you may want to look up Matt Weber of Della Terra Studios. He teaches this stuff and sells some tools and supplies down your way. Very helpful.

I might add to the skills list, being able to fix the welder or tighten the bolts on the machine or oil it or turning off the gas(es) with out being told. When involved in repetitious work, being ready with the tools you know will be needed. That is what makes a hand in my shop.

Hmm A torch? Or a forge that will heat it and punch it square with a couple of friends with sledge hammers. I'll call you tomorrow Nate. I'll be in the shop most of the day.

Just thought of another approach, using a sawzall to hog it out then drift square.

When I get the air gap right I have no trouble going to town in a straight line.

Teejay is in Blanchard and I am in Norman along with Korny. Theres more as well. Call if you need any help.
Mills 401-9739 (electronic leash) oh and Jim Carothers our illustrius prez will at my shop on Tuesday afternoon, if you can work that in.