Another FrankenBurner

The older I get, the dumber I was.

I don’t know about the bad luck. As my granddad always said “Getting old sucks but the alternative is worse.”

They are great until there is just one, it has infiltrated your place, and it’s two in the morning. They chirp away until you finally get up, get the flashlight out and then they quiet down. You get back into bed, after failing to find them, just start to drift and boom, cricket. They know what they are doing.

Did we break it? I hear crickets.

New to forging. I saw a guy on a video and thought, I can make one of those flame units. I made it. Now it doesn’t work. I connected the round thingy to the tube piece. And added the gas part. Why won’t it work? Also, I got a grain silo to use as my hot container body. I wanted it to be big enough to forge anything I could ever want to. Do you think I need to build a second fire maker?

I like your math, mine agrees with you. Isn’t math great? That is a much healthier ratio than I use. How much do you think you need? Do you manufacture forges and need a lot or is this just for a one off?

You can also TIG braze with silicon bronze rod. Sometimes very handy. I usually use it to repair/build up cast iron. I’ve read you can use it to stick something galvanized to a dissimilar without compromising the coating but haven’t needed to test that yet.

I weld metal in all the ways that I can afford and know about. I enjoy each of them for their own reasons. TIG is one of my favorites to do. Mostly for the reasons Frosty stated. It’s clean, and requires skill/practice. You can really get in the zone. The modern welders with all the settings make them very capable and controllable. AC balance/frequency, and pulse frequency/duty cycle along with remote current control (pedal, trigger, roller) have really changed the game. I use MIG a lot too. The hot glue gun for metal. Soldering/brazing also makes the list of fun to do. I like to manipulate metal. Forge it, cast it, machine it, turn it, weld it. I do weld my forges together. Tacks and stitches. No need to full length weld. Easier to rework. If I anticipate the need to access a structure, I design fastened panels in the mix. Not to oppose anything said. If you have the means/skill to build it and works for you when it’s done, it was done the right way. Whatever way that was. That goes for arc welding forgings as well. I don’t consider it cheating. (I too enjoy forge welding) I recently watched a video of a guy talking about never lowering himself to electric welding a forged piece. No real blacksmith ever would. He was using an induction forge. Good for a laugh. Forget about the angle grinder, band saw, drill press, electric lights, automobile to acquire these things, and so on. Real blacksmiths are ok to use those things, but that arc welding, no sir, that is crossing a line.

I have cleaned the orifice in the main forge twice in 3 years because of this.

I’m an early riser. Three AM is no fun though. I do that too. My mind always churning. I started taking magnesium glycinate supplements which seems to help a little.

They are good points. Really sharp and they manage to go everywhere. I like burrs when I need one. When I’m done I have a full routine of shaking my clothes and sweeping the area before doing anything else. I also don’t mess around when it comes to PPE here. Safety squints are not acceptable to me with burrs. Either goggles with gasket and/or a face shield.

Don’t forget to check your boots. These little slivers come off my boots right where carpet begins in the house to be found later with bare feet. Also don’t forget to wipe your hair and even eyebrows after using a burr. It’s frustrating to wear all your safety gear only to have something sharp fall into your eyes when you are taking the gear off.

That makes more sense. I also interpreted it more like Frosty’s take.

I have a couple of those cheapo regulator hose combos. I also have a good regulator bought many years which was more expensive than the two. The cheap ones aren’t smooth. I have to fiddle with them sometimes. A small knock to the side after adjustment. Turn the tank off, back the regulator out, tank back on, slowly adjust. That kind of thing. Better than not having one though.

That would be a thing. Sounds tricky to produce.

The best part.

I purchased a product called Tap Magic many years ago. It worked so well that I eventually bought a gallon. I use it for drilling and tapping. Still, the second you feel resistance, reverse, then forward. Peck all the way through. I have gone against the wisdom of Frosty’s last post and broken taps. It has been a long time since I have broken a tap because I never try to get just a little more when the tap starts to bind. When the part matters, a piece of broken tap stuck in there is always an adventure. Also, drill the correct size hole for the tap. Depending on how much thread engagement you need, you can get away with a little too big but a little too small is no good.

Well then I’m glad I didn’t pester you for your sake. I doubt I would have been disappointed though.

I look forward to it. I still kick myself for not pestering Mikey when I was up in Seattle a few years back.

I always enjoy witty banter. You seem to be full of it. Shooting the breeze sounds like a good time. New burner ideas just sounds like more fun to be had.

I could use Jerry. It fits with the cat and mouse games. Burner brainstorming party, that would be something. Probably need a fire extinguisher around. Maybe not with all the blown smoke.

Mr Ron is not too keen on the Mr either. I just keep trying though. How about Sir Frosty?

Let me know whenever you are in Boise, I’d love to meet you Mr Frosty. I can let Ron know whenever you’re around. I’m sure he would love to visit. He still says good things about you.

I love a good math ratio rule as well but this one is so affected by so many other variables that it won’t ever have a rule of thumb. What thickness is your port block? How many ports are there? What shape are they? What shape and volume is your plenum? What does the transition from mix tube to plenum look like? What static pressure is the plenum running? Etc. These all could change that ratio. Frosty did state that he started at 2x the area of the mix tube on the very first post of the NARB thread. It ended up not being enough for his ribbon. He bracketed what his burner needed. An easy way to figure out what your burner is happy with.