Mikeyn

I had a problem with the same thing three times now, to the point where i`ve been redesigning it, this time i am going to try to put the clay a little further forward , proud of the pipe end.. by around half an inch or a little less, I am also increasing the depth of the fire pot in the thinking it will allow any molten crud to drop down below the tuyere pipe, also, my problem seemed to of come from the back side of the fire pot, the bit where the tuyere pipe came in, being too slanted, this seemed to help build up clinker around the top of the pipe and helped to melt / plug up the air pipe...so in making that back side flatter i am hoping it will help drop that material into the bottom of the pot rather than collecting around the tuyere.. fingers crossed...

I wonder if wiring a few up in series/parallel could influence things further, help dial in what you need?... I think if you could find areas on the forge and or chimney, where you could attain a steady temp in the right range to produce 12v steadily, (im sure i remember reading up on Peltier`s before and for some reason 200 degrees Celsius is ringing a bell as a max temp?, dont quote me though there must be different types and ranges available now) then you could power a travel hair drier or mattress inflation pump etc, on the system. The fiddling would be fun and as a interesting side project i can see its merits, but would a small solar power 12v system trickle charging an old car battery be more straight forward and easier to repair/maintain?. . either way, I love the idea of collecting the thermal energy and making use of it in other ways... I would love an off grid place to live and tinker!! best of luck! Keep us posted ! Mikey

Now i see what you meant! yes good idea about using it as a "dam" gives it a bit of structure actually good call... This is the problem! im forgetting to add material in front of the steel! ok, ill try lining a good bit of clay in front of everything and trying that next.. cheers..

I meant cooking pans lol something you can modify that has the right diameter

Hey Goods, do you find you have to rebuild the clay around the pipe a lot?.. what your saying makes sense totally, i dunno, im still scratching head a bit atm, maybe a water cooled setup may be something to look at... hmm more thinking needed, thanks for the input though ..helping me a lot.

Well, i want that big flat face to be the thing facing the fire rather than a bit more tube sticking out, sort of thing... feeding the air pipe through the hub.. hmm, got me thinking now.. I could weld that hub in place and as you said, feed a sacrificial pipe through but wouldn't I run the risk of the air pipe welding itself to the hub? just thinking out loud here, before i move forward on anything lol...

Dug the pot out today, think i spoke too soon, the tuyere melted on me, I know what happened though, it was me, before starting last forge session, i neglected to rebuild the upper portion of the dirt above the tuyere, thinking it would be ok, I will take it as experience and it makes sense now upon reflection as to what went wrong... if I had taken more care in rebuilding before using it again, i think it would of worked out fine. my fault.. so let me recap todays events, dug out the fire pot.. found this... the big old 30mm thick piece i attached to the pipe half melted away, So I have learnt to be more aware of those clinkers building up and eating things! lol... I now have to rebuild this front face, im thinking something a lot larger, not for the thickness but more to stop any clinkers building up or under the face of the tuyere.. I will have to keep on top of cleaning the stuff out and rebuilding the earth/clay etc.. For now, i think i will try this hub i had laying around, with a bit of modification tomorrow i think it can work for what i need, ill probably fill the little holes in with weld and cut that front lip off flush... I will use this at the right time to also cut into the sides of the bottle and make my modifications for holding the work at the right height and level etc.. I shall keep you all posted !.. Mikey

Large truck brake drum? as a tuyere?.. I just used a bit of pipe and then used the thick threaded part from the gas bottle, seems to be holding up so far!...

Hey cheers Chris!.. its a small type bottle, but seems to be working for what i need atm, I will be modifying it a little more to access the stock into the fire at the right height and a little table top thing on the side to help out with that too.. but other than that, it works great must say!.. if you need any measurements let me know, although, its pretty simple as you can see best of luck with yours! would love to see how you get on !

are there any cast iron pans available in the size your after? just a thought...

"Cats with flat sides" now that sounds like an album if i ever did hear one!. Oh Frosty, I have too many stories from that place, for reference, Port Talbot steel works (where I used to work) is an integrated steel production plant in Port Talbot, Wales capable of producing nearly 5 million tonnes of steel slab per annum, making it the larger of the two major steel plants in the UK and one of the largest in Europe. My first introduction to the job (an eye opener) after the universal safety courses and videos, gas awareness training etc, was an old guy throwing me a shovel nodding over to a big pile of pellets (round ball shaped sinter - much heavier than they looked!) and said "there you go boy, get them in the barrow and tip em down there" pointing toward a void in the floor... So off i went, toward this huge plant side, the pellets were coming from a leak high up on the side of this massive plant, looking up i noticed these pellets were dropping out of this huge thing glowing white hot landing in the pile in front of me! .. looking around at the rest of the workers i noticed everyone had hardhats but with silver collar bits on them as to stop the pellets dropping down your neck, I was not given one of these when they dished us out our work wear that morning!.. needless to say, i asked but was told to get on with it etc. those twelve hours seemed to go on forever I tell you!! Horrible place that sinter plant, wasnt long before I moved plants and worked the Coal injection plant for a year or so, not so... how do i put this, melty in there! lol , a lot more carbon monoxide to contend with but at least no molten metal to worry about falling inside your clothes lol !.. attached a pic of the sinter balls i am talking about...AFTER they have cooled i must add lol Hey those tips about hammer technique make total sense! ill try that tomorrow Frosty!!

Thanks for the tips Frosty, I have a furnace suit from when i used to work in the blast furnace in the steel works here, everything was made sure to go over openings as to deflect hot stuff away from boots, cuffs, collars etc, but i wont be wearing that its far too heavy for this sort of work, btw i think it was pure wool type material iirc..very very heavy though as i said.. I think ill stick to a heavy set of denim trousers and get myself an apron or something similar.. I Have been practicing drawing material out atm, its hard work but im getting better, seems to work better hitting it over a curved surface, faster etc.. getting there guys! today I started making a small knife just to see whats involved, shall finish it up next few days.. Oh i agree about the punching for holes on hooks too, i love the way it swells out, im going to do that next time for sure!!...

Hi there Frosty!!, thanks for the tips! I have to admit, I was just a bit too excited to get going today that I forgot my steel toe caps (which is basically my daily wear) and i do need a leather apron or some sort of welder coat type deal asap, I burn the crap out of my hoodies when welding as it is!.. I totally agree with you there, my bad! Any suggestions to what to wear for protection?...cotton good?..denim jeans ok?.. (less raggy-ass ones ideally lol) .. See i was thinking the same thing RE: gloves, I started with two beefy gloves i use for welding, then dropped the heavy one off my right hand and went for a more slim fit type glove which certainly helped, but i will keep hammer hand free from now on, its like having marshmallows over your fingers, cant help any really, thinking about it. I might keep the left hand glove there atm, as i can see me picking up a hot bar by mistake until i am in the flow and used to the working around the fire, though i totally take on board being able to feel the material, I will work towards this for sure.. As for the leaf hook, i think i will drill and countersink a hole or two in it, and put it on the back of the bedroom door, next time im going to be thinking a bit before making something, i need to get some new mild steel square or round stock and do something interesting, not sure what, i have been tempted to make myself a decent shop knife too, but not sure on what steel to use yet, i have some old files i could maybe play with, I have never hardened anything before either, I will obviously read up more but know the basics to a degree. Id like to work my way up to playing with forge welding and layering different kinds of steels, but that is a long way off yet, basic control and techniques first, a good foundation of basics has always helped me learn faster in the past with other things, so ill stick to the routine, work my way up bit at a time. Maybe some tongs and a basic shop knife for now!.... Cheers for the encouragement Frosty! Much appreciated! Mike

That is a good idea pnut!!.. I love that extra stump next to anvil for punching and holding work steady! I will keep an eye out for some stumps in the forest i could use thanks for that idea..