Johnathan T

Thanks, that's a great idea! I haven't. I didn't think about it because I don't know how.

In short, I've considered my options (I can explain if you want), and I'm planning to make a vertical sword oven using a 100 lb propane tank as the shell. Video 1, Video 2, thread. I don't plan to make it electrically controlled. I want to get swords up to critical temperature for normalizing and the quench. If I can temper them too, that's a bonus. There are some things I want to ask about/confirm. This group suggests 2 inches of kaowool for forges. I assume the same goes for this oven. It would be nice to not have to worry about airborne fibers (I'll wear a respirator if there are), but it would be difficult to apply rigidizer or castable refractory the usual way because of the size. Because this is an oven, I don't think it needs castable refractory. I think I could only use rigidizer and be safe. I think the rigidizer doesn't harden the kaowool immediately, so I think I should be able to apply rigidizer to the pieces while they're flat, then bend them into the shell and let the rigidizer dry/cure. I've read that a gallon of rigidizer will make a hard surface (but not a hard hard interior) on 25 square feet. If I were to rigidize both layers completely, it would be a lot of rigidizer, and I don't know if that would be necessary for this application. My guess is that if I were to harden the surface of all the exposed kaowool, I would be safe from airborne fibers. If that won't work, how do I make it safe? As for ITC-100, it would be a lot, I don't think I could apply it because of the dimensions, and I don't think it's necessary for this application. I have problems with my coal forge, and have been wanting to switch to propane. I thought that while at it building the oven, I could finally build a propane forge from a 20 lb propane tank. I won't be using the forge and the oven at the same time, so I considered buying one high quality burner (rather than 2 cheap burners) and moving the burner (held in with thumb screws) between the forge and the oven as needed, and eventually getting another burner if I think it's worth it. I was thinking of getting a 3/4" t-rex burner for that.

I don't know if I should start a new thread, but if I did, it would be about the same thing, so I guess I should put it here. I have nearly the same problem. My current forge limits the length of blades I can make, so I'm looking to get something to allow me to heat treat longer blades. I tried to build something, but it didn't work out well enough. I want to try again, and I wanted to run it by you guys for corrections/answers/advice/criticism so I make something that actually works and I don't end up wasting time and money again. I've done a lot of reading on the forum and have seen what kinds of things you know, so I thought you guys would be the kind of people I would want to ask. This is more of an oven than a forge, but I think some of the ideas still carry over. I've taken time to look around and read, and I think I've come to a conclusion. I also recently finished a commission and decided to use the money earned to help fund this project, so I'm not looking for the cheapest possible option, but I still have a limit. I understand that an electric oven or salt bath is ideal to heat treat swords, but those are far outside my budget. There is also the trench method, I would like something more permanent. More importantly, a hot sword blade held horizontally bends from its own weight and length, and it would be nice if I didn't have to worry about that. I think it would either need a flat surface or held vertically. Even if it was on a flat surface, it would still be moved out of the forge and into the quench tank. It may also be difficult to make a surface uniformly flat enough. For these reasons I believe I would prefer a vertical propane forge/oven. I first saw it in this video. I later saw it in this video, this video, this video and in this thread. I plan to make it simple, like in the first video. I just want it to get sword blades up to temperature for normalizing and the quench, if it can temper them too, it's a nice bonus. To control the temperature, I turn the regulator up and down. To see what temperature the blade is, I use an IR laser thermometer. This size will work for most of the swords I make, and when I make longswords, I will tack weld a pipe to the top to get that extra length needed. I don't plan on making anything longer than the average longsword for a long time. I plan to keep working with simpler steels like 5160 for a while. I'll probably store this near the door of my shop and take it outside to use it. I called around to look for scrap 100lb propane tanks, but all the local scrap yards only buy scrap, not sell it. The welding gas supplier didn't have any. I didn't find any on Craigslist and the like. I might just go to menards and buy one new. Would I need to worry about it having a little bit of fuel in it? I would think that if I buy it new it would be completely empty. I might hook up a forge burner and burn any gas that comes out, and then do what he did in the video, unscrew the fitting, and throw a lit piece of paper to light any remaining gas. I don't have a bandsaw, but I do have an angle grinder. I would cut about 2 inches below the top. I think I should use 2 inches of kaowool, but I've heard that 1 might be enough. 2 kaowool circles fill the bottom, the kaowool walls sit on top. If the cylinder is about 15" in diameter, the circumference is about 47". Kaowool comes 24" wide. I could either make 2 full circles that are half the height, or 2 half circles that are the full height. I could be overcomplicating things, but I think it would be be good to put the seams in different places for each layer. For the 2 full circles at half height, the other layer could be 2 quarter height pieces with a half height piece in the middle. For 2 full height half circles, one layer would be rotated relative to the other. I think the 2 full height half circles would be easier. There's also the possibility of a single 2 inch layer, but then I wouldn't be able to offset the seams, but that might not be a problem. The lid would be like the bottom, but it would have a hole going through it. I think there doesn't need to be anything to hold the kaowool in the lid in place, I might tack weld the lid back on the main body once the insulation is in place. When working with kaowool I'll use gloves and my respirator/face shield combo. I want to be on the safer side, and I assume that if I were to not seal the kaowool I would want to wear my respirator/face shield combo, but it would be nice if I didn't have to, so I think I would want to use rigidizer. Should I use rigidizer between layers and on exposed kaowool or just the exposed kaowool? I would guess that doing just the exposed kaowool might be enough to seal the fibers, and rigidizing in between layers would help hold things together. With how tall it is, I wouldn't be able to apply the rigidizer when the kaowool is in the shell. Could I apply rigidizer onto the cut pieces and then put them into the shell? Since this is more of an oven than a forge, I don't think it needs castable refractory. Would this benefit from a kiln wash/IR "reflector"? Even if it does, I don't see how I would be able to apply it once the kaowool is rigidized because it's to long to reach into. I have a burner from the failed project. The inner diameter of the mixing tube is 1.25". It's naturally aspirated, with a disk on a screw to adjust the air inlet. I bought it on ebay. I think the burner I have is bigger than what's usually used for something like this. If the burner I have will work okay for this, I'll use it, but if a different burner would be far better, I'll buy a new burner better suited to this application, as long as it's within the budget. I'd probably spend at most about $150 on aburner, but I'd prefer something more like $50-100. I think the burner will be installed a couple inches above the bottom of the insulation. I think it should be pointed to the right of center in order to swirl in a circular path, and pointed slightly upward to help form a tight helical coil shaped path. I have a coal forge, but I've been wanting to switch to propane due to its convenience and because my coal forge has a few things that aren't ideal for my application. I plan to make a forge like in Wayne Coe's "Build a gas forge" instructions. I need the heat treating oven for my next project and many to come, but I can use the coal forge until I build the propane forge. Though it does occur to me that maybe I should build the forge before I build the oven in order to get experience with something small before I make something big. Though I have worked with kaowool and Kast O'lite 30 before for the failed project. I thought I'd bring that up in case it was a good idea.