Simian

Hey All. I envy you guys in the states - if we want to carry a knife in the UK it has to be under 3" and non-locking. But, it gives me the want to try making one! So this is my first attempt at a slip joint, and it's a 80th birthday present for my Dad. From this; Some of my own damascus (80 layer!) for the blade and spring (old handsaws and 1095), 1.6mm brass liners and stainless pins (with a bushing). To this, with Rosewood scales & Stainless bolts. (another nod to the future owner - My Mum's name is Rose); It's not perfect. I did my best to get the steel flat without a surface grinder, but the liners ended up a tiny bit out of parallel so it *just* bites as it closes and doesn't snap shut The walk and talk from halfway to fully open is good, but I also fudged the closed position, so the spring is a fraction below the liners (flush at open and half). I learned a lot, and number two should be a vast improvement. Critique welcome.

I've only just realised there is a separate section for folding knives here - I don't have a lot of spare time to view the forum. Beautiful work as ever! I've recently found some interesting youtube videos too...

I'm sorry to say that that burner won't even get a forge that size warm. I have a devils forge with 2 DFP burners, it's about 5"x5" and 16" long. 2 burners will get this hot, but it's not great. That's a huge forge, what are you planning? I'm relatively new to this (only a few years) and have learnt that smaller is better when it comes to forges - build the smallest forge you can realistically use. Also, put your location in your profile, it helps everyone with specific advice.

gimme a shout if you want me to pick one up and send it on - I suspect it wouldn't end up much cheaper tbh (but I don't know how much they are for you in the US?) Whoa... Whut? There's me planning some Kaowool and a steel shell and you throw that into the mix? I now have MUCH reading to do on that... Buzzkill The thickness at the openings was indeed for strength, and I considered doing exactly what you described (the rear on mine is half closed anyway). due to the way I formed the... er... former, it would have been hard to achieve. Looking back, I wish I had tried harder on that. We'll see. Making another liner wouldn't be too hard if I think it's needed. I also have a load of Colloidal silica and Zirconia silicate for a DIY IR coating. I'll hopefully get the insulation and shell done at the weekend, but for now, the liner is curing Thanks again for all the help/pointers guys.

See the 1/2" Amal on the ribbon burner above, Mr. Frosty. once it's up and running I'll tune the 1/2" frosty burner on it, leaving the Amal free for other duties.

Cheeky! And impatient It's a 1600C (2900F) 40% alumina castable recommended by some other smiths in the UK. Water setting, same as Kastolite. Close to 1/4" over most of it, 1/2" for the floor and around the openings. Somewhere around 150 Cu in.

C'mon, do your worst. How badly have I messed this up? Huge hole on side is for the ribbon burner, rear hole will get plugged unless needed... I just need to wrap it in Kaowool and steel. For scale, the main former was a 2 litre soda bottle.

Thanks Mikey, Message received! I think I'm confusing too many factors - I'll break it down a bit and work through them one by one. I have the best High alumina castable I can find in the UK (recommended by other smiths). I've read a lot on here to suggest that a 1/2" floor, and 1/4" layer of castable 'shell' is ample, and I'll use 2 layers of 1" Kaowool. I can make a steel case for it. Is there any major downside to the image on the left, as opposed to the image on the right. (sorry for the awful drawing). Buzzkill has pointed out one - making the one on the left with no gapping. I believe the image on the left will be much easier to build - that's all. Am I overthinking this? I have a habit of doing so!

Thanks guys - you've actually answered some other questions I had too Mainly, I'm hearing 'find a way to make it one piece'. buzzkill ;

Me again, Asking more questions (sorry) I'm building a small forge - some where around 150 cu in (2.5 Litres). I'm struggling to line it with castable as the entrance is really small - I can barely get my hand in. Is there any major disadvantage to casting a large flat 1/2" thick floor (over 2" of Kaowool) for an upper shell to sit on? This would make it a D shaped forge, easily replaceable floor, and I'd be able to cast the upper easily. I'll draw an awful picture if that doesn't make sense

Very true Mikey. I guess for any one reading this in the UK, I built my Frosty burner with parts from 'Pipe Dream Fittings'; BLACK MILD STEEL PIPE / TUBE SELF COLOUR THREADED 1/2" 100mm; £1.57 REDUCING TEE BSP BLACK MALLEABLE IRON 3/4" x 1/2"; £1.94 FULL SOCKET BSPP STAINLESS STEEL 1/2"; £1.60 (Plus about £6 postage) You'll also need (all from Ebay, prices including postage); 1/4 BSP FEMALE gas pipe fitting (search Ebay for 3/8 FEMALE fulham Nozzle); £5 each 1/8 BSP to 1/4 BSP HYDRAULIC ADAPTER (female/female; this is the bit I struggled to get right initially); £2.50 each m5 thread 0.6mm mig tip; £2.80 for 5 That's around £13.00 per burner. You'll also need gas hose and regulator, and a 1/8" BSP taper tap.

Looking at your forge, the 1/2" would be plenty. You'll need a few bits - A regulator, Gas hose, 3/8 BSP male gas pipe fitting (search Ebay for 3/8 male fulham Nozzle) plus a 4" BSP threaded pipe. That should be it, and is the same as I have. (although I'm currently building a small ribbon burner for it). Or, you can make your own, small, frosty burner;

I really love your signature look - A gentlemans blade.

Glad you all like Frosty yes, the forge was running, and the smith was making small items, doing a very decent demo. there's not much info online, but this has an interesting video; https://www.visitwales.com/attraction/museum/national-slate-museum-752525 it's run on a shoestring, and entry etc is totally free! Scott NC practically EVERYTHING is open to walk around, basically every inch, apart from a few irrelevant staff areas. not the quarry itself though - although there are plenty of abandoned slate mines in Wales to walk around. Tim695 No idea on how much water it used, but it's fed by pipe from the mountains above by gravity. This vid shows it quite well, Smithy is at 4.30

Hey duncan, Where in the UK are you? You might want to have a look at Amal burners.

I had the pleasure of spending a few hours at the Welsh national slate museum this weekend. I didn't expect to see such a fantastic forge there, as well as a remarkable foundry (no longer in use), wood yard, and all the other crafts needed for a fully functional slate quarry & factory to be self sufficient over 100 years ago. This included a shop to repair their own small gauge trains. I only got a few pics, but thought a few of you here may be interested. I've put the main pic up there as a reference; The large rectangular tower with the red tank is the water wheel - this drives a jack shaft that powers everything in the entire complex. the shaft runs the entire length of the metal shops, foundry and forge (all contained in the long, low, run of building with many chimneys) and via a bevel gear, runs along the wood shops, and repair shops along in the buildings next to the waterwheel. Phenomenal. you can see the water wheel through the port at the top of the pic; Foundry; The bevel gear; One of several power hammers, all run off the jack shaft; 4 forges, and many, many post vices. Hope you all like the pics.

*thumbs up* I hear ya Mikey This is a hobby for me, and the journey is as important as the destination!

Pics or it didn't happen. No pics of the forge yet, that's going to take a while. One UK spec 1/2" frosty burner The burner exits the side of the forge, so I have no concerns about heat on the flexi pipe. The only slight deviation is the washer under the 1/8" BSP end of the nipple against the tee body - the thread stops short of the hex section so needs spacing out a tiny bit. The alignment is spot on; I hope that's Curmudgeon Approved?

Hi Neil. The gas regulator I'm using is on my current forge. It'll adjust nicely from 1 PSI to well over 30 PSI. it currently runs 2 burners, but they're valved so that I can run a single. When running a single I can slowly turn it down to practically nothing. FWIW, It's the regulator that comes with the 'devils forge'.

Strange times. Frostys T burner progress: I found a steel hydraulic fitting (1/4" x 1/8" BSP) with a tiny bore. Drilled and tapped to M5 for my 0.6mm mig tips. Will NOT light outside of the forge. My new forge for this burner is a WIP, but initially DID light in the forge (under 200cu in)- looked very rich. Haven't shortened/tuned the mig tip yet as the forge isn't properly lined. Amal burner. also won't stay lit with the choke open more than a tiny bit. Haven't tried it in the forge and Amal actually suggest a flame retention tip 2x the diameter of the burner tube, so need to try it with a 1" end (1/2" burner). I plod on. Edit; both burners blow the flame off the end of the tip (have tried nothing on the end and 1/2" stainless threaded connector as pictured above). both roar famously if held over another flame.

Mine, FYI.

That looks like it has some kind of layer on top of the jaws - the cross hatched section underneath looks like the original face (on all teh vices I've seen) I'd chip off the broken layer and see if the hatched layer is good.

(Sorry for the roundabout derail!) The Amal Burner was £62. That included a smaller nozzle & postage here in the UK

Thanks again for the help guys. I have no idea what a Schedule 80 equivalent is - I've tried searching high pressure applications, but nothing quite matches what's needed. I'll keep searching for an alternative. I've not given up on the Frosty burner, but this arrived today. They're made about 30 miles up the road from me, and seeing how much I've spent on a bunch of different pipe nipples (plus postage) would probably have been cheaper to start with!

Roundabouts Rock I'd also agree about this site being great, and It's members making it so. I've posted a few times and had responses from thousands of miles away (and totally different time zones) within hours, as well as having a conversation with someone thousands of miles away in the opposite direction! The smaller the community (and here in the UK, the Smithing community is tiny) the more important forums like this become.