Archie Otteson

The thermometer said 2200°F. Really just wanted to see how hot it would go. The file started to melt on the corner right where most the sparks were. It is really very impressive.

I think my single 20# propane tank has been freezing up all along. That is the hottest it's ever been. That leaf spring was much easier to move with a hammer.

Too Hot?

That is a chunk of Mack truck leaf spring Oh man, gets hot now!

Buzzkill nailed it. Over the summer I ran the forge on one 20# tank with the solenoid and bypass loop set up for several hours. Last Saturday it was in the 40°F range and my tanks froze up. Then the "arctic blast" -10°F hit this week which is right on time for the classic MN winter. My poor old kerosene heater didn't stand a chance. Thanks to you guys on this forum I built the new manifold and 4 tank set up, connected it to the solenoid and bypass system. This weekend it's expected to be in the 30° range, I'll have a chance to try it out.

An attempt to control heat in a forge. The idea is to divert full flow gas with a solenoid through the a needle valve to control heat in the forge. There is a PID temp controller in the box on the side and a high temp thermocouple in the forge. It opens and closes the solenoid at specific temps. All about heat treating steel.

Last weekend my propane tanks iced up while heat treating. Put the brakes on my forge day adventure. I am hoping this takes care of my freezing propane tanks. I have four 20lb-ers ready to go. Am I on the right path here? It just not hot enough to get the job done.

I just finished this one. I consider it my first forged knife. Heated and squished from a leaf spring until it looks like this. Has bronze guard and pommel. Handle is pinned and threaded.

I have a handheld pyrometer; I'm not convinced of its accuracy. I see digital thermometers with thermocouple probes for sale. What is your experience with them?

You guys are great. Thank you all!

Another question..... There's a U-tube video where a guy put moveable plates on the sides of the pipe T intake. He claims it's an improvement to restrict/regulate air supply drawn into the forge. I've only seen one application of this on a T-burner. Useful or hype?

Frosty, that forge design looks even better. Thanks for the help.

Thanks for the advice. There is a source for any forge material needed about 30 minutes away from my house. I will keep this one working with new brick and start planning the wool lined forge.

I suppose reading ahead might have helped with my question. Yes, I'm stubborn and easily distracted. Soft IFB in gas forge being a consumable and seemingly fragile why is it so popular? What is a good method for extending IFB's life span? Is hard fire brick a better choice? Does the wool blanket material have a longer life span? What is the most durable insulation for a gas forge?

I've put less than 10 hours fire time on this Forge. IFB2800° with 3000° refractory mortar between the bricks. Dual frosty-T's indexed straight down with 1/4" burner tip exposed inside the forge chamber. The roof is crumbling and caving in. It's primarily around the burner holes inside the roof. Other roof bricks are cracking through. Can the bricks be repaired with mortar or be replaced? What is going on here? I feel like there is a design flaw.

Seems like I don't qualify. Online with my desk top the page says it's not available for any of my devices. Google play store on my galaxy phone can't even find it.

The fine tune like cleaning up welds and maybe paint. etc. Maybe I'll get around to shaping a knife soon.

I'm in total agreement with both Frosty and George here. I have known one particular guy all my life. We met in 1962 when our parents moved in next door in a new suburban development. We are both in the trades, Him being a machinist and myself a Heavy Truck Mechanic. We both have similar training in safety, PPE use and exposure to harmful and toxic substances. We have both have worked for some very large global corporations but never at the same company. On the surface he comes off as an intelligent wel spoke person. Over time he has become very skeptical about almost any information that may (in his opinion) be coming from a government, corporate or other perceived insidious source. Sometimes trying to convince him otherwise is a complete waste of time. He is a skeptic and there is always some underlying plot or conspiracy behind the message. It seems recently I meet more people with that attitude. The final thought here to me is, just walk away.

The one I have uses 1/4", 5/16" and 3/8" nuts and bolts. Then the grinder portion gets rinsed in hot water then into the dishwasher. I found out early on to store it all dry in a wood box. The time it got oiled before storage the oil "polymerized". There was one fine holed plate where the oil was so hard I degreased it with my torch. I also have a all in one like the kitchen aid. Just noi fast enough to grind season and stuff 30lbs of meat. So, I made this one in the picture.

A bit more completed on the belt grinder today. I decided to use the meat grinder base for this project too. All bolt on.

I don't have anything that needs hitching except the dogs. Wifey or kids won't hold still long enough. (That's a joke) Maybe a decorative fence in front yard? Part of a "ratrod" project? Sounds like welding is an issue too. Perhaps burning the chrome off in a firepit? or grinding? I know it's a stretch, It's a beautiful shinny chunk of steel. I hate to just let it go. Well, anyways it'll get moved to the back yard for now.

I recently came into possession of a chrome plated Hydraulic cylinder rod. It is 2" diameter and 8 feet long. All chrome is intact, and one end has the eye other end is threaded. Do you know what the steel might? Not really sure what to do with it. Looking for ideas.

There are words but I really don't think this needs an explanation.

Smokie, Abbigayle and Isabelle.

Everything unbolts from the frame. After that cleaning is pretty straight forward. The frame gets sprayed off in the laundry tub. The ready rod is there to hold the plates on the output side. I was grinding some stiff cold meat and the threads stripped off the grinder. Instead of buying a new grinder I made those plates to hold it all together.