Frosty

The how to is in the gas forge section. The pictures show the way I used to mount the mig tip, I'll describe how I do it now. Maybe I can find a post where I've done so already and link you to it. Lord knows I've described the build enough times. If you can't find enough, let me know I'm around most of the time. .Frosty The Lucky.

The problem you ran into with your twist happened because you drew out the point and opener first. If you do the twists first it's easy to transition it into the other features, much MUCH easier than trying to twist in a limited and thinned section. The wrench and vise draw heat quickly and if it's thin like the taper to the point it draws heat much faster so it's much harder to get even twists. Leaving it full thickness and twisting gives you a larger reservoir of heat so it all stays more evenly hot. Don't worry, horns are meant to be beaten on as are the tails just don't use a sledge at the tip it'll be fine. LOUD sure but you won't hurt it. .Frosty The Lucky.

I LIKE it Chris. I'm thinking a near miss would take a guy right out of a fight. Not that I'm suggesting getting into a hawk fight. I'm just looking at the remaining rasp teeth and visualizing them rubbing my head at speed. . . Owwwwwww! .Frosty The Lucky.

I sure wouldn't use it to temper cast iron or finish for a food contact utensil. WAY too much liability not to mention you have to be able to look in the mirror and not hate what you see. You can buy seasoning oils for cast iron now though I prefer to use a little rendered bacon grease. As long as you're going to grind after heat treating any food oil will be safe. I hit the local super market drop off a 5gl. water jug and ask them to fill it next time they change the fryer oil. It's never taken a week to get it filled and they LOVE helping a blacksmith. I just ask nicely and tell them what I'm doing with it. the folk in the kitchen like me better than the guy turning it into fuel. It really helps being a likable BSer sometimes. Just don't take chances with people's health if you don't KNOW don't do it. .Frosty The Lucky.

Oooooooh! I'm thinking that's a darned good deal. Bummer it's on the other side of the planet. <sigh> .Frosty The Lucky.

You can always read the propane burner section here on Iforge if you'd like to build one, its pretty easy and I'm always more than happy to lend a hand. Goodness knows that monster laying on your anvil is WAY too much gun for that little forge, I'm thinking it's about right for a 1,500 to 2,000 cu/in furnace. I DO like the propane preheat coil though it really makes the burn more efficient. It's just too . . . holy COW way too big! The size of your forge as it stands and having insulating brick would work well with a 1/2" NA burner but a 3/4" one would make it a savage. Do you have a drill press? That makes building one of my T burners pretty easy and they're pretty effective for around $10.00 in plumbing parts and one mig contact tip. .Frosty The Lucky.

Okay. . . LUCK! Anything else? Sorry, couldn't resist. How good are you at mechanical drawing, drafting board and pencil or CADD? The more problems and mistakes you can make on paper the better things turn out. Did other tires and wheels survive the wreck? If so, don't count one out for the driven wheel it could make getting the speed right easier. It'd also sure be easier to bust the tire loose and weld on the rim if that's really necessary. You'll want the anvil to be in the 20x the weight of the ram range so thick and solid are preferable. The frame can surely be boxed in I or wide flange beam will be significantly stronger and more rigid than an equal weight of sq or rectangular tubing. It's also much easier to weld the horizontal top beam, the anvil brace and base plate more solidly. The details of how to can be covered another time. Unless you are a welder fabricator already? The heavier the base plate the better, it'll not only increase the weight but being more rigid is once again better. Where are these bearings/bushings you're referring to going? Different places, needs and stresses have different requirements. What you'll need for a drive wheel will depend on how you plan the thing, that can wait for now. How you guide the ram is another component with a lot of different approaches. I should stop or I'll blather on for a long time. You're going to need to start designing what you want on a concept level. Just buy some graph paper and sharpen a pencil. The first step is to make sketches of what you think will work. If you post pics of your drawings we can help. This is too complex a build to just answer a list of questions and do you any good. .Frosty The Lucky.

Is that a Turbotorch? It's about as tuned as it's going to get. It's only handicap is having to heat all the heavy fire brick. If I don't miss my estimation the volume is around 180+/- cu/in, well within the range of that size commercial burner. If you replace the fire brick above the floor with soft, insulating fire brick the whole interior aught to get to high yellow heat in around 5-10 minutes. It's hard to tell with how cameras alter glowing colors but the bar you're heating in the pic looks to be at or darned near welding heat. Of course cameras tend to make glowing stuff look brighter than they are so I could be way off. In short, I'm thinking you have a good working setup as she sets. A little insulating fire brick will make it more efficient, hotter and faster to heat up. .Frosty The Lucky.

NO Vaughn! Use good rod, trying to learn with old cruddy rod is just setting yourself up for failure. Are there any welding supplies in your neighborhood? Ours hold pretty regular welding classes for beginners or are happy to take you back and give you a sample to try and show you how to set the machine and run beads. I can't think of a single welding supply up here that doesn't have a bench and welders set up in back for just that. It can't hurt to ask. What can they say? Frosty The Lucky.

Briquettes aren't the best forge fuel by a long shot but they can be used. You need to break them up to peanut +/- size and turn the air WAY down. Still, you'll get a lot of ash flying, the sparks were from the high air velocity and large voids between briquettes. I just wrote a too long post about briquettes a day or so ago so I'll give the gang a break. Beautiful forge though, well done. Frosty The Lucky.

I may have misunderstood Stefflus. I've only heard the term a couple times and then they were talking about wrought iron or more probably had no idea what they were talking about. I should've Googled it earlier, now I'm wondering why in the world someone would want to make it. Unless of course they're starting up a high end alloy production facility or lab? Frosty The Lucky.

So do I. I wonder how long it'll be before someone asks what kind of swage you need to make them and if it'll work in a guillotine tool. Not that it wasn't the very first smart Alec thing that came to my mind you understand. I still really like the idea, saves a bunch of upsetting. Nice job Charles. Frosty The Lucky.

But we don't know what shape it was in before the surgeons got to work on my head. I'll have to ask Deb. Frosty The Lucky.

Mine are naturally aspirated and one of the four in this forge is a silver bullet and actually melts the 3,000f fire brick directly under it. with the right prep and low yellow heat you can weld most common steels easily. Some alloys, high chrome especially can be a PITA and require dangerous fluxes but even then they'll weld. The most common problem you see with a gas forge that "won't" weld is an oxidizing flame. the flame is hotter but it's contaminating the weld. A LITTLE reducing works much better though it makes more CO to have to vent out of the shop. Pose a couple pics of the forge at heat so we can see what the flame is doing. One in the door to see the flame shape and one from the side (across the door) so we can see what the flame exhausting from the door looks like. After you've done it a few times you can tune one by the sound. Do NOT expect a quiet forge, it should roar. Frosty The Lucky.

No need siring me, I'm just passing things along. I learned almost everything I know from someone else, I figure passing it on is as it should be. It's not like we can keep these things secret like in the old guild days. Besides, I like to talk. <wink> Frosty The Lucky.

The doc didn't even ask Stash, just shook his head and went to work. There for a while I'm almost surprised they didn't have a driver assigned to pick me up, we all got to know each other by name. You would not believe how far a 1/2" breaker bar will fly if stomped on by a 200lb guy. I thought he'd know it was a left hand thread on the lugs on that side of the track rig but Nooooooo. Yeah, he was training me. <sigh> Frosty The Lucky.

Not bad at all. Who could ask for more than a steak turner bottle opener in one? Pineapple twists take a little practice but you'll get the hang soon enough. They're really flashy demo techniques. That isn't wonky, it's designed in character, to represent the transitioning nature of the art and human expression. . . artsy bla bla bla. You DO know blacksmithing and Bull Shooting have the same abbreviation for a reason yes? <wink> Frosty The Lucky.

Now THAT'S a poker! Pretty nice poker Stan. What's the problem with your brick pile forge set up you can't weld with it? What's happening when you try? Seriously, lots of us weld in propane forges but there are a couple common problems with tuning that can get in the way. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard Bill, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the IFI gang live within visiting distance. There are at least two other young men posting here right now who are intent of reinventing the wheel. Just calling wrought iron Ferrosilicon is evidence enough of a college kid who's thinking he's onto something new. How plain jane old school do you want to get? How old school do you think California codes will let you operate? What methods are you thinking of using? What kind of ore and where are you going to get it? Frosty The Lucky.

​Exactly. Bwahahaha! Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks for passing the news along Steve. I'm sure Dan will contrive to get tracked in to the TV if he wants to keep up on his stories. Frosty The Lucky.

Now I'm frightened for having even looked. What if the Smithsonian old stuff police find out?! <gasp> Antique witty dealers are onto us now! What will we do, what WILL we doooooo?!?! Frosty The Lucky.

Call around to the farrier supplies they'll either carry coal or know who does. Heck, call the farriers first, they'll have a better idea and if you're polite and not competing they're pretty helpful folk. Frosty The Lucky.

Yeah, you're making a typical mistake new folk make in any craft. Collecting all the tools won't help you make stuff. The tools don't do the work, the craftsman does the work a good one will do it with or without the tool. Believe me I have a great swage block and almost never use it. I have a few bottom swages I use pretty often and their mates are on the Lancaster swage block a few feet away and I dig out the bottom swages far more often that take a couple steps. Frosty The Lucky.

I'm with Yves on this, the screw site is too narrow and any lateral action will use it as a lever against the screw. Upsetting and forging a two lobe foot for two screws will be much stronger as will a T or similar profile. An oak/maple leaf foot would look nice and be plenty strong. The knot is pretty attractive, I think a little development of the design would be a good sale product. I haven't had a lot of luck selling simple twist pulls, something a little flashier sells a lot better. Think: rope or pineapple twists. The ladies might like the look of a pineapple twist but unless you ease the sharp corners they won't like the feel. Frosty The Lucky.