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Hi all; I'm new to "I Forge Iron". Currently i'm setting up a hobby smithy in my shed. I recently purchased a gas forge and now i'm looking into how to get the propane. So my question is this. If you have your own forge, how did you go about setting up your propane needs?

Hello, its been a long while since I last posted on here(been super busy with college and what not), and its been just as long since I've made anything on the forge, due to school and my workshop(the garage) is now full of stuff, so there is no room. I am planning on moving my shop out into the "dog run" on the side of my house, and am excited to get back onto forging. But, the one thing I seem to be missing is a quenching bucket. I have a water bucket, but no oil bucket. I want ideas on what to do for a good, long term, quenching tank/container thing. I will be doing projects that will require plenty of length, and others with width. While I will probably use just a 5 gal steel bucket for some of the items with a wider girth, I still don't know what to do for the long container. I've seen some people use a 4-in diameter pvc pipe help upright with some wood, and I've seen people use old long tool boxes. So to the point! I need help/advice for a good(long/tall) container, and I want to see what you guys have. So this is the time for you to show off your ingenuity, or just your quenching tanks. So have fun sharing your stuff, and thanks in advance for any help you provide. (note: I don't have access to a welder, and would prefer to not have to pay someone to weld it together.)

Hello all, I'm currently working on building a gas forge using a helium tank as the shell. I was planning on lining with 2" kaowool, but by my calculations, that leaves me with a larger interior volume than I expected. So I'd likely need two burners. But when I set two inlet ports on the tank, it looks crowded. Am I doing something wrong? The tank is 14" tall and 12" in diameter. About 10" of the height is the full diameter, with 2" on each end forming the end caps, so to speak. Using just the 10" straight section, and assuming a 2" lining, I'm coming up with an inner volume of about 500 cubic inches. Am I correct in thinking I'd need 2 of most types of burners, or maybe a single T-rex? Should I go for 3 inches of lining to further reduce the chamber volume? Many thanks.

Hello fellow metal workers, I have some questions regarding making aluminum tank tracks for a robotics project. The tank tracks are 4.25" wide x 5/8" tall (length TBD) they are made up similar to the way an Abrams tank track is put together. I found a metal works company who specializes in turning small 6061 aluminum - rubber coated wheels and though expensive they can produce what I'm looking for. So now I'm back to the tank tread portion which I'll probably make myself. My experience: 10+years experience with TIG welding/fabrication and can weld most things. Many years ago I read a book on backyard metal casting because I wanted to cast aluminum tank treads. Back then the guy was using a Pyramid furnace (the company is no longer in business) to cast aluminum tracks. So here I am wanting to pioneer this venture again with many questions. After reading the beginner pinned thread and all the safety precautions, Aluminum casting seems a little scary/intimidating as well as an enormous investment of time to learn a whole new universe of skills and the safety surrounding them. Therefore I've come to these questions which I hope others can help me answer. A:) Would a furnace produce acceptable enough results in fit and finish for this type of application? (or am I better off in fabrication?) B:) How much cost investment is there in buying a high quality furnace, crucible and safety gear? C:) Roughly how much time investment is there in learning to cast small aluminum parts? D:) What is the mold material needed? E:) Are there any up to date extensive youtube videos or good book recommends specifically for casting aluminum. I have concerns with doing it safely as well making sure the mold is built correctly. Additional massive concerns about what the results will be after I Invest huge amounts of time and money in it. Will the results be good enough for this use? And more importantly will they be better than a machined/welded/fabricated alternative. In other words: Which route is shorter and produces the best results? I'll attach some drawing and pics of what I'm trying to manufacture. Thank you, Av

I was given this little tank and am interested in possibly trying to use it to make a small propane forge. It is about 11.5" long and 7.5" diameter. There's already a port about 2" from one end that a burner could probably be easily inserted into. I want to try to use it mainly to make small pw billets for jewelry/decorational pieces... and if I get the nerves, maybe even a small knife in the not-too-far future. And maybe even other non pw small projects. Now the questions...lol: 1. Would 1" of kaowool be sufficient? that would leave me about a 5" diameter space... the 2" I see recommended most places would only leave about 3" diameter opening... which would you guys recommend? (I already have the kaowool in both thicknesses, given to me by some fellows who insulate boilers and gas turbines) 2. I'm leaning toward a Frosty T-burner. Would a 3/4" be too much? If so, what size/type would ya'll recommend? 3. If I make the end that has the port (It's where that black block is attached) the back, would that be an ok place to insert the burner, or should I cut a new hole more centered? Any other thoughts, suggestions or ideas will be welcomed.

Hey guys, I finally finished my first forge (after an extremely long and drawn out process). The day after I finished my forge I put together my first project, railroad spike tongs. They aren't pretty but they work, I'm happy with them being my first ever attempt at smithing. If any of you are interested here is most of the process, here is a link. I might get to posting some finished pictures on the blog but I will likely be busy hitting hot metal. http://haliaetuskniv...A%20The%20Forge Here are a couple of pictures. (tried to imbed but it wouldn't let me). https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/36dTo2oaPJAUumeq4nhvoy22KyZWkbYHHRz0fObeYQmFXrVtg27RJpqgZSyMmaejKxIEv860rwThArZi8mt_yeP6q1wgzthDvh0=w1600 https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/wK1PX6_thgBQLx7BAJCQ24nleHUs2EXwTVdB5lZpfUer83mPxXErPuZKcbuLiWn155gI_-89V9cSJcCCwXE7HyZCwKr2hQucx28=w1600