ioldanach Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 I took some blacksmithing classes from Drogo & friends at Pennsic last week and got hooked on iron. Now I'm looking for sources to put together a simple forge and next time I'm up in Albany I'll be picking up an apron, gloves, and anvil shaped object from harbor freight to start off with. But I need some local sources for firebrick and/or durablanket and the appropriate coatings. I'll need to decide if I want to build a burner or buy a premade one, but other than that I think I have the space I need to set something up outside. I also need local sources for raw materials in the vicinity of Newburgh/Middletown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Welcome aboard, glad to have you. Are you subbed to EKmetalsmiths? Know Phlip? Regardless, we'll be happy to lend a hand with your forge build project. I can't help with finding materials in your neighborhood other than to say call a furnace/boiler repair place and ask where they buy their refractories. A ceramics supply will carry it but at about 2x$ of the refractory supplier they get it from. Building burners isn't too hard if you have the basic tools and skills. The first one will seem like quite a learning curve till you get it tuned but after that they get easier fast. Frostig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioldanach Posted August 11, 2009 Author Share Posted August 11, 2009 Are you subbed to EKmetalsmiths? Know Phlip? I just put a join request up with EKmetalsmiths, since you mentioned it, I hadn't known where to look for that. I've run into Phlip but don't know her well.Regardless, we'll be happy to lend a hand with your forge build project. I can't help with finding materials in your neighborhood other than to say call a furnace/boiler repair place and ask where they buy their refractories. A ceramics supply will carry it but at about 2x$ of the refractory supplier they get it from. Good to know, I'll stop by my local heating place in the morning and chat with them.Building burners isn't too hard if you have the basic tools and skills. The first one will seem like quite a learning curve till you get it tuned but after that they get easier fast. I see one of the blueprints entries has a plan for a burner, I think I'll try making that. I should have all the necessary tools for it on hand already. Except perhaps the proper drill bit sizes and some oil for the metal drilling. I do have a floor standing machinist's drill press that should make short work of the holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Phlip's been pretty busy this year. I'll see you on EK though it's been kind of quiet lately. This is the burner I build, it's pretty simple and works quite well. I need to revise my build directions a bit and then I'll send them along too. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioldanach Posted August 11, 2009 Author Share Posted August 11, 2009 This is the burner I build, it's pretty simple and works quite well. Ok, thanks. I was looking at making this burner. Will you be at Metalsmiths Symposium VIII? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Doesn't mine look a LOT easier to make? I use a 0.035" mig tip for the jet in a 3/4" burner and it threads into a modified 1/8" MPT - 1/4" copmression fitting. that fitting threads into the back of the "T". Keep everything aligned as closely as possible, double check the jet alignment with pressurized water and adjust for straight down the tube. Hook it to propane and adjust for burn properties by trimming the mig tip down to lean the flame up. Living in Alaska I don't get to go to any of the cool happenings down south. If you ever get up this way look us up, we're 50 miles north of Anchorage. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioldanach Posted August 11, 2009 Author Share Posted August 11, 2009 Doesn't mine look a LOT easier to make? I use a 0.035" mig tip for the jet in a 3/4" burner and it threads into a modified 1/8" MPT - 1/4" copmression fitting. that fitting threads into the back of the "T". Keep everything aligned as closely as possible, double check the jet alignment with pressurized water and adjust for straight down the tube. Hook it to propane and adjust for burn properties by trimming the mig tip down to lean the flame up. Actually, they both look moderately simple, though the trimmed mig tip might be simpler than the puncture of the feed tube. I'm not sure what the modification to the compression fitting is though, I'll be interested to see your directions. Fortunately, we're talking about two items that each have a fairly small parts cost, so making both and comparing the two should be trivial, compared to some of the other things I need to do to get going. And, well, if I didn't like making things I wouldn't be here. Living in Alaska I don't get to go to any of the cool happenings down south. If you ever get up this way look us up, we're 50 miles north of Anchorage. Ah, didn't catch that. I have a friend who lives up in Alaska but we've never gone to visit her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 The modification to the compression fitting is simpy tapping the MPT end for 1/4" x 28 so the mig tip will screw in. You have to take the correct size drill bit for the tap size with you to the plumbing store because holes in the fittings are different sizes and you want one the same diameter or smaller than the tap calls for. You want the threads close to full depth because the mig tips threaded section isn't very long and you want the mig tip to stay put. So now you have another reason to visit Alaska. If you come next June and are here the weekend before the July 4th. weekend you can meet a wild bunch of metal artists. It's my turn to host the annual gathering. That weekend is also when the Art on Fire event is held about 3 miles from here. It's about fire related arts and an iron pour is sort of the main event. It'll be a good weekend. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solvarr Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I took some blacksmithing classes from Drogo & friends at Pennsic last week and got hooked on iron. Drogo and friends sounds like a saturday morning cartoon. I'm glad you had a good time at our classes. Any class suggestions for next year? The site to build the forge we used is WWW.FORGEMONKEYS.COM the other burner maker is Z Burner The kits make it easy. No muss no fuss. -Solvarr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioldanach Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 For next year, I'd refine the hinge class. I think you can have 4 people working that class if you have 2 anvils and 2 students per anvil. Also need to prompt the students to be checking their iron as soon as the other student on their anvil puts it back in the forge, there was quite a bit of idle time as students were chatting instead of watching their iron, that could've sped up the class a bit. After all, when I jumped in it took what, an hour and a half for me to catch up to where everyone else was in 3 and a half hours? That's not due to my skill (since, well, I'm a beginner and don't really have much yet) it was just due to my constantly swapping iron in and out of the forge to try and speed along to catch up. As for class suggestions, I'd love to see a clasp that would go with the hinge we made, but I don't know if it'd be possible to fit that into a 3 hour window. You might consider a 3-day series, making the two hinges and then making a clasp to go with it. - Ioldanach / Brochfael / Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solvarr Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Next year well have 2 or 3 forges and keeping it to 2 an anvil. We are also working on step by step writeups for the classes as well as demo pieces. I made the mistake of demoing till 1am the previous night. We will avoid Thursday morning classes next year so that we can keep things rolling better. The public demo space was a last minute surprise to us. When you say a clasp do you mean like for a padlock? Thanks Solvarr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioldanach Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 All good things, classes do take few tries to properly evolve. And I know all about the surprise space, I had plenty of details from Rosamund next door. When I say clasp, I mean some sort of appropriate closure for the front. Obviously, the mastermyr find had only a front plate with a slot for a lock, and no matching part for the top, so we don't know how its closure worked. And even if we did, it seems likely that it would be far too complicated for a class to build in just a few hours. But perhaps there's something that was used in period that could be constructed in that time, like a simple hasp closure, which would involve making a strap with a barrel hinge in it, two nail holes and a long hole on the other end and a matching strap with a loop on it to go through the long hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RcRacer Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 I just wanted to put in a plug for Frosty's burner. I just built a forge and a burner and have been very pleased with the performance and ease of use with the T jet burner. It's simple, easy to adjust and puts out plenty of heat. As a rank beginner, I love it because it lets me focus on the fun part of pounding metal instead of fiddling with the burner and the forge. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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