Help with sis kabob.

[evant]

Hi everyone, I was just wondering if anyone could offer some advice about a steel choice for a sis kabob. I'm going to make this as a gift for the holidays and I was just wondering about any suggestions on what steel to use, since it would be washed and exposed to water. I've got some low carbon rod in the pile, but I'm afraid it would rust too readily. Also any ideas on handle material? i wanted a real traditional, maybe wood handle for the kabobs. Any advice towards this project would be greatly appreciated.

[chyancarrek]

evant,

For skewers pretty much any stock will do as long as it isn't plated or otherwise coated with something that would be toxic in contact with food. I've used from 1/8" all the way up to some Texas sized ones that I made out of 3/4" as a custom order for a BBQ vendor.

Baked on vegetable oil (I like Crisco - like you do to cast iron) works great for making the skewers moisture resistant and food safe - just make sure you dry them thoroughly and apply a light coat of oil after each cleaning.

I make my skewers flat so that the food doesn't spin as easily when they're being flipped and I just do forged loops on the ends for handles.

Post some pics when you get em' done!

[Bad Creek Blacksmith]

I made mine out of mild steel and made them with a double tine so food will not spin. I like using olive oil for a finish. Will try to get picture posted later today.

[Francis Trez Cole]

mild steel or stainless steel both work well. unless you are using lamb (sis) the term is brochett. I have made ones 4' long for a big grill looking like swords. they work great

[divermike]

I made mine from 3/16ths mild steel, if you look at my thread "shish kabob skewers and rack" you can see the project I recently did for a friend. It's up to him to clean and oil them.

[dablacksmith]

i like 1/8 sq for mine . i make um starting with 15 in of material i usually sell um in a set of 5 here is a picture with them in it . the picture is from the puyallup fair this year .hope this helps!

[evant]

Thanks for the posts guys, they've given me a better idea of how i'm going to make my sis kabobs.

[ThomasPowers]

I made mine "sword like" and hammered a bevel on the edges so the twisting on the skewer is quite unlikely.

[Frosty]

Evan: When I first read the title for this thread then your post I thought you probably didn't eed to worry about rusting or product longevity. I mean seriously, how many people out there want to Kabob their Sis? I don't think you'll get many return customers unless you cater to the penal system.

Sorry, couldn't help it Surviving an attack by a Great White . . . Birch has removed any adult restraint like action from what's left of my brain.

Maybe Sis Kabob is a correct name, I don't know but most people I know think of them as SHISH Kabobs and don't bat an eye if you offer them for lunch.

Okay, serious ideas, they seem to have been covered but as a general rule of thumb for figuring these things out. Figure out what the product will need to support and how it will need to hold it. Next simply model it, in this case you could cut some lengths of different thicknesses of steel and hang weights from one end. Once you've decided how thick they should be make a simple handle on one and try making lunch. That would tell you about the rotating around the shaft hassle though there have already been some excellent suggestions for solving that.

Lastly, simply searching IFI with terms like, "finish for food contact iron wear" would produce dozens at least of posts answering that particular question.

Frosty

Frosty

[ThomasPowers]

Good Excuse Frosty; what was the one you were using *before* the GWB attack?

The last set of skewers I made was designed to fit in a rack that held them so they would heat well and be spaced---the rack had slots for the blade like sections to lock into and on one end of the skewer I had a rounded section and then the blade twisted 90 deg so you had the option of locking them in place in 4 different orientations by merely using the round section to turn it in the slot and then push or pull it slightly to engage the blade section to hold it.

[AKFrosty57]

Good Excuse Frosty; what was the one you were using *before* the GWB attack?

I didn't. Before the Great White . . . Birch attack I was pretty much inexcusable.

Thanks for asking though.

Frosty

[ThomasPowers]

Good to have you back with humour intact; now you can settle down for a long winter of telling new folks to add their location into their user CP!


Have you looked into making a micro forge you can use inside for small stuff?

[AKFrosty57]

A micro forge? Care to explain just now necessary one is to Deb for me?

It's good to be back in action sort of and my sense of humor is one of my most potent weapons against what happened to me. If I couldn't laugh at it I'd still be a wreck.

According to Deb I was making jokes and wise cracks before I really came too. Seems one memorable incident I don't remember (darn it!) was when two cute young nurses gave me a shower. Deb sat right outside the bathroom door in my room while the two cuties bathed me. Deb says I didn't stop cracking wise the whole time including pointing out how lucky I was to be getting bathed by two such beauties while my wife sat in plain sight maybe 5-6' away and gave non stop encouragement.

I don't remember it because only a small part of my brain was actually working but evidently a sense of humor doesn't require a lot of brain. Lucky me eh?

Life is good brother, very good.

Frosty

[ThomasPowers]

My wife would claim I never use more than a small part of my brain at any time!

The Micro forge is great because you can use it for small items INSIDE the house.

I made one out of a soft firebrick drilling a couple of say 3/4" holes lengthwise from the end---but not all the way out the other end! and joining them together and then drilling a hole in from the side that is the size of a simple plumber's propane torch head that supplies the heat---NOTE the torch head does not go into the brick! It will melt. You set it up so it's next to the brick shooting the flame into the side hole.

You can work nails, jewelry, small blades, etc with this set up---I did the nails for my Mastermyre chest using one of these down in my basement with a nasty storm going on outside.

I also used it a lot for hot forged silver work---taking silver "ingots" and forging them into Penannular Brooches.

I've seen them done with kaowool using a tin can for the shell and the propane torch.

[AKFrosty57]

Ah HAH! a bean can forge or the brick version. I don't know how to convince just how necessary one is.

No comment on your wife's estimate of your cerebral usage. I'm sure she's low balling it in a vain attempt to keep you in line. Deb tries the same trick sometimes bless her silly heart.

Frosty