the_sandy_creek_forge Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 EUREKA!!! BP0453 Drum Dolly. Fill up slack tub and wheel it in. End of day, Wheel it outside and dump it. Kinda heavy on the water usage, but better than a frozen solid to the point of uselessness slack tub. -Aaron @ the SCF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blubrick Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 Just on that BP0453 Drum Dolly... It looks to me like you could light a small wood fire underneath the drum to thaw out the ice. That might take a little while to kick in, though. Living in Australia, where pretty much the entire continent is in severe drought, I kinda baulk at the idea of emptying and refilling the slacktub every day. Good thing it will never freeze around here - well not solid, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welder19 Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 I don't know how much salt it would take but I could try it, salt water will freeze, being from the shore area I can tell you that first hand, but I would imagine that enough in a tub would atleast lower the freezing point quite a bit. Well as far as the dolly goes my forge is more or less out side, so I could just empty it but (A) I am about 100 ft from running water which would mean dealing with a hose in freezing weather, put it out drain it roll it up etc. and ( like you said heavy on the water usage/ tough on the well, tub is 35 gal or so. Wooden slack tub = fire under it bad idea. There are a bunch of alternatives, smaller tub for the winter and so on which I will do what I have to in the end but I was hoping to be able to just keep it from freezing with out costing too much, ie. electric for a water heater. Well I guess if no one knows about using the rv antifreeze then I'll be the test dummy and give it a try. welder19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten Hammers Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 I need water in the shop ( coal, quench, fire prevention ) year round. The 1500 watt floating tank heater is part of doing business just like the steel bill and the $ 165 I spent at the welding supplier last evening for consumables. All goes with the game. This is a profit oriented game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 In my previous shop, it got well below freezing during the winter in there and I used RV antifreeze. I used two gallons of it with about 14 gallons of water. When things got really cold, like -20F, the tub would get slushy, but never froze over. I found the smell to be pleasant and it didn't seem to affect the quench at all. But I only used mild steel. I don't know how it would be with any water quench higher carbon steels. My new house is on a hill and the shop (formerly a garage) is about half-way into the ground. This is enough to keep the inside from freezing, even when it's -20F outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welder19 Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 Well if I was in the profit making side of this hobby then that would be a different story, but I am not at this point, it's just a hobby so keeping cost down is important. Marc, thanks for the info, I'll give it a go and see how it works. welder19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drogo Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 I use old propane tanks for my slack tub(30lb) and oil quench. I just cut another 30 lb apart(top, bottom, and then in half) so I could put a 100w light bulb under the water and a hot plate under the oil(warm oil is beter than cold for most oil quench steels) Just cut a keyhole in the side so I could put the outdoor fixture under it. Ill put the light on at night when not in the shop to keep the water from freezing:) I get the old propane tanks from a friend who works for a propane company. They take the valves out and wash them out for me with water. Then I let them sit upside down for a month or two. Completly empty when I start cutting.....If you dont know...NEVER cut into a propane or other type of tank without being completly sure it is TOTALY empty and depreasurized. Big BOOMs suck:( Drogo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbrforge Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 Feed and seed for immersion heater for livestock. I will not be working anyway if my slacktub freezes over. I'll be sittin on the Fisher warming my backside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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