Slack tubs in freezing weather

[the_sandy_creek_forge]

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

[blubrick]

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.

[welder19]

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

[Ten Hammers]

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.

[Marc]

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.

[welder19]

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

[drogo]

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

[tbrforge]

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.