Larry H Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 I need access to a forge or oven large enough to heat a piece of 1/4" plate ...4' x 6' , and so i don't have to use a jack hammer, an industrial power hammer with a 2' throat, or a wrecking ball to use as a hammer. large rollers are a plus, Just fishing for now but need info,.... the sooner the better. The forge or oven is the most needed,...we can use the almighty sledge if necessary, I have strikers, just need heat... or I have to make a ground fire and who wants to do that? I guess I'm getting lazy in my old age, ( or time is more valuable now that its running short) I'm in NY Hudson Valley,...I know some of you lurkers in the city know something.......<div>hook me up</div> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 1/4 inch plate is rather soft as it is delivered from the steel yard. Depending on your design, you may want to see if the steel yard or fab shop can make many of the bends cold. The local steel yard can bend 1 inch cold with their press and roller. 4 x 6 feet of steel requires a fire larger than that, so contact the fire department and have them look for a burning building. (grin) Then again you have to remember that the size of face of the hammer is all the metal that is being moved with each hammer blow. If you have larger areas of metal to form or move, you will need something larger to work with. Power hammers are easier but the hammer face is still relatively small compared to the size of the sheet of metal sheet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry H Posted April 19, 2011 Author Share Posted April 19, 2011 the hammer is for texturing, grinding will follow, then there is the dishing, twisting, followed by rolling,.... welding... grinding and polishing, then the patina, this will be repeated 8 times on 8 pieces to make four 8x8 sculptures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstermetal Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Do you really need to get the whole thing hot at the same time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 I'm down on LI I have a large Johnson gas forge I think it will do about 30" wide by about 6" and a 130 lb air hammer. I may be able to help you out on a weekend handling 1/4" plate can be very rough in large pieces. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hammer Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 How about using a propane weed burner to heat sections you are currently working on. If you have a helper, I would expect it to work fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry H Posted April 19, 2011 Author Share Posted April 19, 2011 maybe not the whole thing at once but 2' x 6' at once,.... a johnson is a great tool but runs short and trying to schmack da middle of a 4x6 is tough enough with half a heat, and it screws up the texture, hotter is better, even if you have to try to keep your clothes from combusting from the heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Furrer Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Larry, A burner assembly to heat 4foot wide is easy enough to build...I'll be making a forge to heat 30 inches x 6 foot to heat plate for my rolling mill (reducing roll not roll bender). I would think a forge for what you have in mind would not be too much of an issue to build...depending on how tall you needed to keep it and if you can block off the opening to keep the heat in. Some fire brick a few fabricated burners and several rolls of fiber-wool attached to a steel plate top on a hinge...could set the plate in and out through the side or the top. For localizes heat a 500,000 BTU oxy propane torch may be better...hang a bell-shaped bit of inswool on her and you have a "portable forge" with some serious heating potential. I have found that acetylene on large BTU torches is poor and propane works far better...got a 200,000 BTU oxy/propane for bending here in the shop...works well. I was offered a large forge last year..total weight of about 15,000 pounds with guillotine door and burners an all...he was in South Carolina. Not sure it was 6 foot deep though..more like three foot square. I'd be happy to work with you on something big..got an overhead 2 ton gantry and chain fall, 3B Nazel, some small presses (can not eat four foot wide though) and can build the forge, but I am in Sturgeon Bay, WI. My steel supplier six miles away has a three roll plate bender that can do 10 foot x 1/2" plate. If the job is large enough I would build a hydraulic press to eat the four or six foot width and put a hurt or the plate hot of cold. I have a 50KW induction heater which can do wonderful things, but it will not be running till the end of the year...with it you could heat on an area quite large depending on the coil made..not as much wasted heat either. What do you mean by twisted? Twisting a plate is not a simple thing, but bending it to look like a twist is a different matter. Without knowing what you have in mind it is hard to say who or what would be of help. Tom Ryan at Koenig Iron in Long Island City may be someone to speak to. Ric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry H Posted April 20, 2011 Author Share Posted April 20, 2011 you sound like a guy I'll be talking with in the near future,.I'm waiting to hear from the money man for the go ahead. Thanks for all the good info, I'll get back to you on your web site if all goes well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainely,Bob Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 What the heck are you up to NOW Larry? Gonna forge an 8 foot tall face? That would really be a wild departure from the path. Man,I wish I lived closer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 If this gets a green light, take enough photos as you go to turn it into a blueprint. (grin) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Note that big a piece of 1/4" sheet will RADIATE an immense amount of IR. be sure to factor in the proper protective gear so you can work it without crisping! It is very unlikely that you can work that entire amount in 1 heat as 1/4" is fairly thin and will cool down pretty fast. So look for how much you can work in one heat and *that* is the size furnace you need access to---if it has a slot for the rest to protrude... Start training your crew now, this is not a one person job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Furrer Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Note that big a piece of 1/4" sheet will RADIATE an immense amount of IR. be sure to factor in the proper protective gear so you can work it without crisping! It is very unlikely that you can work that entire amount in 1 heat as 1/4" is fairly thin and will cool down pretty fast. So look for how much you can work in one heat and *that* is the size furnace you need access to---if it has a slot for the rest to protrude... Start training your crew now, this is not a one person job. I have had 35 pound billets melt my face-mask and start my glove cuffs on fire. Again..without knowing the design it is hard to say the best method of manufacture. Ric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 An easy way is to make a fire with hard wood, and when it becomes coals, use that bed for heating that large of area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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