cooter Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 I tried to use the search box but didn't find anything. I have a couple of questions that I am sure has been ask a thousand times, and I apoligize for asking. Can a ceramic kiln be used for heat treating? Also can you direct me to a site for building a oven? And wheres the best place to buy the bricks ,temp gauge,and elements? Thank you for your time. Maybe I don't know how to run this pc machine that well either. Just an old cajun.Dennis-AKA-Cooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skunkriv Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 Hey Cooter, Ask away, don't worry. Yes a ceramic kiln would work fine but how big of stuff are you wanting to heat treat? How close do you gotta hit your temp? My soon to be wife does glass beads and I built her kiln. Strictly manual and rude and crude but it works great for her. There is a lot of stuuf on kilns on beadmakers sites. Let me know what you really need and I'll hook you up if somebody else here doesn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooter Posted February 14, 2007 Author Share Posted February 14, 2007 I am gonna want to heat treat fish gigs and small stuff. I have a sort of metal shop so building something shouldn't be that tough for me. I just thought if I could find a kiln locally it would save me alot of work. I appreciate any and all the help and input. Thanx,Cooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_sandy_creek_forge Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 cooter: some toaster ovens would cook up to 600 degrees. I found one at a garage sale that , on the MAX setting, would hit 575 degrees and hold it fairly reliably. Cheap, Easy, and, as long as all your doing is stuff that'll fit in the oven, efficient. Unfortunately, said used oven had already seen quite a bit of life before I bought it and the elements only lasted a year for me. I'm keeping my eyes open for another on though. -Aaron @ the SCF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooter Posted February 14, 2007 Author Share Posted February 14, 2007 I'm not even sure at what temp I will want. The folks complain about the points dulling to quick if they hit rocks with the cheaper gigs. I don't know what type of steel plating to use yet. I was told to get some AR plate (abrasive resistance). Suppose to be pretty hard and may not even need heat treated, but I don't know. Maybe I would be better off using cheaper plating and then heat treting it. I know the only AR plating I have found is very expensive,$450.00-$550.00 4X8 sheet. Any recommendations on steel would be appreciated also. It will have to be 5/16 to 1/4" thick. Thanx again, Cooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike-hr Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 I'm confused.. Do you have a forge to heat the Gigs to critical temperature and quench? The oven you describe will temper, after you harden. You could also temper by placing the gigs on hot steel blocks, taken from the forge and watching the colors run, or by using the kitchen oven (while the wife is out bowling), or an electric frypan full of sand. Are you going to cut the gigs from plate, or forge and weld round bar, like a pitchfork... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooter Posted February 14, 2007 Author Share Posted February 14, 2007 I have no forge ,oven or anything to do with blacksmithing.I am gonna buy or build what I need. I am gonna use the plating as I discribed above. The ones welded together out of round sock the folks don't like as much as the cut out ones.Cooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooter Posted February 14, 2007 Author Share Posted February 14, 2007 I don't have forge, oven or anything else to do with blacksmithing. I am gonna build or buy what I need. I have a machine shop. I will be cutting the gigs from the type plating I posted above, unless someone steers me different. Folks don't like the round stock ones welded as well. Thanx, Cooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_sandy_creek_forge Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 cooter: not sure of the size of said gigs, but i know that the shanks off of farm equipment like chisel plows and such are made of good tough springy steel which might warrant some looking into. At first I thought you were talking about the trident type fishing spear, but if I am understanding correctly, you are making the fork kind with the two prongs that's made to trap the fish between the prongs. Am I right? Also, if I figure correctly, the plates you are talking about are somewhere around $1.40/ pound. That's about what I paid last time for regular old cold-rolled stock at the local supplier. If the AR is some type of alloy, then I would think that to be a reasonable price. If you don't need a whole sheet of it, check out Mcmaster-Carr's online catalog. The carry a couple different alloys, and might have something useful in an ideal size. -Aaron @ the SCF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooter Posted February 15, 2007 Author Share Posted February 15, 2007 Your close on the type gig, it has 4-5 prongs. Good idea about the farm stuff. The AR plate is almost the same as armor plating, its pretty hard and I think when I called around for a 5/16 X 4 X 8 it was almost $500.00 . I will try to post a pic of it, I'm not sure if I can or not. Thanx, Cooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike-hr Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 I'd look into having those cut by waterjet. The computer can nest the pieces together for best efficiency, and you won't get a heat affected zone around the barbs like plasma or oxy-fuel would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooter Posted February 15, 2007 Author Share Posted February 15, 2007 I am looking into having them cut some place else, I know with my plasma I cannot cut them that clean. But I may still need to temper or heat treat to harden the whole gig, or at least the points. I just am not sure if this AR plate is my best and only choice, and if so if I will still need to heat treat afterwards. Cooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
case Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 id like to know what you spear with them,in nz we use that type of gig for eel spearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primtechsmith Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 A waterjet can generate some heat. I ran a few for a couple of years at my last job. When we cut 1/4" stainless the heat would build up in the sheet. The sheets would buck up and try to twist off the table. Also we had fun cutting with the lights off while it was running and watching the glow of the cut path. But this heat is nothing compared to a plasma, and won't get hot enough to affect the piece...In my most humble opinion if there is someone close by with a jet that is the way to go... I am looking at using AR plate or some nail headers one of these days. From what I have been told that is some real TOUGH stuff! my 2cents worth... Peyton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mills Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Cooter can you get a piece of the plate you intend to use? maybe a drop from the steel company or something? If so, the best bet would be then to do a little run on the methods you expect to employ. There are many variables in heat treating. If you have a heat source that can get the steel to its quenching temperature to harden it, can you use that same source to temper? Do you have enough oil to quench in? Do you need oil to quench or is it water or air hardening in the size you will be using? I suspect that if what you are refering to is similar to what a friend uses for concrete drums then cutting the shape is all you will need to do. Since the points are dulling a small gas forge is easy enough to construct to do the points and can do double duty for tempering. I have no idea if water or oil is a good quench for it though. That is something to try out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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