Curtis87 Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share Posted November 14, 2015 Just an update, got the cement done and I like how it looks. Does anyone have any pointers on how to "heat cure" this stuff? is a regular oven sufficient or would there be some health risks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickOHH Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 2 minutes ago, Curtis87 said: Just an update, got the cement done and I like how it looks. Does anyone have any pointers on how to "heat cure" this stuff? is a regular oven sufficient or would there be some health risks? You can put it in the oven not to hot though, treat it likes ribs in a smoker almost , long heat at low temp because the outside will setup first but can lead to cracks once it's mostly dry throw it in the forge and start a fire for awhile then add coal/air Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share Posted November 14, 2015 Awesome, thanks! It says to let it air cute for 24 first before any kind of heating. So i guess I'll play the waiting game for today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 A surprising amount of blacksmithing is playing the waiting game. For all the excitement and fast action of working hot metal before it cools, we spend more time than one might expect waiting for metal to anneal or normalize, blades to temper in an oven, and yes, refractory material to dry and cure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickOHH Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 Lots of hurry up and wait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 Alright, so i got a little impatient with the cement and threw it in the oven before it was fully cured.... And maybe I set it a bit to hot. anyway I was able to push it back into shape, sort of......it was so perfect before. i included a picture of my air supply, is there a way to know if you have enough airflow without starting a fire? the dryer has two speeds and I can control the flow with the ball valve. But even at full it doesn't feel too strong. I have no idea what would be too strong though. Is there some kind of "rule of thumb" for this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 Coke or Clinker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickOHH Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Does it clink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 I have no idea. On an interesting note, the forge is definitely capable of melting steel.... Learned that the hard way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumbojak Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 I'd be willing to bet a shiny nickel that the steel you melted actually burned. That could be because you left it in too long and what little oxygen was available ate it up at the high temperature or it could be because of a fireball that was too small. I noticed that on my first few burns, back when I was afraid to pile fuel on, that steel burned very, very quickly. With a proper fireball, about the size of a melon, you don't have to be quite as careful about pulling stock out as soon as it reaches the temperature you want to work it at, at least from the perspective of getting everything out that you put in. The deeper fire consumes the oxygen that burns your stock up. I scratched my head for quite a while figuring that one out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Curtis, Clinker will be heavy and have all kinds of particulate matter included and have a shiny glassy and/or metallic luster. Coke will be light and airy, sort of like black or gray styrofoam. Melted steel will look a little like clinker, and in some respects it sorta is..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 Thanks a lot everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 How much did all those 2" fitting cost you?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 21 minutes ago, Charles R. Stevens said: How much did all those 2" fitting cost you?! Around $40 with tax I believe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacob's hammer Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 i should have done valve like that to control air flow. i went with dimmer switch to control my air mattress pump. it's quieter but not wise i'm told. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 My side blast tuyerr cost $25 with tuyeer (10" of 3/4" pipe) valve and blower... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 I had a small drain cover lying around the garage that fit the hole perfectly, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it. To my surprise, after running an extremely hot fire for a couple of hours, the cover was completely unscathed. I think this is because it sits inside the tuyere, rather than on top, so it's not in contact with any heat. I'm also quite sure that if I shut the lower off it would melt quickly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share Posted November 21, 2015 So after using my new forge a few times, every thing runs smoothly until after about an hour or so of forging I end up with a chunk of clinker that blocks the entire fire pot. Is there's way to spot this Before it gets so large? Or am I just burning way too much steel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 As for you clinker blocking the tuyere, some folks can pick it out by poking around the bottom and sticking a sharp-pointed rod in the sticky, gummy pieces, dragging them to the surface. I never was successful in doing that, so I just kill the air flow, gently rake the surface coke aside, wait a few seconds and then scoop out the one-piece clinker as it hardens (hopefully one piece). You gotta be quick though, so you can rake the live, burning coke back in over the tuyere and pour the air to it to restart your fire. Wait too long, and you have to restart it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share Posted November 21, 2015 Ya I'll definitely try that. Another lesson learned I guess. Should be less of an issue now that I know what to look for. It was pretty frustrating when I was trying to forge weld and my fire was secretly losing its heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 When my fire starts to act starved, I usually pull out a clinker about the size of a pancake and about as thick. It just slides out as one piece and I'm back to working. If I don't let it cool just the right amount I get pieces. You'll figure out your best solution...every forge is different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 Ok, so I have the clinker problem under control ( sort of). Now my next issue is huge chunks of coal/coke building up around the fire. I don't know if this is normal or not but it gets in the way when I try to slide the material into the fire. if I don't keep smacking it with my scoop it makes a hard shell all the way around the fire pot and even on top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Yup, sounds like good coking coal! I use my forge rake myself... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 so is it more beneficial to break it up or just let it do its thing. I find when I mess around with it too much I get black smoke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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