jlpservicesinc Posted June 7, 2017 Share Posted June 7, 2017 Nice build.. I like it.. What did you end up getting for bowl depth? did you make it a double bowl.. Larger bowl with a smaller bowl below the tue iron? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 12, 2017 Author Share Posted August 12, 2017 Bit of an update. I took some time today to clean out the firepot on the JABOD, and here's what it looks like after a few months of somewhat sporadic use. As you can see, the firepot has taken quite a beating and is now about 8" across and 6" deep. The opening of the tuyere is behind the 3-1/3" mark on the ruler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 12, 2017 Author Share Posted August 12, 2017 Here's a view from another angle. The tip of the 1/4" rod is pointed towards the tuyere. There were some pretty big lumps of clinker and vitrified clay stuck to the walls of the bowl. I broke these off with a hammer and chisel before taking the photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted August 12, 2017 Share Posted August 12, 2017 The important measurement is from the top of the tuyere, looks like a inch under a 3/4" schedule 40 pipe, so just at 4". I could that making charcoal from scrap wood will give you some clinker, as like coal their is a bit of sand and dirt in it (as well as nails). But dang if we can't get you new guys started on the cheap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 12, 2017 Author Share Posted August 12, 2017 56 minutes ago, Charles R. Stevens said: But dang if we can't get you new guys started on the cheap! Dirt cheap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted August 12, 2017 Share Posted August 12, 2017 We need to keep cheap, easy to build forges, alternitives to the london pattern anvil, hammers and forging basic tools from easaly salvaged materials out front in the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted August 12, 2017 Share Posted August 12, 2017 If someone would please distill down the information available and make an article for EACH subject and I will post them on the site so we can use them as reference. Post it under a new thread and I can relocate it if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted August 13, 2017 Share Posted August 13, 2017 Thank you Glenn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaleb Posted August 13, 2017 Share Posted August 13, 2017 When I built mine I had a problem especially in the start with clinkers forming from the sand in the mix melting into a crude glass, the problem finally started going away a few fires ago. Is there a way to prevent this on my next build or is this a problem that I will have to deal with. My only solution is to just add less sand but I have sand as an abundance so that is something I would like not to have to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted August 13, 2017 Share Posted August 13, 2017 As I don't have much sand, I have no personal experiance. I have gleaned a few things tho. Commercial side blast forges have been filled with fly ash and clinker, so even new comercila English forges fight this when sand is used as the initial filler. TO and other smiths have advocated adding wood ash to the Adobe mix to combat this. A 1/4" thick coating of clay may be the answer in your case. Giving a smoth hard ceramic fire bowl backed buy sandy soil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted August 13, 2017 Share Posted August 13, 2017 The packed clinker and soot is a good alternative as well.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou L Posted August 13, 2017 Share Posted August 13, 2017 Until somewhat recently I used sand as well. I found that the act of cleaning the firepot mixed it up to the point that I always had a fresh bed of sand and ash for each new fire. As the percentage of ash increased the problem diminished a lot but it never went away. I gave up and ditched the sand. I added a small brake drum for a base and currently use brick to shape the firepot. At some point soon I will be making the firepot out of a clay mixture but will likely keep the steel base. I like using my poker to disturb the base of my fire so that ash drops out of the bottom of the brake drum. It allows me to keep the fire "cleaner" because my blower is a bit under powered and can't blow through a lot of ash buildup. I like having the benefit of an ash dump like a bottom blast but on a side blast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 Update: since my neighbor over-ordered on sand for a construction project (he has 2-1/2 tons left over!), I decided to give sand a try. I'm sure that I'll either be letting the ash build up or maybe mixing up a more proper adobe, but for now, it's straight sand. Step one: break out the clay. Worth noting that there is absolutely no heat damage to the paint on the bottom pan. Step 2: pack in the sand. Step 3: add the tuyere pipe. Step 4: use a little metal flowerpot (or similar object) as a core for the firebowl. Step 5: neaten up the firebowl. I'll keep you posted on how it works. I'm expecting some slag buildup until there's a decent amount of ash, but I don't know if it will be worse than the major clinker issues I was having before -- and not just clinker, but clinker sticking to the clay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 Update of the update: dug out the top inch or so of sand and replaced it with a mix of 1:4 clay to sand, slightly moistened and rammed in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommie Hockett Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Hey bud this could be a very ignorant question so please bear with me. If you used straight sand won't it just fall apart or cave in when it dries? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 Hey bud this could be a very ignorant question so please bear with me. If you used straight sand won't it just fall apart or cave in when it dries? Well, yes. The basic idea is that you re-form the firebowl each time, or so I understand. However, as noted above (which I was posting just as you added your comment), I've decided to put a layer of adobe over the plain sand, at least for now. This is one of the great advantages of a JABOD: you can reshape the firebowl and change the fill as much as you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Some where in the archives John from across the pond was so kind as to show me how he rebuilt the fire in the morning, you use daily a small ish can and wet the fly ash around it, pulled out the can, built a fire with news paper and yesterday's breeze and was off to the races. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 Good to know. Let's see how the adobe holds up, and we can always try the ash later. I'd make an ashinine comment, but I don't want to make an ash of myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 The English using ash and cinder to fill the hearth was certainly a conservation of materials and I don't imagine it took a commercial shop long to fill a new forge hearth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommie Hockett Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Lol right on I was just thinking... might be a heck of an idea, at least you wouldn't have to reline it if it was only sand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 Well, the clinker has been sticking really badly to the clay, and I'm hoping the adobe will be at least a bit better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 I have had the same issue playing with coal in the JABOD forge myself, but I knew it would happen, I even melted hard fire brick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 Some of the lumps of vitrified clay that came out of the break-down were pretty gnarly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Grind them up and use them 1/3-1/2 with pure clay for making pots ;-) natives in the Texas panhandle used scoria as grog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 I prefer my grog with brown sugar and lime. Since adding the variac as a speed control on the blower, I haven't been using the gate valve, which is leaking around the edges. Today, I removed the layers that make up the valve, keeping the outer layer with the input socket. There's now a cloth gasket to help seal the air in -- the whole thing is much more efficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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