Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted December 26, 2017 Share Posted December 26, 2017 I welded up angle iron into a channel for the front & back doors, great control on adjusting the bricks and acting like the stock shelf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidF Posted January 3, 2018 Author Share Posted January 3, 2018 Tonight I received my packages from Wayne. I have placed the liner in 2 layers and sprayed with rigidizer I made with the fumed silica and blue food coloring. I am letting it cure and will be moving on to refractory cement next. It is looking pretty good. I a, hoping to forge something in about a week. We will see how long it ends up taking for the rigidizer to set. I was thinking 24 hours, but it may be longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binesman Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 You don't necessarily what to let the rigidizer set you wanted to soak through the blanket and then you need to fire it to cause it to melt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coops1911 Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 1 hour ago, Binesman said: You don't necessarily what to let the rigidizer set you wanted to soak through the blanket and then you need to fire it to cause it to melt not to hi jack the thread, but i thought you just dry it with a light bulb or something then apply the kast-o lite? Whats the proper way to do it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasent Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Needs to be fired Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binesman Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Has to be fired so it binds to the blanket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coops1911 Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 what kind of temps are we looking for, for that to happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binesman Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 I dont know exact temp that is needed. I usualy just throw my burner in and brimg it to forging temps amd let it set at it for 10 or so minutes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidF Posted January 4, 2018 Author Share Posted January 4, 2018 I have fired it and will move on to the kast o lite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binesman Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 well done. The kastolite needs to cure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidF Posted January 4, 2018 Author Share Posted January 4, 2018 First two of the three applications of Kastolite are done. I torched a little until I saw steam and then let it cure without help. I heard you don’t want to produce steam due to cracking, but it is frigid here so I gave it a jump start. The liner still has a little play, so I could not get three layers applied, just ran out of time. I think for my next forge or re-line I will have a better process for rigidizing and for the kastolite application. But I learned a lot from this round and I find that I learn better when I make mistakes. I am a much better version two producer. Also, my burner is far from perfect. Once I have the refractory and IR complete, I will share some videos. I have plenty of heat, but I need to run higher PSI to get the flame pushed out and also at lower PSI, I am hearing and seeing some sputters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coops1911 Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 now are you supposed to heat the kast o lite or dry it slowly in a high humidity environment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidF Posted January 4, 2018 Author Share Posted January 4, 2018 Air cure. But the freezing temps in my area are a concern. So I am giving some heat to help the process. May cause issues, but freezing would definitely cause an issue. If it were July, I would just air cure and not have the extra factor to deal with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binesman Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 I would highly recommend moving it inside and allowing it to cure properly. I live in Colorado and have force cured a forger 2 and the kastolite always comes out very Sandy and nowhere near as durable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidF Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 Thanks Binesman. I moved inside to cure. I appreciate the feedback from a similar winter region. Do you know how long it needs to cure? And should I fire before the IR application? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binesman Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Dependso. How thick of an application 1/2" i usualy let cute 24/36hours then i fire a few times allowimg imcreased heat each time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidF Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 1/2”. I will check it later today and see if it can be fired or needs more time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Dick Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Newly hooked member, This is a great thread, and I'm enjoying following the build of you forge. I am on the fence about build or buy but honestly am leaning toward the build. I took a weekend class at the John C Campbell school using coal forges and i enjoyed pounding hot steel as much as I expected. Now I'm working to gather the tools to do more in my own shop. I have an anvil from my great Grandfather's farm but no forge yet. I'd love to see a thread like this with pictures of a Wayne Coe forge, from my reading on this site and on his site I like the way it sounds. Thanks for taking the time to post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binesman Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Robert hunt around the forums a bit ther are tons of photos of forges. I dont use propane tanks because i have cheap access to irrigation pipe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binesman Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 1 hour ago, Robert Dick said: . I am on the fence about build or buy I personally always recommend people to build their own not only do you usually end up with a much higher quality tool for a lower price but there's also something special about using something you made yourself. Whichever way you decide to go please remember make sure the forge is rigidized I cannot stress to you the importance of this matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 Rigidized and seal coated as a minimum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidF Posted January 6, 2018 Author Share Posted January 6, 2018 Thanks Robert! I agree with Binesman. If you have the tools or want to pick them up, I would build your own. In my case, I think it was much more expensive to build my own because I picked up a Mig welder, etc. but I really wanted to do the build so I understood the insulation, burners, etc. I take a ton of pride in the forge I have built, even though it is probably more of a “Forgenstein” than the polished things I have seen from the guys on this forum. If you want to start banging the steel quickly and that is your priority, there are the Diamondback forges, etc. In my locale, there is a guy who competed on Forged in Fire, that started building and selling forges in the classifieds (https://www.ksl.com/classifieds/listing/50338772). Looking at his offering, I think I would make sure the blanket is rigidized and then do the Kastolite and Metrikote. But I liked the use of a vehicle wheel and the tube steel for the stand. I just picked up a steel service cart to move mine outside for use (worried about the carbon monoxide since my garage is attached). Since I was excited to get going, I have started doing Knives via stock removal while I was building the forge. I have really enjoyed doing the Knives via this process and think it will help me once I actually start forging the knives. So if you have the passion to get going, but you also want to build your forge, you can do what I am doing and do a stock removal with a lot of detail work for the knife to kill time while you are also building the forge. I will post some pics and video tomorrow that I took this evening of the dragon’s breath from my forge. I definitely have some tuning to do on the burner. I will take some lumps in the feedback on the burner. Lol! But I really enjoy the ribbing and I know I am a novice in this endeavor. But I will be a solid Smith because I learn from trying, enjoy the socializing, and really, really appreciate the feedback from the guys here. It has been amazing to find a group that will provide expert feedback to newcomers. I will repay the value they have provided me when I have knowledge that I can share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidF Posted January 7, 2018 Author Share Posted January 7, 2018 Here are some pics and a video of the first firing of the refractory before Merikote. I applied a first coating of Merikote after this and will apply one more tomorrow. Have some tuning to do on the burners. In these pics and video I am running at full 30 PSI. Let me know any feedback from pics of flame and video. The fire after the first Merikote ran very different. Before the Merikote, I heated that angle bar to orange in about five mins. But running below 10 PSI, I have an issue with backdraft. So I will be tuning more tomorrow. I may need some airholes in the pipe of the burner, but I will wait to hear back if someone has opinions on flame being rich vs lean. I have no idea yet what end of the spectrum I am at right now. Thanks for any feedback in advance. Also, I have some clean up to do on the cart. Forgive the debris and eye sore for now. 799A9E55-FB08-40D7-A4FC-D3AC6416508C.mov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzkill Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 Sounds like the flame is burning in the tube of one or both burners. What you should have is a loud roar. The burners definitely need some work or tuning so that the flame stays at the end of the tube and not inside it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binesman Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 I can't seem to get sound to work but I trust buzzkill's opinion on it. I can tell you have a very rich burn by the dragonsbreath and you most assuredly need more oxygen. What are you using on the end of the burner as a flame holder/nozzle? From the images it looks like your gas feed is blocking off most oxygen from getting in to the burners. You will definitely need to drill air holes. If you go with a linear style I am concerned that your burner ports may be too tall. You might need to cut off about 2" so the top is closer to the mounting bolts instead of hiding so much of the mixing tube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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