5S forge (Clint) Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 Hi Guys and Gals Now that most of the swelling has gone down and my cast is off I figured I would post a forge build that I did a couple months back. After trying to forge weld Damascus billets in a big ribbon burner forge I decided It would save me tons of money on propane if I built one that was 1/4 of its size. I wanted something kinda unique , something different than anything else i have seen so i started digging through all of my scrapyard junk putting random pieces of car parts together. I had a couple old party balloon helium tanks laying around that would be about right after putting some extra Kawool inside to close up my overall ID. The afternoon that I cut my tank and got it all prepped up my wife ask me if I would grab the Prettiest pup from our recent border collie litter and a few rustic props for a 4H photo contest that my Oldest daughter had entered . I was instructed to get some loose hay , wagon wheel, saddle , old boots, and the milk can off of the front porch..... MILK CAN !!!!! I knew right then that milk can was fixing to be my new forge lol But I never said a word because I knew xxxx would be frozen over before my wife gave me her early 1900's milk can with no dents and a lid that fits perfect. So I did what any rough tough head of the household would do..... I waited until about 2 in the morning and tiptoed outside and like a ninja I snatched up MY milk can and ran down to my shop. I covered it up in the corner for a couple days to see if she would notice it missing. I finally got up the nerve to cut in to it and weld in a plate to create a new back wall to cut down on size. with it being galvanize coated I knew it was better to weld it at the entrance of the shop with the door open for ventilation. Holding my breath , Hood down , bent over trying to get two arms and my gun down in this tiny space i'm rehearsing in my head how the conversation will go in a week or two when she finally discovers what I had done ..... About that time I hear WHAT IN THE XXXX ARE YOU DOING WITH MY MILK CAN???? If it wasn't for my hood i think I would have dove all the way in the can. I thought, I can still pull this off.... I said honey i'm making something special for you. Of coarse she seen right through that BS , I will spare you the rest of the conversation but leave you with this ... If I don't screw up anymore this week I can come back in house starting Monday. Here is a few pictures of the build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 Don't believe in living dangerously do you? I hope you have enough straw in the barn to be comfy. Your forge looks HOT, well done. What's the roller chain for? Beautiful pup, the shot of it looking out of the forge shell is magazine worthy. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5S forge (Clint) Posted May 22, 2020 Author Share Posted May 22, 2020 Thanks Frosty. I used the roller chain as a adjustable hanger for the forge in case I go do a demo or something with the ground a tad unlevel I could adjust it a little by pushing up or down on the front, Not much wiggle room anymore after it was all tied together. My original design was to have it fairly easy to disassemble into 3 or 4 pieces so it could be a little more portable than my big forge. I need to go back and make sure it will all still come apart as i had planned. The damper was actually a OEM part going to my turbo on my 2008 Ram 3500 cummins truck . It was originally electronic butterfly valve mechanism with gears in it so i drilled a hole and welded a 1/4" rod to the main gear and out to and old timing gear from a car. by turning the timing gear I'm able to really get precise with my air/propane mixture , I can run forever on a forklift bottle (adapted to vapor instead of liquid) The base was an old hand crank blower stand that I left original in case I ever wanted to put it back together. My daughter actually won second place for the picture. We gave a 10x13 copy of it to the family that bought the pup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 That makes sense of a sort. I don't worry much about height or level on my forges, propane of solid fuel within reason of course. I have my portable forge on a garage sale all or nothing steel serving cart. Originally I only wanted a few ball pein hammer heads some old Allan wrenches and cold chisels but they wanted it all gone so it all lives in my shop now. I tinkered out the NARBs because I couldn't believe the gun ribbon burners I've seen being made. Your's however doesn't appear to make excessive dragon's breath, being able to fine tune air and propane is important and you have it dialed in. Well done all round. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5S forge (Clint) Posted May 22, 2020 Author Share Posted May 22, 2020 I agree with you on the dragons breath , I have seen some that require 4 foot tongs to get things in and out. I have used oxy/acetylene torches for years and never really applied that to a forge until i built this one. A torch can be way out of adjustment on the mixture and still heat something up or cut steel but when its adjusted perfect it sure makes a nicer cut and more efficiently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 Now to make peace, I suggest going out and finding a stainless steel milk can for your wife & pups. We have one that I had been eyeing for a quench tank, but figured since my wife is a second degree black belt in Karate, discretion is the better part of valor (it is better to avoid a dangerous situation than to confront it) old proverb. I love the picture of the pup in the can too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5S forge (Clint) Posted May 22, 2020 Author Share Posted May 22, 2020 I actually looked this one up before I cut it to make sure it wasn't a rare priceless piece and going price for them on ebay was about $85 My wife was almost in tears when she screamed YOUR MOTHER GAVE ME THAT!!!!!! My comeback was ... You don't even like my mother. My dad picked it up at a yard sale for $25. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 Wife: "How do you like my cooking?" Husband: "It's not like my mother's." Wife: "WHAT?!?" Husband: "That's a compliment. My mother was a lousy cook." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrance W Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 I notice you hooked up a thermocople, what temperature is your forge running at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshj Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 I'm sitting here trying to figure out what the cast piece is that you're hanging the the chain from? At first, I thought control arm from a car? No... not that... lol. Gives it a pretty cool steam punk look overall the way you have it set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5S forge (Clint) Posted May 26, 2020 Author Share Posted May 26, 2020 The lowest I can run is around 1300 F and on the high side I have ran it up to 2400 but I always back off a little if i see it get that high. pretty cheap set up actually, Less than $45 on amazon , The meter was around $26 and the K type thermal couple was $15 or so. WelshJ you are correct about the car part, It also has a F350 leaf spring with some axle pieces welded on. I have some paint to make it look like aged tarnished copper but who wants to paint when you can make damascus. maybe i will get around to painting it one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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