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First Forge Build


LonelyIsle

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You're getting there. The brass fitting shown WILL work but requires a pipe tap. As shown in the pic the flare is pointed at the T. 

A flare "union" I had the wrong term above, my bad. A flare union has a flare type connection on each end and will allow you to use a straight tap to make up to the T and connect to copper tubing with a flare nut and flaring tool. 

I'll try not to confuse things with the wrong terms again, getting the names right is important.

Frosty The Lucky.

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So what went wrong tapping the fitting for the mig tip?

It's 1/4" x 27. NOT 1/8" x 27!

Do NOT let this confuse you but you tickled my funny bone with, "Mig tip tap." It sounds like a dance step or a new version of Morse code. I'm not laughing at you honest, it's just a fun turn of phrase. 

Frosty The Lucky.

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No one has mentioned this yet, as far as I can see, but from the photos it looks like the terminal flare on your burner is galvanized.  If it is actually stainless steel that is great, but the terminal flare is the one part of a burner that can often be exposed to temperatures sufficient to volatilize the galvanized coating, which is quite poisonous.  You can (should) actually mold the castable inner liner right up to the end of the burner, and can have that be the flare instead, so you don't necessarily need one made out of metal.

 

Something like this (from an earlier post by John from Olympia) will work extremely well, and even better if you include a small inner ridge to protect the end of your burner mixing tube:

ForgeFlareProfile.jpg

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Frosty, I much appreciate the help with the burner. I'm still waiting on a high press regulator to come in otherwise I'd be tuning it as we speak. Have a few other regs around but I doubt they would cut it. I probably am going to make a second T while I'm at it so I can play with the idea of a NARB in the near future... halfway through this build and already thinking about the next lol

Thank you  latticino for the advice and that is something that I had been thinking about myself. I had read that bell reducers aren't necessarily the best flare and was considering myoptions. If been looking for something like that diagram to give me an idea of what to do where my burner enters so much appreciated.

Also I will try not to be using galvy parts anymore

 

Also, you guys have never heard of the tig tap two step? 

Thanks, Adam

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I don't think you drilled wrong, BUT, it looks like the fitting wasn't threaded right at the foundry. Second photo looks okay, but the first photo shows the pipe nipple is way out of line with the axis of the central opening. This is why we need to try pipe nipples in the fittings at the hardware store.

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Sorry Mikey but which part are you referring to? The 3/4 opening of the tee?

In terms of lining it up when we drilled it, we used a vernier caliper to find center as best we could, squared the drill platen to the bit and hand tapped it in the drill chuck as per the pdf instructions in the forum, so im hoping it will still work.

If not I can try to send someone to town for me for another Tee, otherwise I have to wait for the weekend. My gf works at the island hardware store but I think I've exhausted her and the owners already in my quest for parts haha. I doubt getting 6 tees and sending back 4 would make them happy...  though im not completely above trying. Ive had the entirety of their plumbing parts laid out looking through them for what I needed so I know our store doesn't have them lol

Also, when I get to tuning it I am assuming I should get my forge shell lined first to approximate as best I can the area im trying to heat (Which like i said earlier should be a cylinder about 5" in diameter and about 11 3/4 long) or can I run some test runs in the shell as it stands (11 3/4" x 10")?

 

 

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Probably not a good idea.  Unless the regulator specifically says it is rated for propane use you should look elsewhere.  Propane is more chemically active than a lot of gases, so it can degrade the internal components and sealing material of regulators that are not designed to resist it.   Beyond that, 125 psi is major overkill.  Every DIY burner/forge combination is different of course, but there should be no reason to run more than 30 psi for one of these burners.  I rarely go to 20 psi myself.

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15 hours ago, LonelyIsle said:

Sorry Mikey but which part are you referring to? The 3/4 opening of the tee?

Yes; the central opening. In appreciation for your practical concerns: There could be a simpler fix. One thing the soft copper MIG tip does easily is bend. If you find that your flame is off center, bend the tip, a little bit at a time, until it straightens out.

As you pointed out, fixing the problem can leave you worse off then living with it. Hope this is a case of two wrongs canceling each other out :rolleyes:

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Haha Mikey I will disregard years of my mothers advice gladly lol and see if two wrongs make a right as soon as I get my regulator and CO Monitor in.

In the meantime I did score on a whole boatload of Nicholson, black diamond and other assorted files.. been spending the day getting the shop ready for forging and cleaning these bad boys up.20200910_113510.thumb.jpg.b5b86dbf12c50dfdb5bb83b35c702081.jpg

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Most of them appear to be pretty good, some are mint while maybe 2-3 are significantly scarred.  There are a few broken ones I may turn into handle fit files but their should be a few scrap. Thanks for the tip ThomasPowers, was looking them up last night and couldn't see anything. Most of these were wrapped in a newspaper from 1966

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The old Black Diamond files---before they had Nicholson stamped on the other side, were on my standard buy list. Whenever I was at a fleamarket and one turned up at my buy point I would buy it, along with even *older* files marked "cast steel" for historical replication work.  The Dealers figured this out and some tried raising their prices on them because I wanted them.  Unfortunately I had no problem whatsoever paying up to my buy point and no problem whatsoever not paying a penny more above my buy point.  As I had probably 20 pounds of them  already I was never tempted to over spend---

Blacksmithing on an allowance was a big help in learning control my spending---and still is!  By sticking within my allowance; we always have money in the bank and if I run across a HUGE DEAL, like the hoard, I can "borrow" against our savings and buy it---if I convince my spouse that it is a great deal.

Other things on my buy list were ballpeen hammer heads at US$1 or less. I've had a lot of folks tell me you can't get them that low and I will admit that the *bucket* fills slower these days; but my 4th 5 gallon bucket of ballpeen hammer heads is still filling...I used to take them to Q-S and sell them off for $2 a head for extra spending money...or I traded one for a smith who did a lot of hawks from them and lived even more rural and wasn't able to hit the fleamarket every week.

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Still waiting on amazon for my reg so been trying to get the shop ready. I cleared out a space for blacksmithing at my gfs uncle down the street that was just piled with junk. Almost a usable space once I finish a little workbench, anvil stand and a few other projects. Hoping it doesn't take too long but if it does I mau get my 72x2 grinder finished.

It may not look like too much but its a far cry from what it was. The video is the before the before can be seen 

 

https://youtu.be/YAKDyOTknLc

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Rake the dirt floor and try to level it a bit to avoid trip hazards.   A sprinkle of water will help keep the dust under control as you sweep the concrete to remove the dust, dirt and debris.  The red tool box and what looks to be a floor jack can go under the work bench.  Just a general tidy up to remove trip hazards.

Looks like a good serviceable work area.

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Yeah im still try to get everything in order.. by the time i get things going things will be alot tidier and safe, it would drive me nuts otherwise. Just some pics mid reno.  I'm a carpenter by trade so it may not be long before I end up laying a floor. Projects on projects .... am hoping the reg doesn't take that long though.

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