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I Forge Iron

What did you do in the shop today?


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If you bend the sheet so the joints are all outside it's pretty easy.  Visualize the joints looking like the bottom of an Altoid tin without the rolled bead. Just two flats laying together weld just the edges together. Move fast. There is no need to "make" a bead  it just happens as they fuse. All the pull is flat on flat so there is minimal distortion. UNLESS you don't go fast and I mean FAST. 

Gas welding doesn't require filler rod and you can move an inch or more per second if you're on a roll. Go slow and it'll warp like shrink wrapping bacon before you cook it. Gas welding 18 ga and lighter is hard to move fast enough.

Trying to fill an inside corner on sheet isn't something I ever got good at so stopped even trying. 

Frosty The Lucky.

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5 hours ago, BIGGUNDOCTOR said:

For sheet I liked .023" bare wire with a gas.

yeppers  I have a tandem dump to weld up cracks at the door column at the hinges then plate over with some 16 gauge tomorrow,, tested with the .030 already in the machine  was way to much wire dia. . switched over to .023 and "more gooder " results,, 70/25 gas shielding.  Remember to watch the leading edge of the burn not the back fill puddle

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Finished welding the bosh. A preliminary water test showed a lot of leaks, so I’m going to buy a tube of silicone tomorrow.

Welded up a base:

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And here it is!

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Tong rack:

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Next step: take apart the old JABOD and figure out how to hook up the blower. 

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8 hours ago, BIGGUNDOCTOR said:

For sheet I liked .023" bare wire with a gas.

Good to know, but unfortunately, I’m working with a borrowed welder that has no gas bottle. I can see how the thinner wire with gas would be preferable, though.

6 hours ago, Daswulf said:

You didn't ask! 

Fair enough!

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Looks like it's really coming along. 

you could always smooth out the welds, mark where it's leaking and patch it in with the welder. The less you have to rely on the silicon the better,  but hey, the stuff holds glass fish tanks together so it oughta hold some water in a steel tank thats mainly welded up.

10 minutes ago, JHCC said:

Fair enough!

. Yeah, sorry. A lot of that is just second nature to me so I don't always remember to mention it. 

Also totally use the .023 wire on sheet metal but they don't make that in a flux core. I only tried flux core when I first got my Lincoln years ago. Got a gas bottle shortly after since that's what I was always used to. I have no helpful advise strictly on welding with flux core wire. 

 

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At this point, the welds in the tuyere are tight as a drum, and that’s what I’m most concerned about. I already chased a bunch of leaks down, and I think I’ve had enough. 

The tank has tons of structural integrity, so I’m just looking to make it watertight. 

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Used the plasma cutter to made a name plate and logo for the facade of house. After cutting I realised that the stainless steel material (2mm) wasn’t any strong and thick enough to weld spacers behind it. Give it a rough grind job and screwed it against the shop door. Will make another one bigger and thicker for the frontage.

Next project is also a marker punch with my own blacksmith sign. Looking for a simple design to applicate to the punch head. Don’t have the possibility to use some kind of CNC or spark erosion.

Think about to use the ‘tumulus motives’ on the punch and try to work at least them out from 13ChroMo with grinder and Dremel. Any suggestions, tips or sponsoring are more than welcome ;)

 

Cheers, Hans

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14 hours ago, Arthur210 said:

I really should have made myself a chisel first. As it is, I used the side of my coal rake to make the veins. A small-diameter fuller would also be useful, since the edges of my anvil are a bit too rounded for a sharper transition between the leaf and the stem.

Still, that was a satisfying first attempt. :)

That's a good effort for a first leaf. Well done! It doesn't really matter if your anvil edges are rounded. Just forge the body of the leaf back towards the stem to create the join angle you want. For a gum leaf it's pretty shallow, but you may want more of a heart shape for other leaves. I assume you are using a cross peen hammer to direct the metal.

And yes, a chisel makes good veins, although there are other ways. Make your chisel curved so that you can chase the vein without it digging in.  Please post more of your leaf pics as you improve.

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JHCC,nice progress with the forge project congrats, hope you can fix the leaks and they stay tight ones the forge heat up.

Just made some exercice and count together all the weight you want to put on/in the forge stand after looking to his legs:huh:. So if I count the 14 gallons of water in the tank that’s 117lbs liquid, plus the (I guess) 20 gallons mud/soil/clay volume in the JABOD shell with a weight of approximately 330lbs. I come out with a total weight of ca. 450lbs for the whole construction behalves of its own weight (60-85lbs?) and all the things you want to attach (tongs, hammers, work pieces)??

After my humble experience, I advise to reinforce the sheet metal shell with some ribs and give the stand stronger reinforced legs with wide foot plates, stags or knot plates .

But maybe I made a simple counting mistake and it’s not big (heavy) deal at all;).

Your sincerely, Hans

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47 minutes ago, Hans Richter said:

Just count all the weight you want to put on/in the forge stand after looking to his legs:huh:.

The legs are high-carbon steel bed frame stock, so it’s stronger than it looks. I'll probably add some more to beef it up, but I’m not particularly worried.  

30 minutes ago, jlpservicesinc said:

JHCC.. Looks really good... How tall is the bosh? Will you be able to see inside? 

Thank you! The top of the bosh is at about 4’3” and I’m 6’2”, so no problem. 

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JHCC, absolutely sure this will become a great forge!!!!, knowing your creativity and skills. Only tried to point out the huge weight and static after assembling based on my own not always successfully attempts regarding dealing with weights.

Have a nice day, evening, morning.

Cheers, Hans

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JHCC, Some diagonals on those legs will be helpful...

I have a ton a welding fabrication experience and can just about guarantee that the welds on the bed framing will crack, not at the weld but at the  (HAZ) heat affected zone..  

I have found bed angle construction the welded areas usually need more weld linear feet than mild steel or structural angle..  the haz zones dont like any flexing so anything to stabilize flexing will help..  welding both legs of the angle as an example.

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54 minutes ago, Hans Richter said:

Was looking for this word 'flexing' means 'wiggel-wiggel' <_<? with the top load.

Yes, wiggle wiggle " Bad"  no wiggle wiggle " Good".. :)  

Diagonals will help out so much even if its only at 2 of the corners..  8 corner braces( 2 each corner) would be ideal especially with the weight involved.   

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2 hours ago, jlpservicesinc said:

Diagonals will help out so much even if its only at 2 of the corners..  8 corner braces( 2 each corner) would be ideal especially with the weight involved.   

I’ve got some more of the stock I used for the tong rack, so I can make some beefy diagonal braces from that.

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Addendum to the already posted empty BBQ, here -the ‘full Mounty’ green salad with ‘Lisa made’ dressing, filled sweet potatoes, roasted tomato’s & paprika + fresh bread & herb sour cream. Accompanied with some chicken, sirloin, spare ribs and of course German bratwurst.  

First seared and then ‘Quenched’ with beer;). Just a typical mid-European bbq.

However still have the desire of a ripe T-bone sometimes wich is very expensive right here.

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I put stretchers on long legs to stiffen the structure and make a handy shelf. I put them high enough off the ground I can put things I want to keep track of but want out of the way under. The shelf can be plywood but I like expanded metal under forges so I can lay hot steel, tools, etc. down without worrying about stepping on them. 

Yes, diagonal members, (stiffeners or hips) are a must, especially using medium carbon steel for legs. Jenifer is exactly right, any wiggle wiggle WILL break in the HAZ. Been there repaired that, even went to school to learn it. 

Beautiful forge John, I can't wait to see it working.

 

I'm with you on all your BBQ Hans, except the ketchup . <shudder> I am a HUGE fan of roasted corn on the cob, nothing makes corn taste better than some grilled on golden brown and delicious. 

If you leave the shucks on you can slip garlic butter under it against the corn. It takes longer to brown but the garlic adds a nice touch. 

Ever grill sweet potato? 1/2"  12mm. slices a quick wipe with oil or butter and a hot grill. Golden brown and delicious on sweet potatoes is addictive.

We're about past mud season here almost time to drag the BBQ out of it's corner of the shop. 

Frosty The Lucky.

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Wow.  That forge is sweet! I can’t wait to see it fired up.  I’m rather envious and, although I enjoy working with it, I’m feeling bad for my forge.   Still, I have a major redesign planned for it.  Only thing is, I’m pretty dead set on building a Frosty NARB and the forge to go with it. I’ve decided that I need both propane and coal forges available to me.  I’m seriously not looking forward to figuring out how to cure the castable in a warm 100% humidity environment.  That’s go me stumped considering the cold Spring we are having.  

Anyway, enough of my issues.  That Forge is stellar....

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