Forge build...

mckutzy

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Been a bit of slow day... No jobs and no call backs...
So after my job search.. I went out and fired up ye ol' forge...
I have been meaning to make a bottle opener for a good buddy of mine.. He really liked the first one I made....
So I made him one... Learned a few things from the first... and now I went with that on a few other thoughts... This is what I came up with....

Originally I was going to use a piece of rebar.. but I would need to make a new set of tong to accommodate the stock size(not a problem, just not a whole lot of propane left and wanted a known doable project)..

Instead I just went with what I already had been using, 1"X 3/16-4.5" long...
 

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jmaack

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very cool. I have always been in a foundry environment have always wanted to build one from old refractory brick and wool just to play small scale.
 

mckutzy

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Thanks guys... This one really turned out much better....

I could use this as a furnace to melt aluminum and lead, if I turn it on its side, block it up with some bricks...

Maybe even melt brass/bronze/copper...But for the higher melting metals... Id be better going with a forced induction burner... then itll be really hot..

Overall, if you get the right brick or Kaowool and a good set up burner... it wont be that much at all....Could even scrounge up all the plumbing bits if your good at it...For me the frame was bed frame rail I found... I had a few of the other bits, had to buy the regulator...

Probably spent about $100 including a roll of Kaowool that I haven't used yet..
 

Karts of Kaos

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Or is it just another tool you want to mess with and getting a power hammer is actually on your list?

just wondering ;)

'sid[/QUOTE]

My dad is a black smith he has 2 power hammers and knows how to make a knife really well.
sorry sid I am new and I don't think I did the quote thing rite.
 
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mckutzy

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I'd really love a power hammer.. either a belt drive or a hydraulic... Those I could figure to build myself...
Ultimately I'd like a Anyang 50kg... That only requires high voltage... And that's the shiz when it comes to powerhammers...
 

anickode

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very cool. I have always been in a foundry environment have always wanted to build one from old refractory brick and wool just to play small scale.

I worked in a ferrous metal foundry for a while doing mostly small production and prototyping work. We ran a pair of 1MW induction furnaces.

I've built several melting furnaces including rather large waste oil burner that would easily do bronze and iron. The hot facing was made of the refractory we used to line the ductile iron ladles at work. The leftovers got discarded, as it was highly hydroscopic once opened.

I never ended up actually casting any of my own iron at home, (why bother when I was allowed to at work) but that thing would melt down aluminum as fast as you could feed it in at about half power. I used the bottom halves of 20# steel co2 cylinders for crucibles. Downright hazardous trying to handle that much weight alone, but I had 10# ingots of aluminum master alloy (engine blocks and such) stacked up like cordwood and ready for casting for a while. Other things began to occupy my time... Took a couple big loads of aluminum ingots to the scrapyard when prices spiked, and ended up selling the furnace to an artist.

I sure wouldn't mind getting back into it now though, as I have far more suitable space to work with.
 

Budget GoKart

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My family has a metalfire pit and i build fires with nice hot cores. i got a peice of go kart frame red hot and made a fire poker out of it pretty kewl. I used gloved and a hammer on our concrete back porch.
 

ol'joe

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Glad to see more smiths around! I still do a fair amount of smithing, especially in winter, and we make the burners commercially.

My regular forge is made from the small propane bottle and lined with Kaowool, 3 layers. Until recently the paint on the outside was still intact after hears of use because the kaowool works so well.

When you get ready to build your hammer, take a look at the various "tire hammer" pictures and plans. Mine is a guided helve hammer with the "tire drive", 100 pound hammer and a 1300 pound sow block that is the tractor weight from an ancient Allis Chalmers front end loader. Enjoy your smithing, and if I can be of any help, just holler.....Joe
 

Peter789

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That's a nice set-up I would love something like that to play with. Maybe play is the wrong word, to practice with.
 

mckutzy

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Thanks... the setup is easy... just a few bricks... The key is getting the right bricks, or they melt cause theyre not meant to handle the heat....
I did get Kaowool but didnt get the refractory clay stuff for it.. Im told its required in order to use it... So I just stuck with the bricks...

Burner was just some plumbing bits... really easy to setup....
 

Bansil

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I have been dabbling with alum scrap, easier to store and make ready for some upcoming sand castings this fall.

Bought this to try and now will build a bigger one since its fun need to be able to melt 5/7 lbs.
 

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mckutzy

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Nice setup...
I've been really thinking to get into a bit of aluminum...
I've got the forge, can put it on its side and just need a crucible...
I can get one relatively cheap off of the Amazon...

I remember alot of doing casting in high-school back in the day...
Green sand and lost foam... good times..

For all our typical need in the minibike realm... That's more than enough...
 

gegcorp2012

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@mkutzy , @bansil ,
I was reading on another forum where a machinist makes chain/gear cases and other parts out of damaged deisel engine pistons.

Impressive stuff. A forge is on my project bucket list now...



Sent from my SM-J700T using Tapatalk
 

ol'joe

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Again, glad to see people heating and beating iron and steel again, since my generation of blacksmiths is fading fast from the planet. Please do not fail to look over some of the blacksmith forums for knowledge and projects whether you join or not....blacksmiths are usually eager to pass things along and mentor because that is how most of us learned the trade and are still learning today.

I am a HUGE fan of Kayowool, but I have a bout a cubic yard of broken fire bricks laying around in the process of learning that blanket is superior in most ways.

We also used to build coal and charcoal forges from boxes of dirt or brake drums. You can build a coal forge right in a hole in the ground and it works just fine....but a word of warning. Doing forging or casting while sitting on a low stool or squatting on the ground puts your legs into a horizontal position, which is perfect for catching bits of red hot metal that come off of the work. My late friend Jack spent his final years in a wheelchair and tried to weld from it....bed idea, blisters up and down his thighs from sparks burning through his jeans that would have glanced off and fallen if he had been standing. Leather apron helps.

I'll also throw in a suggestion for foundry work that I have not fully developed, only tried. Carbon arc rods hooked to a cheap welder can super heat almost anything to it's melting point in a big hurry. I once owned a carbon arc torch that would turn the middle of a brick into a blob of glass in seconds or melt a puddle into the middle of a piece of railroad track in MUCH less than a minute.

If I were looking for a "quick and dirty" way of producing a LOT of heat for melting things, I would be check that out, but for heaven's sake, protect your eyes and all of your other tender bits with the proper shades and other devices. You can lose your future in an instant with no hope of getting it back.....Joe
 

mckutzy

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Initially I bought a few feet of the wool, but then I found out(at least the going consensus was) that in order to use it, you'll also need some refractory cement to encase it....

I didnt buy that so I went with the bricks instead as the final build, shelved the wool for now...
It was some pretty cool stuff. Needed to grab something hot one time and used a bit of that to hold it... was pretty cool to hold red hot steel(yes I was also wearing gloves...)...

I did the sitdown rig, as that was the easiest to do, with the anvil not having a stand of sorts, just as it is(for ease of storage and movement around). Probably could have done a more standing setup, but I actually like sitting.
There is of course the issues of more conscientious towards of your legs being potentialy closer to danger, but planning helps alot... I always forged with my met plate boots on, as that was all I had, but as a point of feet near the fire and steel.
 
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