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I have been looking at building a small forge of some kind. Probably out of a small oil barrel or something of that size. It would be for small stuff like knives and small bits and peices.
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The first thing I put in it was an old bolt I cut off a stock trailer axle with a cutting torch, just so I didn't accidentally ruin a good piece of steel. JUst for fun I beat on it with a pretty good sized ball peen hammer and flattened out the nut and end of the bolt.
I had heard that a gas forge wouldn't get hot enough to weld, but it looks like it did to me. I do have a lot to learn, though.
BTW, the insulation worked well enough that I could touch the outside of the forge. I did spit on it first to check for "sizzle".
I have a few horse shoing files my farrier gave me to play with. I might come up with some sort of knife before I ruin all of them. Maybe.
I don't know the melting point of copper off the top of my head, but I'm thinking I can probably melt brass and bronze, which have lower melting points than copper alone.
I need to find an illustrated color/temperature chart. I'm not very good at knowing what color I'm seeing by most if the descriptions used, ie. "straw" and such.
When Nancy and I visited the Blacksmith's shop at The Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, VA, we talked with the blacksmith about color. He said it takes low light and practice. He said all blacksmith shops are almost windowless to keep the light dim so they can see the colors. I thought that was cool. He said nothing is "cool" about smithing.
Dim light is fine for determining dull cherry from cherry red or orange and such..but you need stronger light to watch the color run up on a piece of steel..especially straw..that's the first color that you see when heating metal.. have fun..
When I lived in Waggoner, OK I found an old hand crank forge at a sale. Bought fireclay to reline the fire bed and someone stole the darned thing during the week. Never found another one.
I might have missed an earlier post on this project 20 cows, can you share what sort of bucks you have in this unit? And was there a "do-it-yourself" plan you followed or did you build it from your previous knowledge? I've got a 40X60 building with cement floor, just waiting for me to make it my second home out there. I'd like to have something like you put together here.
To hell with them fellas, buzzards gotta eat same as the worms.
Outlaw Josey Wales
I don't know if you know this, but by using a little Borax on the steel, you can weld two pieces of steel together at a lower temperature than melting occurs at. My Grandfather was a Blacksmith, and my Uncles all worked in his shop as did my Dad. They all learned some and I have asked them about some of the stuff. What I have been told is that you have to develop a feel for the heat, listen to the sound, and watch the color. By the way, don't ever use metal which has been galvanized. The shiny cadmium galvanized steel used in refrigerator and freezer racks is poisonous when heated until the cadmium is all flamed into gas and vented away.
D. Brian Casady
Quid Llatine Dictum Sit, Altum Viditur.
Advanced is being able to do the basics while your leg is on fire---Bill Jeans
Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up---Robert Frost
I got the parts mostly from a scrap metal yard (around 15 to 20 cents a pound, so less than $25). I made the burner out of parts from the local hardware store for maybe $10. The regulator was around $30. The money went for the insulation- ceramic fiber wool with a protective coating. With shipping that was around $60.
I acquired the materials over time, so it was no big deal.
I am surprised how well the burner works as I didn't have the tools to reduce the diameter of a protion of the pipe like the author did. I just heated it with my torch and beat a ring on it with a ball peen hammer.