Sean Blum

Supposedly they are in North America ASTM A229. From what I can tell A229 is 1055-1084 (large carbon range) with higher Manganese and Silicon.

What lengths of the 4150 do you have or is that only available at the show?

Other parts were made of WI but as for rails they would've had to be laid very early on as once steel became economical the rail was the first part to switch as there was a huge difference in operating life between the two where soles and spikes not so much until true economic steel came around. You might have a slightly better chance here in the US for old rail and mine/aux rail as there was a economical slump right at the transition but post slump it was almost all steel. Relatively speaking you have a smaller window of WI for rails than spikes so you'll want as old as possible and from long abandoned lines as if they were still active during transition they might have been converted if they went through a usage cycle. Im not 100% on this as there are a lot of factors about the transition of the rails.

What is your bucket manufacturer? As Alan said it can be A36 (more likely a "proprietary" derivative) but some can also be a big piece of AR360, AR400, or 1040 with either the same for the teeth with a different HT or something else.

You are looking for toughness and impact resistance so think more along hammer steels or AR steel. 4140 which is usually forklift tines I believe could be a good option. 6150 is probably the closest on your list and can be welded like normal plain steel you just need preheat and postheat with a slow cool down. Basically get it up to temp I cant remember exactly off the top I think its 5-600 weld heat the whole thing back that temp around the weld and then slowly cool by torching it but not as long each time. basically you want the steel to contract slowly as possible.

Yep just as Alan said though i didnt take the time to coat it like Matt I just needed it for durability so you can get degree of hot spot but not eliminate. I will say I like how fast it comes to temp when I remember our old 3 burner Majestic and our large ribbon. Overall for its price I would recommend.

I actually ended up getting one to replace our small forge we have for members to use. Only change I made to it was I coated with some leftover Kast-o-lite instead of the satanite it came with just so I'm doing less patching (members are rough on it). I have personally made items from small hooks up to a new hammer and it works really well. It has a hot spot still like most venturi burners but its not as noticeable as our first venturi forge. Like mentioned above I would get a different regulator but I have to play safe because of our members so up to you.

If you have access to automotive shops or suppliers you could see if they have any old or new portable air tanks. They can come in a few sizes but are generally cheaper new than LP tanks if that's necessary and safer to modify if used than LP.

Ive welded a few dies to base plates to then bolt on. The key is to pre/post heat the non-mild steel to the recommended specs. It doesnt have to be perfect but better more than less heat. This is so the alloy steel doesnt rip its welds apart as it rapid cools. Think quenching san-mai and how it can sometimes split during quench.

do you mean chasers pitch like for chasing and repousse work?

The makerspace I am a part of has a small casting program and I am currently in the process of expanding its capacity to greater than a couple pounds. I will still say I am no expert on this either but will try to give some things to look out for or be prepared for. 1. Moisture is your enemy so make sure everything stays as dry as possible and dealing with humidity make sure to heat crucibles/furnaces slowly and preheat tools and materials before touching anything hot especially liquid. 2. Be prepared for spills. This can come from many sources either knocked over a crucible or the crucible leaks. If your floors are concrete cover them with a catch pan from the furnace to your flask. This can be a metal pan or something like a sandbox. You don't absolutely need one but they can make it a little safer. Remember if on concrete it holds water so a spill can cause the concrete to explode and send shards of concrete and liquid metal around. 3. You will set things on fire it is part of it and happens but being a smith I'm sure you are well aware just wanted to mention. 4. Have material research done before melting materials and stick with as known as possible. I know you know the bad materials but with casting it becomes even more important to be aware of what goes in and gets hot. Sorry to repeat stuff you already know but also kind of wanted to reinforce it for others who stop by here. There are other considerations and things to look out for but some are situational or dependent on factors I dont know if you'll even have involved. Hope this helps a little.

I used to drive past the place for work when I was still in school even had a after work party hosted there. Its a really nice place for seeing some of the bread baskets heritage. I hate to see that its gotten to the point people are stealing from museums/heritage sites and hope they are able to recover their anvils.

From what I've read and old picked up knowledge its kind of dependent on a number of things, but it should be straight forward with a air compressor motor. If you have a volt meter you can check the terminals for a charge and if it does you can short it with a insulated wire. It just takes time as its not a instant discharge as they sometimes have limit discharge resistors so you might have to let it sit shorted for maybe 5min then check it again. Hopefully someone more experienced can come on a give a more technical and safe answer.

Hello all, I have been working on my second version of a blown oil & gas burner for a furnace and wanted some opinions on the baffle/fuel nozzle mounting plate. So the burner tube is 2" pipe and I need to have the nozzle at least eyeballed centered which requires something in the tube to hold it. What I wonder is do I need to make a full plug with holes drilled like the diffusers in ribbon burners or can I just drill a hole in flat bar leaving the sides fully open. I believe the flat bar would allow more air flow but might make some fluctuating turbulence instead of the constant kind the baffle plate does. If more details are needed I can provide. Thank you

Inswool HTZ is rated for 2700 but mixing "insulation" types means the 2400 standard is good enough. The 2700 wool would be good for a more consumable furnace with just a containment coating.