Cory LA

Keep your coffee in a cool dark place or in the fridge. It doesn't have to be boiling, but it does work better at room temp and above.

Also, make sure it's free of any oils that will block the coffee etch. I use acetone or Dawn and water before a coffee bath.

So I've decided to bypass the kiddie pool and jump straight into the deep end by participating in the 2021 KITH (a 1 cubic inch challenge). Two designs came to mind out of my collection of sketches.... a simple sheeps foot and my take on a Bastinelli design. The "foot" is pretty straight forward as far as forging and finish, where as the latter will definitely test my forging and woodworking limits. Do I play it fairly safe and try to perfect the out come of the "foot", or do I swing for the fence and push my envelope? Maybe a design other than a sheeps foot? My other question is about handle finish. I've read and tried a few of the more common finishes which have worked well. The other day I came across Odies Oil. Anyone heard of it or tried it? It's supposedly waterproof and very durable so I'm thinking it might be worth a shot.

According to my math, Robert, you're good to go. My first two ideas are kind of at the opposite ends of the mild to wild spectrum.... a simple sheeps foot or one based off a Bastinelli design

1. Alex Middleton 2. Cory LA

Out of curiosity..... if one were planning on using damascus, would it be the pre weld size or post weld billet size that would be 1 cubic inch? Just want to make sure of parameters.

So I followed the original 3/4" directions, substituting 1/2" for all 3/4", using a .23 mig tip and mine ran best with a 5" mixing tube. Once you have it together you have to adjust jet and tube length for your forge. Remember not to have the tube sticking in past the forge wall.

Darren, I'll look through my stuff and see if I can find the specs I started with. If I don't find them I'll get some measurements for you. As Alan said, a 3/4 will work, and if you decide to upsize your forge a bit you'll already have the burner.

I'm fairly new to the addiction and not any where as skilled as many on the forum. That said, I'd like to join the KITH if it ends up being something I think I have a chance at accomplishing. Design by committee sounds like an interesting option.

Fairly new myself, but...... I built mine with 6 bricks, so it's twice the width of yours but still pretty small. I used a 1/2" T burner and it works great. (It hits welding temps) I'm sure someone here can help you tune one to work perfect in yours.