Protactical

Hi, I would love to see the photos for this build again. I know you have built several other forges since, based on various pictureless threads . What is your current favorite?

I have a small one like that it was designed for doing small knives and tools and uses an atmo burner. I can't say don't do it, the working area is fine, it is more a mater of your burner size and oxy mix. My guess is that the main advantage of following a recipee is that you don't have to figure out these issues for yourself.

Can someone kindly tell me what kind of tape and where I can get it to make my own belts. I buy belts normally, but occasioanlly I get stuck, as I am now with my 1x42. I'm flush with 2" material and belts, but I don't like to burn those sharpening machine tools. I have a feeling that the answer will be some exotic tape I can't easily get right away, which is fine. If, however, there is a 95% OK tape I could use in the meantime... don't hold back. Thanks.

Wow, that is one cheap drug dealer, returning their tanks for the refund. A few follow-ups and arrests might put an end to this problem.

Hi Dan, did you see the thread over on Practical Machinist on restoring nines? There is a real marathon one there stretching over years. I know that you like to test out various solutions and will trypretty large projects so you might enjoy a concrete base as refered to in post 48. http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/showt...8005&page=3 I have three of these lathes and a Heavy 10.

"they, by memory where using a bottle jack instead of the strut and star nut arrangement for adjusting the bottom roller. this might be something else worth considering? " Good point. That approach was rejected by the originator, from what I recall,.though I'm not sure why. Maybe just because getting a cylinder up and down one handed while wielding hot metal with the other is a stretch. Some of the guys who have used the thing might offer guidance.

Two things about the height adjust, one is that if you are an internationally known smith with a well organized method of work and not perhaps the tendency to tackle a neck knife one day and break down ball bearing the next if you are smart enough not to hurt yourself and need to switch it up; etc... then you may never use the adjustible height feature. I think part of Chuck's rationale if I rememeber from his video was to be able to sit for less stressful operations, though it's a while since I saw the video... The other thing is that some of these anvils have a fuller hole in the off end, so you would need to whip it around on the engine lift just to get to that. Of course if you own a bunch of other anvils with fuller holes you are covered. I was also thinking that there are a bunch of mechanical hammers out there that use a post anvil construction for the lower jaw/anvil. As far as I can tell they don't go to the extreme of heat treating a thumping big piece of 4140 in super quench (though that is the part of the project that sounds like the most fun.) If anyone knows where I can get a piece of steel in the Toronto area, I wouldn't mind joining up to do a few heat treats for others. edit: I emailed Chuck he has 14 anvils left! I'd buy one if the shipping to Canada wasn't so steep. Maybe I can work out shipping one to Buffalo. Setting up to make them isn't that big a deal, but the cost of stuff like 50 gallons of quench and extra burners ads up. It's just one of those projects that gets you noticed in a residential neighbourhood.

I bought Blade's Guide To Making Knives, thinking the forge stuff was in there. It's an excellent book with good articles all around, including an excellent one by Don on swords. I've been really slow getting around to a new welding forge so ideas are welcome.

Thanks guys. I have a version of the vertical forge. I like atmospheric burners, but I may try Don's real version some day. Here is the quote I was looking for: "I realized that building the universal forge, one that was perfect for welding, forging, heat treating, and general forging was an impossible task, so in my shop I have many forges each built for each operation. They are all built off one basic design however and on this page I will lay out the design and construction of a basic forge." "My welding forge is a scaled up version of this unit. Look for more information and photos in Scott Hardy's soon to be released Knifemakers Directory."

I've been searching and searching for a thread a year or so back on a new forge design Don has come up with that deals better with flux. I seem to remember the deal was that it was covered in a book he had contributed to. Anyone know the book, the thread, or barring all else, anyone have a nominee for the perfect welding forge, on the smaller side prefered.

You might also have a look at historical japanese forges, since they are pretty low tech, and the sword tradition survived un-interupted. Tim's site has a link to a japanese belows/forge design. http://www.twinoaksforge.com/index.html

I don't know enough about it, but it seems like an all around hardened anvil would not be a good thing. Isn't it partly the sadwich effect that provides the resiliance and also eliminates the posibility of fracturing it. As far as heat treating is concerned in Chuck's video he quenched it in super quench and then hosed it for about half an hour with a garden hose on pretty full. He used a hoist to handle the block, you need something that drops it fast but controls it, and you probably want to be off to the side when the thing pops. It is possible to make a hand grenade this way so really sweat the details on your sample and it's proper HT process.

OK, appolagies first, i know i have created a number of pretty stupid threads about unrelated topic like corn burning heaters. It's just a measure of my respect for the general smarts of this group. Has anyone ever used the gas forge info they learned around here to make a BBQ? My old one is about the right size but falling appart, and news one can be quite a lot nicer with, SS, though pretty simple to fabricate overall. Anyone know of some interesting sites? My attempt to search BBQ just gets me to a lot of sites on Ribs recipees. Look everyone has to eat, and the right BBQ might do some interesting double duty tempering or something. Well maybe not, but I would settle for the food.

Glad to hear all is well in Anvil land, I started to worry when I didn't hear back after Katrina. The video is awesome, If I could find the appropriate steel, I would give it a try just to freak out the neighbours, one needs a few projects like that just in case they get uppity.

I seem to recall there was an earlier thread on this topic, Dan was interested? I couldn't find it. Anyway, the cover story in The Home Shop Machinist is a buildalong for a surface grinder. I haven't read it myself so I don't know much about it yet. Be warned, these articles tend to spread over several issues and they aren't cheap.