t cudworth Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Morning everyone! im in the middle of building a 55 gallon drum forge for a sword build, and im wondering if I could remove both ends, slit the barrel the long way, and roll it tighter to make the whole unit smaller? or would i need the whole drum? i would use less kaowool, and the unit would be smaller. just not sure if it would affect the heating? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Jesus Hernandez made his out of a water heater, so you can go skinnier. It's just a little harder to get a truly even heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Betts Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 It's also surprisingly difficult to roll one of those barrels smaller while keeping it cylindrical. Tried it once for a completely unrelated project. It didn't work and we ended up wasting the drum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t cudworth Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 thanks guys! the even heat was definately a concern. the outer circumference is 6 ft, im gonna try to go down to 4, kinda fits with the amount of insulation i ordered. if i can ever get the picture thing figured out ill post some progress pics. also, i was going to use a weed burner, but would there be something else you would recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Sam Salvati swears by the T-rex, but almost any easily adjustable burner will do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t cudworth Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 thanks alan. i will check them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t cudworth Posted November 17, 2017 Author Share Posted November 17, 2017 just found an old post by todd gdula, great build, answered alot of questions. i searched in the beginning, but not far enough apparently! thanks again guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t cudworth Posted November 26, 2017 Author Share Posted November 26, 2017 Ive got it built, and i did go smaller. Crap turns out i couldve left the barrel full size because my calculations were off on the ceramic blanket. Oh well, ive got alot left over. I did build it copying todds design. I figured why mess with genius. First problem was airflow. I loosened the top a bit( i didnt weld it on for removal of a dropped piece and repairs etc), and backed out the burner and voila, you could hear the burn even out. Some sort of an adjustable opening at the top would be ideal. Be warned the fumes in the beginning im sure are toxic as hell. I let the cement dry for 2 days but im sure the first burn cures it. I stopped monitoring the pyrometer at 1010, but it seems to work great. This is my 1st sword build. Basic shape broadsword? From 5160, all by hand, going surprisingly well so far. If there is a step by step on how to post pics, could someone point me too it? Ive got many of this process. Thanks everyone and happy holidays! Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t cudworth Posted December 14, 2017 Author Share Posted December 14, 2017 Heres the barrel in operation, and tge sword underway. Guard is fitted loosely for now. Any tips or critique would be great! Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted December 14, 2017 Share Posted December 14, 2017 I like the name you chose for the drum. I find it best not to fit the guard until after the blade is totally finished, else what starts as a perfect tight fit becomes a bit loose and rattly. That said, I once made a blade to fit a finished guard because the original blade did not survive HT, so perhaps I'm a bit paranoid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vern Wimmer Posted December 14, 2017 Share Posted December 14, 2017 I wouldn't be surprised to find that almost everyone, at one time or another, has ended up with a guard in search of a blade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Silas Posted December 24, 2017 Share Posted December 24, 2017 I almost choked on my coffee when I scrolled down to the name on the forge... hilarious and apt name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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