Alternatives for salt tanks?

[Sam Salvati]

Is there any mostly accurate methods of attaining the 1500-1650 degrees accurately and consistently enough other than salt tanks? Looking specifically for proven designs/plans. Thanks.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Adding a controller ( Solenoid valve,Pyrometer ,and a PID) to a gas forge will get you easily regulated to within 25 degrees at worst, and if you let it run until fully heated, the forge will stay within 5 degrees. Other than that, a HT oven (Paragon, Evenheat) will get you any temperature you want +/- 2 degrees. The HT oven will set you back between $700 and $1500. The gas forge conversion will cost you between $50 and $100.
Stacy

 

[Sam Salvati]

Thanks Stacy, where could i get everything i need to do the gas forge conversion? Not quite ready for the HT oven just yet.

 

[A C Richards]

Try these guys, http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1 Got 2 controllers and they seem to have everything else at reasonable prices.

Chuck

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Those controllers will work fine. Ebay is the easiest place to get a solenoid valve, and the thermocouple probe,as well as a PID. You want a 1/4"-3/8" solenoid valve,with a 110-120VAC coil, rated for gas. Something like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/Asco-Valve-Sole...ageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p1638.m118
Stacy

 

[Sam Salvati]

Thank you very much Stacy and Chuck, I really appreciate the help.

 

[jdm61]

I recently bought a Paragon oven because salt scares me and with the steels that I use, W2, 1084, 1075, I really can't get the benefit of the two pot marquenching technique. Plus, I really couldn't think of a safe and effective way to do clay coating with high temp salts. I have been using the forge both with and without the muffle pipe and the results have been barely acceptable at best.

 

[ssunfish]

I wanted to ask you why you wanted to avoid salts. I may be getting into salts later because of its contribution to toughness of the blade and thus the knife overall. This is the first I heard I heard to the negative about them.

 

[sunshadow]

I was going to get into salts until during the course of Tim Zowada's salt demonstrationn he mentioned the explosive effect of a drop of water or oil clinging to a blade instantly vaporizing as the blade is thrust into a tube of 1600F salt. I have been burned by molten salts before, but the volume of salt he described becoming a fountain was just a bit frightening

-Page

 

[Sam Salvati]

I just cannot afford them yet.

 

[deker]

If you're going the solenoid route, you need to make sure of a few things in your planning.

- make sure you get a vale that defaults to CLOSED. That way, in the event of a system malfunction (or even power loss to the system) you won't be blowing gas throughout the shop.
- make sure you set your controller up properly to deal with your (now appropriately chosen) valve.

-d