Damascus Makers ??

B . Buxton

B . Buxton

Joined
Jul 8, 2001
Messages
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What do you guys put down in the bottom of your horizontial forges to keep the damascus billets from laying in the crap flux and scale that accumulates there?


Thanks,

Bill
 
Bill,

I made this liner for my forge using welded wire screen and bubble alumina. I cast it in a rough form, lined with plastic sheet. It took a day and a half too set up, but it is quite rigid when dry. I don't know how long it will hold up as I have not had a chance to monitor it for any length of time. One thing I do know; it cant be any harder than chipping the flux out of the bottom of the forge.:(

Fred

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Hey Fred, I was wondering how that was working out. I'll have to rig up a mat to protect my bricks. Great idea, thanks for sharing!! :)
 
Tried lots of things Bill and ended up building a vertical forge to overcome this.
 
In my horizontal I do the initial weld and then put a piece of sacrificial plate steel on the floor when heating and drawing. Works for me.
 
Thanks Guys,

Jim I have a big vertcal and use it all the time but I also have a horizontial that will take bigger billets so I figured I would start using it. I just didn't want my billets laying in the crap between heats, throught maybe you guys had come up with something to cure the problem.:(

Bill
 
I put in a chunk of hard fire brick. Usually a 1/2 brick broken into smaller pieces. It holds up great and just sit the billet on it. If it disapears in the muck either clean it out or put in another chunk of brick.
 
I always weld a 2' piece of rebar to my damascus billet. Then I place the billet in the forge, and lower the handle so that the billet never touches the kiln floor............................................. 5444444rq
 
i try and clean my floor after every session, while the forge is still blazing hot, i'll shut the gas off, and i have a scraper i made, flux removes simply at those heats, just drag it across the floor and let the muck fall on the shop floor. the brick thing does work well also, but if ya put a whole brick in they suck up to much heat imo, so like AC RICHARDS said break a 1/2 into smaller pieces.
 
Thanks guys, the floor in this forge in 1/2" thick fire brick I sliced up using a whole brick. Its gets good and hot very quickly, I like Roberts idea, I should have throught of that myself since I've been hanging billets in the air with my veritcal for so long. Thanks again guys

Bill
 
I use a bit of kiln shelf ceramic. I put in a layer of cat litter half of my forge high I lay a piece of kiln shelf ceramic on top what runs off into the cat litter I take out after each use.Cat litter is only aborbant clay. Get the cheapest brand with no fancy deodorisers it is perfect. I don.t make damascus very often so it is not a problem to change. My mate bought some special clay to make a dish for the bottom of his forge. It works well but they are inclined to crack if too thin. You also need to scoop out all the extra fux while still hot to stop it filling up. I tried one to use stainless steel to make a dish it only laste a couple of times I don't know what grade it was but after a few sessions it had worped and become brittle like craker buscuit. I have also used a light weight fire brick rounded on the bottom for my round forge, a holow scooped in the top and the cat litter around all ov it except the top, I coated the fire brick with therocoat 2000 . What ever you blokes paint the ko wool with.
 
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