Door for my brick oven

[oldwolf]

Finally building an electric heat treat oven and wondering about some kind of port in the door. I've used a touch for a long time and never treating the tangs preferring to leave them soft. Could you build a door slot or port where the tangs would be out of the oven and still have a decent heat seal? The oven will be of soft brick 32" long. I'd rather not have to make the oven 42" long for some sword tangs. Any ideas, or am I all wet?

 

[ron_m80]

old cast iron fireplace clean out doors?

Like this?

they also have an 8x8" one as well.

I hope it helps, i really havn't found alot of info on forge construction yet.

 

[oldwolf]

Ron_M80
Thanks for the link. Might could use the door, but what I need is a way to cut a slot and seal the tang as it sticks out. I guess just some hi temp wool, but I was looking for some ideas on the sealing aspect

 

[Josh Dabney]

I'm curious what type of steel your using ? If your oil quenching you have the option of not quenching the tang portion of the blade and letting it air cool to keep from hardening the tang. Or you could give the tang a "Soft back draw" by heating the tang up with a torch after quenching.

Just a couple thoughts -Josh

 

[oldwolf]

Hi Josh,
Yep I could do that to keep the tang soft. I'm trying to keep the oven at 32" or so, so a door slot would save me from heating up a 10" tang. Doing as you mentioned would be making a 42" long Oven and heating the whole 42" object.
Just might have to do that. Looking for yeah or nay on leaving the tang out of the oven.

 

[Leu Custom]

I would imagine if you're going to put any kind of door on a kiln, it would have to be mainly made of some sort of firebrick. Using a metal door of any kind would cause the metal to get seriously hot and possibly cause some undesired effects. Would almost be better off building a forge if you wanted to leave something open. Leaving something open in a kiln will most likely not let the kiln get up to heat and stay there should there be a constant opening while you're heat treating. Build a forge instead ! Or build a kiln with a soft brick door and put the entire knife including tang inside and just quench the blade only leaving the tang unquenched.

 

[Fred.Rowe]

I think you're on to something.

Easy enough to notch fire brick for the tang to stick through.

Make a stationary half door, out of fire brick, notch this side and hinge the other half door, to take the blade in and out.

You could notch the fire brick oversize and use some small pieces of Kaowool to fill the void around the tang

I don't care for a hardened tang either; it doesn't make sense to me.

Any way you go, that is going to be one big oven; if I ever make a big knife, I'll know where to come to get it heat treated.

Fred

 

[DrThunder88]

What about Duraboard? It's kind of like Kaowool but stiffer and kind of like bricks but not as brick-like.

 

[silver_pilate]

It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but it works really well. Someone with better equipment and metal working skills than myself could make this look even better and adapt a window/slot into the door.

I built the hollow door frame out of angle aluminum and weld steel, stuffed it tightly with the high temp glass fiber insulation, and used high temp stainless strapping to secure a glass fiber woven high-temp tadpole gasket to make the seal.

It's likely easier to build a hollow frame, stuff it with refractory brick, and cut a window that you could have a plug for when not in use.

--nathan

 

[oldwolf]

I would imagine if you're going to put any kind of door on a kiln, it would have to be mainly made of some sort of firebrick. Using a metal door of any kind would cause the metal to get seriously hot and possibly cause some undesired effects. Would almost be better off building a forge if you wanted to leave something open. Leaving something open in a kiln will most likely not let the kiln get up to heat and stay there should there be a constant opening while you're heat treating. Build a forge instead ! Or build a kiln with a soft brick door and put the entire knife including tang inside and just quench the blade only leaving the tang unquenched.

The door will be well insulated whatever I use. Probably fire brick as Fred suggested. I really don't want to build it 10" longer to harden a tang which I would soften later, but thanks for the response.

 

[oldwolf]

It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but it works really well. Someone with better equipment and metal working skills than myself could make this look even better and adapt a window/slot into the door.

I built the hollow door frame out of angle aluminum and weld steel, stuffed it tightly with the high temp glass fiber insulation, and used high temp stainless strapping to secure a glass fiber woven high-temp tadpole gasket to make the seal.

It's likely easier to build a hollow frame, stuff it with refractory brick, and cut a window that you could have a plug for when not in use.

--nathan

Nice oven. It doesn't have to be pretty. Mine sure as heck isn't going to be pretty, just functional. Hollow frame sounds good as I'm going to seal the slot with Hi-temp wool around the tang.

 

[oldwolf]

I think you're on to something.

Easy enough to notch fire brick for the tang to stick through.

Make a stationary half door, out of fire brick, notch this side and hinge the other half door, to take the blade in and out.

You could notch the fire brick oversize and use some small pieces of Kaowool to fill the void around the tang

I don't care for a hardened tang either; it doesn't make sense to me.

Any way you go, that is going to be one big oven; if I ever make a big knife, I'll know where to come to get it heat treated.

Fred

Hi Fred, How you doing?
That's about what I've decided to do. Just wasn't quite sure if it would work out.
Yep, it's got to be big enough for a looong knife.
How the heck do you respond with multiple quotes as you've been doing, in the Bubble Jig thread