* Update Mini-forge got a big upgrade pg 3*. Recipe for diaster , mini forge , 1095 .

duffy99

duffy99

Joined
Apr 2, 2011
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**** UPDATE : Mini Forge got a propane system running it , pics on pg 3 .I still gotta tweak the fuel entry system as the hole is too big and when the blower is off it burns out of it which is bad , I'm going to file the hole to hold a pipe and put my burner end through it which should solve that problem . Also setup some more bricks better for closing the front when I want. I'm thinking of lengthening it with my other 2 soft firebricks so It'll be 2 1/2x3"x 16 . Or I can get a bucket and build a totally new one with ceramic wool lining which I might do down the road anyways but for now I think I can easily lengthen it and still have high temps . That and I gotta order a PID and thermocoupler ASAP. Also my pressure gauge doesn't seem to work . The gauge plastic is loose so I'll take it off and tighten it and maybe use less pipe tape and screw it in deeper or it's just broken . All the 2700f furnace cement chipped off when I put i max power ? Any thoughts as to why , did it get over 2700f . Anyways with a little more work it'll be pretty good.







I bought 48" of 3/16 1084 and thinking cause it's cheap and I'm learning to grind I'll make some knives with 1084. I built a ghetto forge with 4 hard firebricks and a Mapp torch with hose and successfully HT'd a blade quenching in 120f canola oil and tempering at 400f for 2 hours ( At least I think I did , it didn't warp or crack and I did the file test) .So I bought 48" of 1095 5/32 thinking I'd do some of it up too, well now I ground a blade , have the gear to build a 2 brick insulated brick forge . Now I'm reading that 1095 is very, very hard to do with this basic setup . Well I'm about to build the forge and give it a go . I'll update the results:eek:.






 
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Clay coat the spine and go for a Killer Hamon! I will keep an eye out...
 
RyanW said:
Clay coat the spine and go for a Killer Hamon! I will keep an eye out...
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Any household "clay" substitutes? I was gonna mix up baking soda( sodium bicarbonate) with some activated charcoal or Anhydrous Magnesium Sulfate or use dirt in the yard or do nothing ( most likely choice ) . Got the forge made but that's it for today, I think I made the hole too big so we'll see how it works.
 
You might want to think twice if you are using those metal straps to hold the brick together, they are galvanized. I can't say how hot they will get wrapped around the bricks but if they get hot enough, they will produce toxic fumes. I don't use galvanized metal anywhere near high heat sources.
 
4brickForge-1.jpg


I did a 4 brick forge like this... The metal doesn't heat up at all. I drilled mine with a 2-1/8" forstner type bit.
Be sure to center your hole for the burner and bring it in on a tangent so the flames roll along the side of the forge.:thumbup:

Good luck on the 1095.


Ryan, Ryan, Ryan..... You, are a hamon pusher! :eek: Showing pictures of your knives with their hamons is bad enough, now you're trying to hook a nice young new maker on them. For crying out loud, you have him raiding the kitchen cupboards and digging in the yard now?? What's next, going to send little care packages of Satanite to people??? :rolleyes: My address is.....ahem...
 
Haha... Brian you are too funny, I am still a new maker. Hamons are fun for all ages. I just realized Satanite has the word Satan in it:D

OK don't go dig in your yard, steal the kids playdoh or go through the cupboards for clay materials. I guess my question would be why make the move from 1080 to 1095 if you are not going for a hamon?
 
RyanW said:
Haha... Brian you are too funny, I am still a new maker. Hamons are fun for all ages. I just realized Satanite has the word Satan in it:D

OK don't go dig in your yard, steal the kids playdoh or go through the cupboards for clay materials. I guess my question would be why make the move from 1080 to 1095 if you are not going for a hamon?
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I was ordering more 1084 and figured I'd get some 1095 too. Any household " clay" I can use? I could go buy furnace cement but I don't even know if I'll be able to HT 1095 with my forge. Could you suggest a easy "clay " and where,how much to apply?
 
Dang buddy you are really going all out on this! Look forward to see what kind of results you get, best of luck!
 
duffy99 said:
Pretty soon I'll be looking for anvils and blacksmith stuff.
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Yup... it's coming. First, it'll be a nice little anvil then you'll need a bigger one, then... a power hammer.
You can try a quench line on the 1080... Ray Richard does them on 1080/1084.

When you are ready, use SearchTempest. I do searches several times a day. My 300# Fisher I got Saturday was posted at 9:48pm and I had it in my truck by 8am...with a guy already coming to see it..

Ed Caffrey's angle pien hammers are sweet!

I have to say I LOVE forging. Wait.... Who's the pusher now?:rolleyes:
 
http://www.pandjceramics.com/ In Edmonton

Try these guys... Ask for 3,000 degree refractory cement.... I think that's what Wayne Coe sells as an alternative to Satanite.

I bought my Inswool from a local ceramic/pottery supply co. They also had ITC and other stuff. I found a couple local refractory suppliers for cement, and just bought 3# of an ITC equivalent for ten bucks from a refractory supplier.
 
I never had any luck with canola oil on '95
Got Mc- Carr 11 and doing great.
easy to get, fast and good price. [about 14-15$ gal]
Skilldust
 
Not just any Clay... it has to be able to handle the Heat. Furnace cement works as Fluidsteel stated, I am not one to slow anyone down in this crazy hobby. I am still using 1080 and feel you will get better results if you continue to use it. good luck on the Hamons.
 
Patrice Lemée;9880793 said:
I am no expert but I sure would like to see that MAPP/propane bottle a little farther from the forge.:eek:
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Yes, Sorry for the safety violation. I totally agree. :o:o:o I switched to the Acetylene B tank in the lower left of the picture shortly after I took this picture... :o:o:o
 
I tried HT'ing 1095 in my ghetto forge and I've got two broke blades to prove it. I didn't know that beginners shouldn't be buying 1095. I also didn't know about using an interrupted brine quench with 1095. I've got some 1084 now but I'm still going to go back and try the 1095 again sometime soon!

Good luck to ya!
 
I am glad to hear that Brian. :thumbup:
Cool and simple way to make a small forge by the way. Makes me sorry I overbuilt mime but I have a hard time keeping things simple. Thanks for sharing.
 
You can buy a tube of refractory mortar at a big box home improvement store for a few $

Wayne Suhrbier
 
Update Success! Well so far , I got it in the oven at 400f for 1 hour , it hasn't cracked yet. I'm going to do 3 tempers with cooling to room temperature in between. Had a bit of a flare up for the first second of the quench ( 130 f ish canola oil ). I was going to do the edge for a second then dunk but ended up doing it for a few milliseconds cause I thought I was losing grip of the blade.


The forge . The legs are getting tossed and reworked to be more stable ,I'm going to rig the torch holder a lot better too and probably refractory cement it all since I had some cracks in the bricks. I carved the bricks out way too big, I have 2 more so I might just start all over again and do it better this time.




Cooling between normalizing ( if that's the word I heated it up slow then let it cool a bit) and then I slowly as I could heated the blade to non-magnetic temperature.




Just out of the quench , no noticeable warping or cracking . I dicked around a few minutes before I wiped it down and put it in a pre-heated oven, I'm not sure if that's correct or if you should instantly wipe it down and get it tempering.




In the oven first temper cycle


Cooling after first temper





All and all going good so far , I'm going to do the file and brass rod test after the first temper. Man it's 27 Celsius ( 81 F ) and I was sweating my balls off throughout . Hopefully it worked and I get a nice blade out of this . It'll be my first blade that I heat treated and completed and my first finished knife done with a belt grinder, I went crazy on the first blade with my new setup of 1084 I HT'd before that would have been my first blade ( slipped up on the grinder then got mad and after a lot of sparks it's gotta be reworked a whole lot). Very happy right now , I'm sure I'm going to find out I did it wrong and my blade is junk but I have a brief moment of satisfaction . That of a man who has conquered steel ... CROM !!!
 
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