Big change pending at my shop

[Bob Warner]

I've been cleaning out the shop and getting it ready to be used again. It turned into a convenient place to put things over the last 10 month that it was not used. It is taking forever but I am almost done.

I decided to try playing with the forge. I fired it up and started forging but very quickly I learned that it was a bad idea. It took only a couple of minutes before my leg decided to make me stop. After ten months, I still can?t stand in one place more than a couple minutes before it starts to hurt. I could not even get the steel forged into any kind of shape before I had to quit.

After thinking about it for a few days now I think I am going to make a big change in how I do things. I think I will have better luck and get more done if I change to stock removal stainless and stop forging.

I put all my forging equipment and steel up for sale and hope to get enough to buy a heat treat oven. Already got a guy coming to look at my anvil tomorrow for $200 (it's a start).

Can anyone advise me on what oven to look for? It will need digital controls. Cash will be a major factor. Hate to get rid of my forges, anvil and the other stuff but sometimes the path to where we want to be needs to be redefined.

If I can make this happen I'll be back on the road to knifemaking, if not I may have to take a break for a pretty long time.

[McAhron]

Howdy Bob.Sorry its taking you so long to heal.There are many people and even complete cultures who forge sitting down.I have seen a master blacksmith work steel amazingly.If you have made up your mind to go the stock removal route and need a kiln you could build one.There is an excelent tutorial here in these forums.Do a search.It looks quite easy to build and if memory serves it cost around 250$.Digital controls will run a couple hundread extra.If new is the way you want to go I have heard excelent things about Evenheat kilns.

[tmickley]

Bob, welcome to the dark side!
I'm using an Evenheat 14" furnace. The rampmaster control is quirky to program but it works. Let me know if I can help in any way...

[TexasJack]

Those programmable controllers have gotten very cheap. (There was a pretty lengthy discussion about that not long ago. I think a couple of people bought the controllers to use as a thermocouple readout.) A guy with your mechanical aptitude could probably build a unit.

[Bob Warner]

I just went and read the how to on it by Andy Gascoigne and it looks easy enough. If I sell some stuff I should be OK. Already have everything for the box.

Between the current projects, Ozone Generator (Just need a box for this), Phase converter (need everything EXCEPT a box) and now heat treat oven I have my hands full.

Anyone have one of those cheap green pistol safes sold by Wally World? The ones that set on top of the tall rifle safes (made by Sentinel). It would be perfect for the ozone Generator.

[Bob Warner]

I just emailed Paragon about fire bricks. They are only about 15 miles or so from me (not far from the Mesquite Rodeo where the Spirit of Steel knifeshow used to be). We will see what they charge for them.

They are nice people and gave me a very lengthy tour back in 1993 when I started kifemaking. Gave me printouts of how to heat treat different steels. Maybe another tour is in order before building an oven so I can see how they do things.

[Andrew Garrett]

Ironic, you are starting into SR as I am getting ready to start forging. I have some cash and need some stuff!

PM me with a list of what you have. I also have a buddy wanting some stuff too, so "strike while the iron is hot" as they say. This may work well for both of us! Texas is always a fun drive!

[Chris Meyer]

I assume that you have already considered this, but what about forging while sitting down? I have seen Paul Champagne forge this way, so I know it can be done.

[SVanderkolff]

Bob
Before you spend a bunch of cash on the supplies to build a kiln do a local search for pottery kilns. Pottery making was all the craze about a decade ago and now there are a lot of kilns being sold off by the ex enthusiasts. I picked up a fairly large pottery kiln for $75 bucks. A lot bigger than what I need but the price was right. All I needed to add was the controller.
Good Luck
Steve

[Tom Militano]

Check with Tim Zowada on a heat treat oven. Great prices and a good man to deal with.

[cwp]

I would second Steve on this one. I got a really nice tabletop kiln (front loading) with controller for $100 (Guy had fired it once). I then picked up a large top load kiln for $30, but need to re-do/re-work the controller on that one. Picked it up because my wife wants to start teaching the kids pottery.

--Carl

[Bob Warner]

I am looking for a kiln but also pricing the parts to build one. Sold my anvil today (that was hard to do).

I found the following items so far, and wonder if anyone else has found better deals anywhere.

http://www.budgetcastingsupply.com
#7101 Kanthal Heating Element 2300 ?F Max
$61.50 plus shipping

www.EllisCustomKnifeworks.com
3" Soft Insulating Fire Brick:
- Size: 9" x 4.5? x 3? thick
- $4.50 per brick
- $42.50 per box of 10 bricks

I will need 25 to make the same size oven Andy made.

$107.50 Plus shipping (A lot I am sure)

Digital controller
Here is an ebay auction with one. HERE

I am not sure what FEATURES I need with the controller. This one does not have a thermocouple so I would need to find one of them as well.

$58.00 buy it now price including shipping.


If anyone know of cheaper or better, please let me know where to find it.

[cwp]

Got my thermocouples from Omega direct. They are fairly reasonable, recommended by Ed Caffrey, he has some info here http://www.caffreyknives.net/bsteel.htm.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Dual-Digital-F-C...QQcmdZViewItem

They were good to deal with and got the controller to me quickly.

--Carl

[rhrocker]

I Don't know about all of this Bob, you already have a lot of forging in your blood. I'm betting it's going to be hard to make the changeover. Are you sure you can't forge in a position that is comfortable?

[McAhron]

Got my bricks from a local wood stove company at 2.50 a piece.