04-10-2017, 10:44 AM
Hi Bubby, Welcome to the Forum, it's great to have you here!
My chosen steel is 52100, which is the steel almost all ball bearings are made of. The steel I use comes from a batch of steel that was intended to go to NASA for large bearings. The company that made it went bankrupt before the steel got sent to NASA.
The steel company that bought the bankrupt company sells the steel to my 52100 mentor, Ed Fowler. I get it in 3" diameter round stock, which is a bear to forge down to usable bar stock. It takes a Lot of heat. My first forge was marginally enough. The new forge will handle this job Much more quickly and efficiently.
Now I'm interested in making damascus, which also takes a lot of heat. I'd like to try to make bigger things, like swords and axes, which takes a big forge.
I'm interested in casting brass, bronze and aluminum. It takes high heat to melt these metals. This forge will not only make all these wishes come true, it will do so easily.
With adjustable volume via a movable rear wall, I'll be able to use just as much room as needed for the project at hand. I won't need to use the whole forge or the second burner very much, but now I'm virtually unlimited.
I can't stand marginal equipment. It makes things more difficult than necessary, and wears out too quickly. I'm a huge fan of overkill. It makes things easy.
My chosen steel is 52100, which is the steel almost all ball bearings are made of. The steel I use comes from a batch of steel that was intended to go to NASA for large bearings. The company that made it went bankrupt before the steel got sent to NASA.
The steel company that bought the bankrupt company sells the steel to my 52100 mentor, Ed Fowler. I get it in 3" diameter round stock, which is a bear to forge down to usable bar stock. It takes a Lot of heat. My first forge was marginally enough. The new forge will handle this job Much more quickly and efficiently.
Now I'm interested in making damascus, which also takes a lot of heat. I'd like to try to make bigger things, like swords and axes, which takes a big forge.
I'm interested in casting brass, bronze and aluminum. It takes high heat to melt these metals. This forge will not only make all these wishes come true, it will do so easily.
With adjustable volume via a movable rear wall, I'll be able to use just as much room as needed for the project at hand. I won't need to use the whole forge or the second burner very much, but now I'm virtually unlimited.
I can't stand marginal equipment. It makes things more difficult than necessary, and wears out too quickly. I'm a huge fan of overkill. It makes things easy.