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MrRick
1000 posts
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in 7 months
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I just made a Mini Forge!
Well I made a mini forge out of a 3.78L paint can. I left the wire handle in place.
I used Plaster of Paris and washed sand. The mix is 50/50 with water but you don't have to be super accurate. A little more or less won't matter. But caution adding water. Add little at a time to get a heavy pourable mix as if you're pouring for a fence posts. You'll need a 1.8 kg box of Plaster of Paris and the same in washed sand for this size paint can.
Okay...so to start.....
First ... I drilled four 1/4" dia clearance holes for 1/4-20 x 3-1/2" L carriage bolts and placed them at 45° from the center of can. These are leg stands. The dome heads become the actual feet rests. I sandwiched the bolt ends with two washers and two nuts for each one. I loctited these and quickly tightened.
Second....I drilled a 3/4" hole thru on the right side about 1-1/2" from the bottom and on a line drawn from handle to bottom. I placed an approx 2-1/2" L chunk of 3/4" dia steel tube into the hole leaning upward and temporarily held in place with hot glue. The inside dia of this tube has to allow your propane nozzle to fit into it. Check this.
Third....I used a wine bottle as a mold for creating the cavity. But once you pour you have under 10 minutes to get it out or you will be breaking it out. Oil or wax the bottles outside surface to help get it out. A plastic bottle might be better but finding the right size is not easy. Once you pour check every couple minutes and wiggle the bottle some to ensure removal. When the mix is fairly firm carefully remove the bottle. Immediately after bottle removal use a wooden dowel and push out the Plaster of Paris mix that filled your torch access tube and empty. I used a round file to help clean it out.
Now you wait. Let it harden up. I waited an hour and then tried it. It was nice. Let sit over night before actually using.
Cheers!
MrRick
I used Plaster of Paris and washed sand. The mix is 50/50 with water but you don't have to be super accurate. A little more or less won't matter. But caution adding water. Add little at a time to get a heavy pourable mix as if you're pouring for a fence posts. You'll need a 1.8 kg box of Plaster of Paris and the same in washed sand for this size paint can.
Okay...so to start.....
First ... I drilled four 1/4" dia clearance holes for 1/4-20 x 3-1/2" L carriage bolts and placed them at 45° from the center of can. These are leg stands. The dome heads become the actual feet rests. I sandwiched the bolt ends with two washers and two nuts for each one. I loctited these and quickly tightened.
Second....I drilled a 3/4" hole thru on the right side about 1-1/2" from the bottom and on a line drawn from handle to bottom. I placed an approx 2-1/2" L chunk of 3/4" dia steel tube into the hole leaning upward and temporarily held in place with hot glue. The inside dia of this tube has to allow your propane nozzle to fit into it. Check this.
Third....I used a wine bottle as a mold for creating the cavity. But once you pour you have under 10 minutes to get it out or you will be breaking it out. Oil or wax the bottles outside surface to help get it out. A plastic bottle might be better but finding the right size is not easy. Once you pour check every couple minutes and wiggle the bottle some to ensure removal. When the mix is fairly firm carefully remove the bottle. Immediately after bottle removal use a wooden dowel and push out the Plaster of Paris mix that filled your torch access tube and empty. I used a round file to help clean it out.
Now you wait. Let it harden up. I waited an hour and then tried it. It was nice. Let sit over night before actually using.
Cheers!
MrRick
34 Comments
LIKE 😁 great idea rick. we dont have likes though, it's a thumbs up.
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
Then gives me a thumbs up! 👍 🙂
We just had a discussion about forges last week. Ryan might use this idea
Damn it Rick! Now I have to make one of these!!! LOL....I have been saving saw blades to make knives for 30 some years now.... Great Idea....I love it!
Mike
we also have a metalworking forum, maybe post there also ?
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
Had the forge operational this afternoon. Wow! Hey Pottz.... I'll stick to woodworking for now. It's my love.
Hey all.. per Pottz's suggestion I posted to metalworking too!
Have you put a chunk of steel in there yet? How’d it go? How long to heat up??
Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".
That's a good question. Yes I put a 4" long x 1/8" thick x 1/2" wide piece in. 15 minutes went by and the metal still was not red hot. It was hot but not at a point you take it to annealing. There was fair amount of smoke as well. I realized that the thickness of the Plaster of Paris was not fully dried yet. Still cool to the touch perhaps damp. Also it seems to me you can't just lay the piece in there and expect it to get red hot all around. The side that's against the Plaster of Paris is protected. Anyways I then held the cooled down metal piece in there again in the center of the chamber with a pair of metal tongs and it got red hot in under a minute. Real fast. A bit of experimenting as to what can or can not be done and learning from it is in order.
You done had to post this at the same time that I picked up my first anvil and hammer.
I guess there’s no need to buy the Vevor now. I already have a new never-been-used paint can and a bottle of propain, looks like all I need are some feet for the can and your blend of insulation.
I just looked up the cost of Keowool, any reason you didn’t go with that? I mean, I like your approach better — Keowool is dangerous if not sealed (you don’t to breathe-in any of that ceramic if it gets airborne, I read, so you are supposed to seal it with cement?)
I guess there’s no need to buy the Vevor now. I already have a new never-been-used paint can and a bottle of propain, looks like all I need are some feet for the can and your blend of insulation.
I just looked up the cost of Keowool, any reason you didn’t go with that? I mean, I like your approach better — Keowool is dangerous if not sealed (you don’t to breathe-in any of that ceramic if it gets airborne, I read, so you are supposed to seal it with cement?)
Dev, you need to use a liquid rigidizer on the wool first, so that it will hold up to having the refractory cement applied…or so I’ve read…
Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".
I went with Plaster of Paris because it's cheap. Every box store carries it. It's not dangerous. Easy to clean up. Biodegradable. Ditto for washed sand. Like it cost me $6 to make this forge.
SIX DOLLARS?!
In 2024?!
Yeehaw 👍
In 2024?!
Yeehaw 👍
Careful Dev, he might not be in Cali. That could be $6 in regular-world money…we’ve gotta add our luxury taxes and fees to it, probably some sort of a sin tax, and it’ll need to be electric because gas is the Devil…but it’ll still probably be less than $100 here…maybe…if you can get a permit for it…
Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".
Ha ha LOL Ryan! You're probably right! Don't forget the addition of the climate change tax, urban street cleanup tax, and gas tax.
Cough. Ok, so Ryan’s not kidding.
How much did I pay for the paint can alone? Let’s see … (pulls up purchase history)
https://a.co/d/74Ur3En
In Sep 2020, I paid $9.17 for that can.
Today it is going for $13.28.
So we’re already at over twice the total cost just by buying the paint can, and we haven’t even purchased any carriage bolts, nuts, sand, plaster, or propane.
When Ryan says under $100, not by much.
I estimate over $50 in California monies.
EDIT: So when I see a single burner Vevor going for $78 that doesn’t sound bad at all — https://a.co/d/2WMhf1P — or a double burner for $109 — https://a.co/d/71Avlia
How much did I pay for the paint can alone? Let’s see … (pulls up purchase history)
https://a.co/d/74Ur3En
In Sep 2020, I paid $9.17 for that can.
Today it is going for $13.28.
So we’re already at over twice the total cost just by buying the paint can, and we haven’t even purchased any carriage bolts, nuts, sand, plaster, or propane.
When Ryan says under $100, not by much.
I estimate over $50 in California monies.
EDIT: So when I see a single burner Vevor going for $78 that doesn’t sound bad at all — https://a.co/d/2WMhf1P — or a double burner for $109 — https://a.co/d/71Avlia
I used an old empty paint can that I cleaned up. OPTIONS: If your don't have this then you could go to a recycling depot if you have one and get it for free... or ask a neighbor ... or look at what people are throwing away on trash pickup day.
Another option.... don't make this and use refractory bricks instead. They're pretty cheap at HD or at least they used to be.
Another option.... don't make this and use refractory bricks instead. They're pretty cheap at HD or at least they used to be.
Yeah, you can’t usually get recycled items from a recycle center. They aren’t usually open for outside purchase. Our county dump used to let people take items away if they wanted. That stopped about 15 years ago because of ‘liability’ and the fact they try to sell some of the recycling back to the state.
Nothing here makes sense except the weather…
Nothing here makes sense except the weather…
Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".
Other thoughts .... ever try going to a paint store and asking them for one .... or watch for someone painting their house and ask them for the empties ... or ask a realtor to save one when they have their people touch up a house for sale?... think outside the box 👍
Probably find them easy enough at a garage or estate sale. Even if they aren’t for sale, you could offer them $5…everyone has at least a couple dried out ones around.
Dev, aren’t you redoing your kitchen??? Gotta be paint in the somewhere.
Dev, aren’t you redoing your kitchen??? Gotta be paint in the somewhere.
Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".
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