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Post by huntingtag08 on Apr 22, 2011 23:29:23 GMT -5
Okay,
All you smiths that know something, I'm looking to make some damascus blades with crane cable like Phoenix posted about. I ain't doing it tomorrow or anything, I've gotta haul and grind hay and check cows and stuff, but I still want to do it.
I've got a coke forge that I want to work on, but I read that you don't want to try welding on a forge with any sulfur in the coal. Should I worry about this? I don't know much about the coal I can get.
Should I build a propane forge? If so, what's the best design? I ain't throwing Dad's forge out or anything, but is there something else I should use for this?
Thanks!
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Post by twistedmetalworks on Apr 23, 2011 8:06:27 GMT -5
Hello, what you want is "Pocahantis Nut" forging coal. most coal suppliers have it by the ton or bag (usualy a 50 pound bag I think). you can also use Kinsford or any brand of charcoal but you need to break it up into smaller pieces the size of a Nut, the dust and little bits are fine as well. You can also order forging coal online and such. at present I'm using high grade furnace coal that me and my buddy shoveled out of someones basement (there were old coal tags from the 50's in it) and it is SMOKEY, thick yellow smoke, sulfure for sure, and I can testify that it makes forge welding a bit more tricky. sulfure is a element and doesnt break down from the heat so it becomes a impurity that can mess up yer weld. I work on oter things till the forge has burned this off and turned most of the coal into coke. I would avoid this as it will just make it harder for you to learn and get good results. I would also like to mention that gas forges cant get as hot as a coal forge, but it can be tough to heat a long section, paitents is the key, you cant hurry it and it takes much longer to heat your piece evenly. expect some of the cable strands to fray as you work it and a 1 inch cable twists down to about 3/8 so the bigger the cable the more you got to work with. chokers and steel straps for rigging and lifting are awsome steel and much stronger than the actual lifting cable, they would make excelent damascus. you will also need some etching solution when yer all done. I use PCB Etchent solution from Radio Shack. it is actualy Ferric Acid and should be diluted by at least 50% and keep and eye on it cuz it wont take long to etch your blade. it will come out black, soak it in bakin soda and water to neutralize the acid then dry and buff it up to see the beauty. the black will come off and you can repeat the process if you want a deeper look. I hope this help, give a shout if ya have any more question. Good luck and Have Fun.
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Post by phoenix1967 on Apr 24, 2011 11:54:28 GMT -5
Coal will work fine, the kind with sulfur (bituminous) is often called blacksmiths coal. you can use either kind, just hard coal (anthracite ) is harder to light and work with. Breaking the coal into marble or nut sized pieces helps. Do not use regular brickette charcoal if you can help it, it is mostly clay and doesn't get as hot as lump charcoal or coal.
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