[TheForge] Treadle forge

[Peter Fels And Phoebe Palmer]

Jerry:
John Fick made his chips out of some fancy high alumina mix he got at a 
ceramic supply, if memory serves.  He patted them into little balls 
about the size of a marble and said they tended to wear down with use. 
Having them light , round and ideally with a slick hard surface is what 
i'd guess you want from seeing his....PF

Jerry Frost wrote:

>
>  
>
>>Frosty,
>>
>>I was sort of turning over in my mind something like the ceramic chip
>>    
>>
>idea,
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>>but using lava rock instead.  You could have a propane line coming into
>>    
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>the
>  
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>>bottom of the forge, with a hidden foot pedal to increase or decrease the
>>flow.  Add in a standard blower or bellows, and you might have something
>>that would look almost like a real coal forge, but without the smoke and
>>smell.
>>
>>The only reason I mention this is because I was doing a demo at a fair one
>>time, and the wind shifted as I was getting my fire going, and it wound up
>>all over the food vendors.  They got a bit irate, and that started me
>>thinking about something that would look and act like a coal forge, but
>>    
>>
>not
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>>irritate the neighbors.
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>>If I ever get enough time, I'm going to try it on one of my portables.
>>
>>Murf
>>
>>
>>    
>>
>
>I don't think lava rock will work. BBQ "pumice" is basaltic with a melting
>point around 2,000f. The more silicious pumices melt only slightly hotter
>though they ooze like bread dough instead of flow like warm syrup.
>
>I'm pretty sure ceramics are necessary. I know my propane forge hits 2,700f
>+ with no problem and though I haven't tossed a piece of lava in it I'm
>pretty sure it'll melt lava more easily than it melts steel.
>
>Still I think I'll tinker around with the idea, I have an old Johnson forge
>I don't use. Wonder what I can use for the chips. . . Hmmmmm
>
>Frosty
>------------------------
>If it ain't forged
>it ain't real.
>Wrought iron is.
>The FrostWorks
>
>Meadow Lakes, AK.
>
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