[TheForge] Ice in the Slack Tub

[Jonathan Nedbor]

I actually look forward to my slack tub freezeing. I like the fact that I 
can drop hot tools on the top of the ice and not have to fish them out from 
the bottom. Just have to be careful to not let them melt in and then freeze 
as they get wedged in pretty tight. I also like to use snow and ice - solid 
water - to cool specific parts of a piece of work. I don't sprinkle my coal 
fire with water at all, so I am not in need of the water to control the size 
etc. I have stock tank heaters that I can use if I need liquid water, but do 
not usually bother with them. I can easily melt an area with a hot piece of 
stock. Surprisingly, the ice has not caused any trouble with the barrel 
halves. It gets cold enough here that the whole tub is frozen. I am looking 
forward to the day I have a shop with heat!

Jonathan Nedbor