[TheForge] Induction Forge?

[Ries Niemi]

Electrically, I think its pretty  similar to an inverter welder- so the 
only power draw when its not heating metal is a fan, and the pump on 
the coolant radiator.
Electrical consumption is pretty minimal.
Grant, who, like me, lives in Western Washington, where we benefit from 
dirt cheap Bonneville Power Administration electric rates, says it runs 
about 40 cents an hour for him to run it.
He says its cheaper than propane, and since the induction machine is 
only working a fraction of the time, its probably a lot cheaper in the 
long run.
It has a couple of timers built in- a heat timer, and a dwell timer, 
which keeps the piece hot once its up to heat- both are adjustable, 
along with the amps, to make it possible to fine tune it to perfectly 
heat any size or shape piece. You can hook up foot pedal to initiate 
the cycle, so you put in your metal, hit the foot pedal, and then, say, 
14 seconds later, take it out.
No warm up period- I am pretty sure it uses SCR's just like an inverter 
welder does.
And I know my inverter welder beats the pants off my transformer 
welders, and uses less power as well to get the same amperage.
As someone who has spent well over 10 grand on my various welders, I 
dont see the $3800 price tag as a big issue- but I am a working shop, 
as opposed to a hobby type.
The price is about equivalent to a well setup 300amp tig machine. And I 
have 2 of those.
Like Jim, this thing is definitely on my "to buy" tool list.

ries

On Aug 19, 2006, at 4:55 PM, Jerry Frost wrote:

> I wasn't trying to suggest anybody work harder than they want to. Oh 
> heavans NO!
>
> All I was pointing out is induction isn't limited to straight items.
>
> On the other hand speed and especially fine control is a good thing 
> when you want or need it. Heck, next to noise heating anything that 
> gets close is the most common complaint I hear about propane forges.
>
> So far we don't have electrical rationing but we spend a bit for what 
> we get so elec consumption is a factor here too. One of the practical 
> aspects I don't know is it's power consumption. Is it drawing all the 
> time or does it just idle along till you put something in it? Can you 
> turn it off and on or does it have to "warm up"?
>
> There're a lot of things I don't know about induction heating beyond 
> the shallowest understanding of the basic principle. I don't know if 
> it's practical on my scale of operation or even affordable to run. I 
> am interested though, I see a lot of potential. <grin>
>
> Frosty
> -------------------------------
> If it ain't forged
> it ain't real.
> Wrought iron is.
> The FrostWorks
>
> Meadow Lakes, AK.
>
> http://www.artmetalradio.com/
>
> From: "Michael" <michael.a.porter at comcast.net>
>
>
>> Frosty,
>> Perhaps; on the other hand, the very first complaint heard about my 
>> tube
>> forge design was that it made the operator "work to hard." How fast 
>> we need
>> to heat the metal depends on how fast the work is done. With multiple 
>> parts
>> heating in the forge, very fast hammering indeed would be needed to 
>> outstrip
>> the forge's heating speed. Such fast hammering would be more likely 
>> with
>> production work than fine art.
>>
>> Induction sounds quite promising, but I'm far from abandoning the 
>> premise
>> that "one shoe does not fit all." Nor would I jump too quickly into 
>> deep
>> dependency on electrical use--not for the urban smith. In Seattle for
>> instance, penalties for electrical use beyond a fairly minimal amount 
>> can
>> send utility bills into the stratosphere. Just running the air 
>> conditioner
>> in summer's heat pushes me close to the edge. So, I'm personally 
>> reluctant
>> to increase electrical use in my hobbies beyond power tools and a 
>> 110V MIG
>> welder. There is a great divide between the needs of the professional 
>> shop
>> and the realities faced by husbands defending their garage based 
>> ambitions
>> before irate wives :-)
>> Mikey
>>
>
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Ries Niemi
Industrial Artist

http://www.RiesNiemi.com