[TheForge] Induction Forge?

[Ron Childers]

Steve Kane, are you going to bring an induction forge to the conference at
Barberville, Florida October 20-22?

Thanx, Ron Childers 

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Steve Kayne
Sent: Friday, August 18, 2006 10:53 PM
To: Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Induction Forge?

We have been using the induction forge in our shop for a few months now and 
it is magic.   We forgeweld with it and it is an experience to see the 
process taking place before your eyes and having total control over it. 
Teaching someone to forge weld using the I. F. is light years ahead of using

a coal or gas forge.  They can see the process taking place and you can 
explain what is going on and there is no thing between you preventing you 
from seeing everything that is going on.  The transition of the steel being 
heated from magnetic to non magnetic is very dramatic and the I. F. 
indicates the transition very clearly.  We heat everything from 1/4" round 
to 1/4 x 2 1/2 so far in the I. F.   It is very quick.  30 seconds is a long

time.  A lot happens in 5 or 8 seconds.   The heat is very localized and 
this permits certain forging operations to be done much easier than they 
have ever been done in the past, since the steel reacts in the restricted 
heated area and not in the unheated area, the area is heated so quickly that

there is very little travel beyond the area under the coil.  We have not 
fully found out the limits and possibilities of the I. F.  as our jobs have 
not taken us into enough varied areas.   What its limits are will be 
determined in time, but it is a fantastic tool and we enjoy finding out what

it will do for us each day as we tackle that day's projects.   Like any new 
tool, you have to think about it and determine if it has the capabilities to

do that day's work.  So far we have found few times that it was unable to do

the job better than and quicker than coal, gas, etc.  We solder with it,  we

braze with it and of course forge weld with it, or maybe it is not called 
forge welding but magic.  As we test it further,  we will be happy to pass 
along our findings as I know Grant will and is.   The coils are very easy to

make.  We use 3/16 and 1/4" copper tubing.  It is easy to form and we use 
the I. F. to solder it.  It is really done very quickly and reminds me, for 
some strange reason, of making dies for the fly press.  Perhaps because like

the fly press, without its dies or coils, it is useless and its limitations 
are limited by what we dream up in the way of coils.   Sorry we are so long 
winded, but as you can tell, we are very much enamered with I. F.    Where 
has it been all our lives.  It saved us a great deal of time and made our 
task easier so far and certainly a lot more fun.

Steve Kayne