[TheForge] Vermiculite

[Roger Degner]

Recently I got a video from the Salt fork Craftsman that had Tom Clark
demonstrating.
He was talking heat treating and stated vermiculite was much much better
than ashes for annealing.
He also recommended heat treat oil over used anything oil.  Recommended 2
guys get together and buy 5 gal pail or 26 guys order 55 gal barrel

Roger R Degner



Robert:
I'd read that they discovered asbestos in some of the vermiculite. Also i
think it's absorbs more water than the perlite. Perlite tends to break down
into powder a little faster than vermiculite 
when i've used it. Tend to think of it as, silicosis in a bag. Being cheap,
i use fine , light colored fireplace ash for that.

Bob Ehrenberger wrote:
> Hi Guys,
> 
> I have a barrel of vermiculite that I use to anneal tools and knives.  
> Over
> the years the vermiculite has gotten compacted and is only about half full

> now.  I wanted to get some more to top it off and have discovered that it
is 
> no longer available at most farm  & home stores like it used to be.
> 
> It seems that most of the gardening departments have switched to 
> perlite
> instead of vermiculite.  Have any of you used perlite for annealing?  Does

> it work as well and vermiculite? Would it hurt to mix it with the 
> vermiculite that I have left?
> 
> Robert Ehrenberger
> Shelbyville, Mo.
> eforge at centurytel.net
>