Cone Mandrel Plans

On 3/2911 I wrote about how I made my first cone mandrel.  This is an update with a SketchUp version of the plans.

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=4d2f349eb80ef784ee323db343c418a&prevstart=0

The concrete filled base was originally designed to fit a purchased mini cone mandrel.  Subsequently, I’ve used it to hold several other mini cones, a ring roller and just about anything with a tang of appropriate size.

The cone drawn to fit my original mini mandrel.

All components except for a couple of bags of concrete mix.

Beer Can Chicken Holder

Probably almost everyone is familiar with cooking a beer can chicken.  If not, doing a Google image search for it will provide a qick education.

After having difficulty keeping my beer can chicken upright on the trial run, I constructed a beer can chicken posture stabilizer.  It is overly complicated compared to some simpler devices shown in some of the imager search windows.  However, It was all made from scrap on hand and I’d rather over engineer a thing than have it turn out too skimpy to work.

I cut two end pieces of 3” angle with 1/4” thickness and 9” long so I had some substantial weight on the bottom.  I cut two pieces of 3/16” by 2” flat  bar 13.5” long for the sides.

I cut four pieces of 1/2” square tube 2” long for the corner sockets and welded everything together.

After it was assembled I was able to form the four arms that brace the chicken. They  were 5/16” round rod 8” long and bent about 60º a couple of inches from one end.

I insert the short arm of the round rods in the corner sockets.  When the chicken with beer can is placed in the center the rods can rotate to brace the bird and keep it upright.

Probably, much lighter material could be used for the four braces.  Perhaps #9 wire in smaller sockets would work and could be easily bent to just the right position while on the grill.

Beer can chicken holder after testing.

BCC holder components.

BCC holder on the grille.

Kan Fab, Inc.

This is my “tip of the hat” to some folks who have helped me a lot.  Kan Fab is my primary site for obtaining all the materials I need to do my forging operations.  I visit their facility several times a week to discuss pattern design, project planning, or to pick up orders.  We have collaborated on a couple of projects too.

Early on, I started making decisions about how the number of parts needed determined the cost efficiency of how they were made.  If I only needed a few pieces I could cut them out with a torch and clean up the slag and quickly get going.  If I needed 20 or 50 or more parts the cleanup time became too expensive.  I used some laser cut blanks for a while but the service wasn’t available locally so I had to add in shipping cost.  Eventually I switched to water jet cutting which was done by Kan Fab and no shipping costs were incurred.  An additional benefit was the convenience of  getting easy person to person consultation about designs.

When I first started my relationship with Kan Fab I was getting my steel stock form another source but I soon switched to them because of  the convenience and good service.  Usually I could drive there and pick what I needed from their “in-house” stock.  If the material was a bit odd I learned to place an order a few days in advance of the date I needed it.  They get the stock from their supplier and cut the pieces into approximately 10’ lengths so I can transport it I my truck.

I do some work for a chimney sweep and he requests firebacks, smoke guards, fire starters and other hearth related items with custom decorative accents.  I don’t have the big shearing and breaking equipment needed to make those things.  Kan Fab does all of that and I do whatever additional finish work is needed. It has been interesting to see how the product has been perfected over several years.

Kan Fab is also the source of the punch drops which I use in my tumbler.  After a lot of experimenting, I found that mild steel punch drops with a mass somewhere between a pea and a grape are the perfect aggregate for removing fire scale and burrs.  I have to take a bucket and a magnet out there and sort out only the mild steel drops of the size I need. It is a bit tediuous but necessicary.  So far, they haven’t charged me for them.

I’ve been wanting to make a hydraulic bender for a couple of years.  It’s probably the last piece of power equipment I’ll put in the studio.  I collected most of the hydraulic parts but never found the time to put everything together so I recently asked them to put it together for me.  They have the equipment and skill to do a better job of it.  I’m looking forward to seeing how it comes out.

I knew quite a bit about blacksmithing before I started any relationship with engineering/fabricating facilities.  As I entered into their realm it was a great educational experience.  I got acquainted with ironworkers, presses, breaks, milling machines, metal lathes, massive drill presses, and other industrial machines.

As interesting as it has been seeing how the big boys play, I’ll be content to do my small scale forging work.  I have a hard enough time wrapping my mind around my own stuff.  I don’t have the space for the really big machines.  I don’t have the knowledge to operate or maintain them and I don’t want that overhead expense.  However, someone has to do it.  In Emporia it is Kan Fab.  Good Job!

http://kanfabinc.com

My Platen Table

I was looking to make or buy a good solid work table for the studio when I learned about acorn tables.  I saw a 5’ x 5” table in a well outfitted blacksmith shop and thought it looked ideal.  As I did the research I soon found they were not easy to come by used and they could be really expensive when purchased new.  I thought I might have to settle for a smaller one.  At that time I was going to quite a few blacksmith meetings and I made it my regular practice to enquire about any such tables that may be for sale.  A couple of years passed before I found a fellow who said he knew someone who had one he wanted to sell.  I gave him my contact information and about a week later I got a call from the man who owned the table.

I asked how big ti was and he said 5’ x 10’.  I had never heard of one that big so I was concerned we might not be talking about the same thing.  The conversation went back and fourth and I finally felt sure he was describing the table I was looking for but much larger.  I was pretty sure I couldn’t come up with what he would want for it but I asked what he was asking.  He said, ‘I’d have to get such and such dollars.  The figure was about 70% less than I was imaging so my mind started grinding - maybe he  doesn’t actually have an acorn table, or... and there was an awkward silence as I tried to frame my next verifying question.  But before I could say anything he said, “OK, and I’ll deliver it to you for that.” I didn’t see a way I could go wrong so I took the deal.

The table was composed of a heavy base, and two 5‘ x 5’ platens, each weighing a ton or more.  I didn’t have any equipment for such heavy lifting and moving so we made arrangements to deliver it to an engineering company where I did business.  Several weeks later a friend loaded it and a fork lift onto a trailer and brought it to my studio.  Getting it from outside the garage door into position in the assembly room was a complicated affair which took a whole day, the chain hoist, six auto wheel dollys, a dozen railroad ties, more chain and a borrowed skid loader.  It’s a story in itself.

The surface has square holes in straight rows, not staggered.   Each hole is  2” x 2”,  with 13 holes in each direction on each 5’ x 5’ platen spaced on 4.5” centers.  The platens are about 5” thick on the edges and 3” thick in the area with holes.  The working height is about 30”.  It had seen a lot of use but didn’t take much work to get the surface polished.  Platens are made from grey cast iron so welding doesn’t stick to it.  

After getting it installed, I made some posts and hold downs and eventually an overhead frame with an electric hoist on a trolly.  It has been really handy for building things like bifold fireplace glass doors and frames of various kinds, heavy furniture legs and some signs.  When I need level, plumb and square, it is hard to beat.  I don’t know the manufacturer of my table.  There wasn’t an obvious label.  I think Acorn brand tables all have 1 3/4" square holes spaced on 3 1/2" centers, so it’s some other brand.  I won’t have any trouble getting my money back when I sell it.  I have two standing offers already.

http://www.acorniron.com/products/platen.html

http://www.weldsale.com/platens.html

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

Using the Mason’s Frame Jig

On the weekend I made a trip to a new construction job site to measure for an installed fireplace screen in a space which will be a screened porch.  Even though we have had some very nice weather that work day was cold and the wind was blowing a gale.  It was very hard to make notes because the wind whipped the paper pages.  I got the measurements and got back in the pickup as quickly as possible.

The job was made a bit easier because I brought the mason’s frame jig I use to measure the inside dimensions of firebox openings.  The frame is made of four corner elements of 1” x 14 gauge square tube and the vertical and horizontal bars are 3/4” x 14 gauge tube.  To record the measurements the corners are extended and four machine screws are tightened to secure the positions.  Finally I use a presto pen to mark each bar where it enters the ends of the corner tubes so if a screw loosens the frame can be properly reset.  The jig along with written notes and several digital images make it hard to go wrong.  

Back in the studio I build the fit frame from angle and soon I will return to the job site to insert it and check for any needed modifications before proceeding with the screen construction.

When everything is satisfactory I will repaint the jig to erase the presto pen marks and it is ready for the next job.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/