Treadle Torch Followup Number Two

Tonight I checked the mail and found my copy of ABANA’s Hammer’s Blow, Vol 21, #2, Spring 2013.  On page 12 is a very detailed article by H. Kent Hepworth showing how to assemble a Gasaver Treadle Torch Stand and it presents a lot of valuable technical details which I haven’t  included in my posts.  Check it out.

Treadle Torch Followup

Imagine what a surprise it was to open the January/February Issue of NOMMA’s Fabricator and see the article “Hot Treadle Torch” by “Uncle Bob “ Walsh just after I had written about rebuilding mine.

As I thought about what seemed like a coincidence I decided that there may be less serendipity involved than I first thought because I had recently been reading the articles in the fabricator he had been writing about making acanthus leaves.  That may have started me on the track of reworking my treadle torch.

He mentions that he saw Wendell Broussard use a treadle torch at an ABANA demonstration.  I wonder if it was the same occasion in La Crosse, Wisconsin when I watched Wendell for my second time.

I posted a couple of pictures of Wendell’s work then.

http://persimmonforge.blogspot.com/2012/01/using-mechanical-gas-saver.html

The Fabricator article is well worth reading.  Also, his explanation of the pros and cons of gas and coal forges is well done.

I did notice the system described is a bit different from mine.  First, I do use acetylene and oxygen and don’t have a soot problem if I keep the pilot light flame carefully adjusted. And secondly, I don’t generally use the rosebud tip but use  a cutting tip instead because my setup is used more often in the free hand torch mode than the treadle mode.  I, too, use the quick couplers and the Smith company gas saver and believe they work well.

I found a few more images of Wendell's work from the 2002 conference.

Treadle Torch Plans

A year ago I wrote about using a gas saver with the torch.  I intended to post a set of plans showing how I made mine but never got that done.  Then I thought about rebuilding mine because it had some problems so I started making some sketches to see if I could find some improvements.

http://persimmonforge.blogspot.com/2012/01/using-mechanical-gas-saver.html

The first decision involved whether the setup would be fully dedicated to treadle operation or would it also accommodate freehand torch use. I chose the latter as that is the way it has worked out to be most useful in my shop.

In this dual setup the torch is designed to hang from the shutoff lever of the gas saver when in freehand mode and to hang from a hanger fixed near the pilot light when in treadle mode.  A weight is hung on the gas saver shutoff lever when in the treadle mode.  The weight is enough to power shutoff but still easy to lift with toe pressure on the pedal.

The next decision is whether to place the torch tip near the gas saver pilot as factory built or to move the position of the pilot light by adding a copper tube extension.  I decided to adapt to the pilot on the devise without alteration other than add a hose clamp handle to make adjusting the pilot flame easier.

After I checked a couple of references on the internet

http://www.artmetal.com/blog/rich_waugh/2008/10/gas_saver_stand

http://www.phoenixrockgym.com/aaba/plans/treadle_torch.htm 

and aided by my previous experience I started building from the ground up. I decided my comfortable working height was about 44” in the treadle mode.  I was satisfied with the stability and maneuverability of the plow disc base on my current setup so I started with another 16” disc.

Next the Primary Post was welded to the center of the disc in true vertical position.  After that I worked out a pedal-lift mechanism with about 2” of upward travel and the work height adjustment.  That proved that there needed to be the additional 1” space between the primary post and the lift sleeve for the base articulation. 

After that portion of the frame was welded the upper structure was built. First I mounted the Gas Saver to a platform which would be removable if I wanted to use it in another location from time to time.  I welded the two arms of the fixed bracket to the Gas Saver adjustment socket and clamped it to the lift rod sleeve about 3” above the floor and checked the movement of the Gas Saver shutoff rod to figure out the best height before welding.  Finally, the torch holding frame was added and clamped while testing the whole operation.  When everything was working perfectly, the welds were completed.

It has been in operation for several days and I added a couple of hangers to hang some accessories like the tip cleaners, and piezoelectric lighter.  It is a considerable improvement compared to my old setup so the time was well spent. 

One little detail which I really like is the hose guard around the foot pedal.  On my old model the torch hose would get underneath the pedal and prevent shutoff or lay on top and prevent it from turning on fully when I piked up the torch.  This wicket arrangement works well.

Using the Mechanical Gas Saver

I bought my first mechanical gas saver in January of 2004 based on the recommendation of a friend working in an industrial fabrication and forging shop. After seven years of use I can’t imagine using my oxy/acetylete cutting welding systems without them. My cost accounting suggests that my torch work is my most expensive (not to mention, dangerous) construction technique and unfortunately I use it quite a bit. It didn’t take me long to get compulsive about keeping connections tight, valves turned off whenever possible and gauge settings adjusted to the most effeceint gas use.

I watched Wendel Broussard in Lacrosse in July 2001 at the Grapevine Ironfest and in July 2004 at ABANA Lacrosse. The torch was hung at a convenient working height close the the gas saver pilot light. It was a “hands-free” operation. He could step down on the treadle which lifted the torch hanging of a lever arm which started the gas mixture flowing and as the torch tip passed by the pilot flame the heat was on. All Wendel had to do was turn and hold the workpiece in the hottest part of the flame. When the metal was at working heat he just lifted his foot off the treadle and turned to place the workpiece on the stake and hammer away as the torch flame shut off.

It was still a couple of years before I set up my gas saver and although I imagined I would construct a treadle operated system, that hasn’t happened yet. I simply don’t use my torch the same way that Wendel was using his setup.

I don’t need the “hands-free” part of the loop. I just lift the torch, light the flame on the pilot light, use the heat, hang up the torch and the flow of gas stops. Maybe not the most cool but still pretty cool and essentially equally cost effective.

I looked back at my photo file hoping to find an image of Wendel working as I have described but, naturally, I didn’t snap that image. I did find some examples of his expert work and I found an image of Jeff Mohr using the torch to heat an ash shovel blank just as I did it before I got a gas saver.

So, why did I think about this today? Well, it was a day of mechanical failures. First, the switch box fell off my power hammer. Next, the blade on the bandsaw got in a bind and slipped off. And finally, the gas saver pilot light reached the end of its’ life. These things alter the day schedule in an annoying way but they are just a part of doing business. That gas saver has indeed saved me a lot more that I paid for it so it was a no-brainer to order another. It is a WDW150, just for the record. I have another tip about using a hose clamp to make the flame adjustment easier - another thing to address later.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/