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Post by rjodorizzi on May 7, 2018 18:46:47 GMT
Hey all,
Wondering if anyone has some (2018) recommendations for some tools. I used to work for a smith when I was in High School (and a little college) and I still do some crafting here and there. This summer I'm looking to get back into blades and need to flush out my tool kit a bit.
Looking for recommendations on the following (reasonably priced preferred as I'd rather upgrade the tools once I get my skill set back up.)
Bench Belt Grinder (2" I know but it looks like the craftsman is no longer produced)
Forge (I've seen a couple of lower priced pre-fab'd ones on Ebay from what looks to be a reputable seller, anyone have experience with something like this?)
Heat treating oven? I've thought of just using the Kitchen oven (lord help me with my Wife's rage!)
I'm fairly well set on the other gear, but looking for some good recommendations for these items.
Thanks! R
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Post by brotherbanzai on May 9, 2018 13:41:50 GMT
2"X72" belt grinders generally run up into the thousands unless you're building it yourself. Mine is a modification of the original "grinder in a box" kit made by polarbearforge and works pretty well. You'll want at least 2hp for the motor if making anything larger than small knives.
You can build a much better gas forge for about the same cost as the ones on ebay. They aren't difficult to build. I just helped my neighbor build one as he was looking at the ones on ebay as well. They are too small and without enough insulation. The burner he got on ebay was crap and required a lot of reworking to get it to run halfway decent. If you're talking about a coal forge, I have no knowledge in that area.
You can't heat treat in a kitchen oven, only temper. You can find an old ceramics kiln and use it for heat treating. They are often pretty cheap on craigslist, especially if you find a broken one and replace the parts, which are pretty cheap and easy.
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Post by rjodorizzi on May 10, 2018 14:09:15 GMT
Awesome, thank you sir!
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