Comment on Mechanical engineering uni project

• JacobCoffinWrites@slrpnk.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago

  Sure! Generally they’re just an old coffee can with a thick layer of plaster of Paris and sand or firebox cement on the inside. They cement in some torch parts so they can attach a can from a burnzomatic torch and blow fire into the small, contained space from the side while having a hole on the front (usually with some loose firebrick for a door) to insert the work.

  Image makezine.com/…/making-your-own-tin-can-forge/

  m.youtube.com/watch?v=xv9nnEhgfuY

  I don’t know that the design itself is actually applicable here, just that they’re a good demonstration that even with a small forge, you can do some pretty cool blacksmithing.

  In practice I think a solar forge would have to be open from the top, and couldn’t really benefit from the tight space confining the heat, so it’d probably be closer to using a portable ferrier’s anvil like you might see reenactors use at the fair, or something like this:

  Image

  Though it’d look more like that artist’s smelting rig with the big lens and all.

  Thanks! I’m really excited to see what you come up with

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  • JacobCoffinWrites@slrpnk.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago

    Just to add, the way I pictured this working was to set up a basic smithee, probably a three sided shed so I’d have a dark place to work (helps to gauge the temp of the metal by color). I’d get some of those gas welder’s goggles with the flip up flip down lens (or use my electronic welder’s hood) so I could safely look at the work in the firepot (solarpot?) then take it inside to quickly work on it. I’d stow the forge inside the smithee (or in an attached lean-to) when not using it. One feature that might be good would be a way to cover the lens and unclip it from the forge so it can be stored in a box or wrapped up, to reduce the risks of it starting a fire.

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