Tools/forge/induction: Difference between revisions
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{{inductioninfo}} |
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The [[Tools/25kW Induction Forge|Forge]] can heat beyond 1600 ºC, uses high powered electronics, has the risk of igniting metals and many other hazards, for that reason an [[Tools/25kW Induction Forge|Forge]] is compulsory before using the forge. Induction normally takes about 2 hours. |
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== Safety == |
== Safety == |
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| PPE Required || |
| PPE Required || |
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* Goggles are required |
* Goggles are required at all times while forging. Hot scale can fly off the metal as you work it. |
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* Welding gloves or heat-tolerant work gloves - dop rods will get hot! |
* Welding gloves or heat-tolerant work gloves - dop rods will get hot! |
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* Anti-vibration gloves if you're doing a lot of forging |
* Anti-vibration gloves if you're doing a lot of forging |
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* Clearing the area around the forge of all flammable materials, especially sawdust and the bins |
* Clearing the area around the forge of all flammable materials, especially sawdust and the bins |
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* Be aware of hazards of flammable vapours and solvents, keep well away from the forge |
* Be aware of hazards of flammable vapours and solvents, keep well away from the forge |
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* Back of the forge gets hot too, so be aware of what you're backed up against |
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|| Things that can cause fire |
|| Things that can cause fire |
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| Dealing with Fire || |
| Dealing with Fire || |
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* What types of extinguisher to use on what sort of fire- CO2 or dry powder for electric fires |
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* In case of fire, TURN GAS OFF! |
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* What types of extinguisher to use on what sort of fire |
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* Using fire extinguishers |
* Using fire extinguishers |
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** Calling for help, alerting people |
** Calling for help, alerting people |
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** What types are suitable for what fires |
** What types are suitable for what fires |
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** We cannot extinguish metal fires, use the vermiculite to smother or place on a safe surface |
** We cannot extinguish metal fires, use the vermiculite to smother or place on a safe surface |
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** NEVER use an extinguisher on the forge it's self, it has nothing flammable anyway and risks an explosion |
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** Fire hazard from quench oil |
** Fire hazard from quench oil |
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** How to use an extinguisher |
** How to use an extinguisher |
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** Heat slowly to above critical temperature |
** Heat slowly to above critical temperature |
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** Soak till even temperature |
** Soak till even temperature |
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** Cool as slowly as possible, |
** Cool as slowly as possible, utilising vermiculite |
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** Some steels have a thermal "no-go" zone where you can't linger, check the datasheet |
** Some steels have a thermal "no-go" zone where you can't linger, check the datasheet |
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** Results in a soft steel that's cold-workable |
** Results in a soft steel that's cold-workable |
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* Working a steel too cold - Very hard work and risk of cracking |
* Working a steel too cold - Very hard work and risk of cracking |
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* Working a steel too hot - Hard to control and risk of crumbling from hot-shortness |
* Working a steel too hot - Hard to control and risk of crumbling from hot-shortness |
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* Overly oxidising flames - Lots of scale and risk of decarburization |
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* Overly reducing flames - Poor heat, Carbon monoxide risk, case-hardening, but unlikely to ever happen in our furnace |
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|| Knowing the serious errors and how to avoid them |
|| Knowing the serious errors and how to avoid them |
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** Emphasize the need to use a LOT of weld material |
** Emphasize the need to use a LOT of weld material |
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** Need to normalize the welds |
** Need to normalize the welds |
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*** What happens if we're not hot enough, or too hot! |
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** They are GOING to break, what to do when they do |
** They are GOING to break, what to do when they do |
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*** Watch for starting of cracks |
*** Watch for starting of cracks |
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| Examining and setting up the Forge || |
| Examining and setting up the Forge || |
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* Describe the forge and it's parts |
* Describe the forge and it's parts |
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* Visual inspection for loose pipes, |
* Visual inspection for loose pipes, coolant leaks & electrical faults |
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* How the tunnel can be opened longer for bigger objects |
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|| How to get the forge set up |
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* Never use brick choke and rear door at the same time |
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* Vacuum out tunnel – clean before use, not after, it'll be too hot after |
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* Reading the hours counter before you start and noting down the time it shows |
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|| How to get the forge set up and ready to fire safely |
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| Powering the Forge || |
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* Plug it in - Both the 3-Phase for the forge & regular plug for the coolant. |
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* Plug it in! |
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* |
* Vent the radiator to remove air from the system. |
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* Turn on the coolant, followed by the induction forge |
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* Start the blower |
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* Cover the dramatic differences in gas and air settings |
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| Hammering technique || |
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* Turning on gas at the bottle and burners |
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* Holding the hammer |
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** You need a grip tight enough to keep control but, |
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* Opening the main gas valve and using the lighter to get it lit |
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** Avoid a "Death grip" on the hammer, you'll wind up with sore fingers and it won't help |
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* Adjusting the gas and air valves to get a flame the right size and slightly reducing |
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** Wear welding gloves for occasional use to protect against vibration, if you're forging regularly then get specific anti-vibration gloves |
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* Demonstrate high/low, oxidizing/reducing, show what they look like |
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* Using your body |
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** Large flames are more stable, small flames may result in burner over-heat, check this often |
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** Find a comfortable position, the anvil might not be the right height for you but do the best you can |
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** Overly oxidizing flames will damage metal and increase the risk of fire. |
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** Aim comes from your arm, power comes from your shoulder |
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** Starting up the second burner if you have a need to for a long object |
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* Striking |
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* You can start using the forge right away, you don't need to let it to full heat first |
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** Positioning yourself so that the hammer strikes just as it come parallel |
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|| Getting it lit without hurting yourself, getting the flame properly set up for forging |
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** Never strike directly on the anvil, they're both hardened and may crack |
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** Using a light tap every few strikes to "reset" you position |
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** What the different zones of the anvil do |
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|| Avoiding RSI and other injuries from the process |
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| Shaping metal || |
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| Example || Example || Example |
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* Heating to a suitable colour, testing with magnet if you need to |
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* Don't touch metal to anvil till you're ready to strike |
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* Just get the feel of beating on the metal, try both hammers, see what it's like and don't assume you should use the heaviest you can |
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* Consider the shape we're working towards |
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** The need to come to both dimensions at once and not over-work in one direction |
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** Correct any error immediately, don't let them grow |
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** We can't fix over-thinning |
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* Looking at the metal as it cools, seeing what needs to change |
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* Drawing out using small hammers, large hammer on step, large hammer on side, edge of large hammer |
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** Cycling draw out and flatten |
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* Keep thinning, flattening, drawing out till target shape |
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* Try to get the surface nice, so you can do less grinding |
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** Plannishing below critical |
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|| Actually moving metal around with the hammers |
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| Normalize and anneal when done || |
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| Example || Example || Example |
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* The need to normalize after forging to relax the metal |
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* Annealing to make it more workable for subsequent finishing operations |
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| Example || Example || Example |
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* Normalize for at least 2 cycles and maybe more for complex or precise shapes |
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* Fix geometry before cycles |
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* Using the vermiculite to slow down cooling to achieve maximum softening |
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* Furnace cooling is also an option and may be more controlable |
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** Using thermocouple to avoid any no-go-zone the metal may have |
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|| Post-forging treatments to make usable parts |
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Normalizing |
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Why we need to normalize |
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What it does |
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Proper procedure |
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What happens if we're not hot enough, or too hot! |
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Flattening out the rod |
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Heating to a suitable colour, testing with magnet if you need to |
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Just getting the feel of beating on the metal, try both hammers, see what it's like |
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Don't touch metal to anvil till you're ready to strike |
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Correct any error immediately, don't let them grow |
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Consider the shape we're working towards |
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The need to come to both dimensions at once and not over-work in one direction |
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We can't fix over-thinning |
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REMEMBER TO CORRECT ERRORS AT ONCE |
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Looking at the metal as it cools, seeing what needs to change |
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Drawing out using small hammers, large hammer on step, large hammer on side, edge of large hammer |
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Cycling draw out and flatten |
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Keep thinning, flattening, drawing out till target shape |
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Try to get the surface nice, so we can do less grinding |
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Normalizing |
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Repeat the normalization cycle |
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Furnace cooling as an option for normalization but not annealing |
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Shut down the forge |
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Air off – Gas off – Air on |
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Leaving the air running to cool the forge if needed |
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The forge may stay hot enough to start fires for up to 2 hours |
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Marking out the area of "hot things" when leaving |
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Normalize and Anneal |
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This is the last chance to smooth out any gross surface defects or geometry errors |
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Using a little less heat than before as we're not trying to cause bulk movements |
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Planishing using the smaller hammers to smooth things as best we can |
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Normalize for at least 2 cycles and maybe more |
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Fix geometry before cycles |
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Using the vermiculite to slow down cooling to achieve maximum softening or furnace cool |
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== Shutdown and clean up == |
== Shutdown and clean up == |
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{| class="wikitable" |
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Shutting down the forge |
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! Topic !! Detailed contents !! Rationale |
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| Shutting down the forge || |
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* There should be no cooldown time needed. To be sure, leave coolant on while putting away the anvil - this should be sufficeint time for any residual heat to dissipate. |
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* Re-cover the forge and wheel the forge back to its storage. |
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* Sweep the area and return any displaced equipment to origional positions |
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|| Safe shut-down when done |
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|| Putting everything back for the next person |
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As before for shut-down |
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| Problems || |
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Letting the forge cool down enough before putting it away |
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* If you saw any problems with the forge, contact the maintainers |
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* If you got any good photos, upload them to wiki or post on Discord! |
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Hand-in-tunnel test |
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|| Keeping people updated on status |
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Don’t try to clean inside the tunnel, put it away dirty |
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Watching out for condensation dripping off the gas bottle |
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Getting the blades out of the vermiculite and cleaning up. |
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[[Category:inductions]] |
[[Category:inductions]] |
Latest revision as of 20:49, 6 March 2024
Some of the tools at the Hackspace are potentially hazardous to use, for these tools members are required to have an induction before they can use them. Inductions provide the most basic information on how to safely and effectively use the simpler functions of the tools, we appreciate that some members may have professional experience on some of these tools and in this case please tell your induction provider and the induction may be very reduced and just cover any risks or procedures specific to rLab. Some tools have multiple levels of induction in order to cover more advanced uses of that tool without making the basic induction take too long, higher induction levels will introduce some of the more advanced features of the tools but as with all inductions are only intended to provide basic information on the capabilities of the tools and how to use them safely. Some members of rLab may be willing to offer more detailed tuition beyond basic induction level or offer guided practice sessions in exchange for beer money or assistance on their own projects.
For all tools you are only required to take level-1 induction before use, after that you may perform any task that you feel confident you can do safely, higher levels of induction may be useful to you in performing more advanced operations but are not required before doing tasks covered in them so long as you're confident of your ability to handle those tasks without risk to yourself, others, or the tool.
PLEASE NOTE : All induction providers are volunteers who are providing inductions to the best of their ability but are NOT qualified instructors. Inductions are provided on a best-effort basis but you and you alone are responsible for your safety while using the tools and for satisfying yourself that you can operate the tools safely. There are professional training courses available from various providers in Reading and the surrounding area if you feel they are appropriate for the level of work you intend to undertake. Reading these notes is NOT a substitute for an in-person induction.
Note for wiki editors : Please do not edit induction pages unless you are one of of the people that gives that induction
The Forge can heat beyond 1600 ºC, uses high powered electronics, has the risk of igniting metals and many other hazards, for that reason an Forge is compulsory before using the forge. Induction normally takes about 2 hours.
Safety[edit]
Topic | Detailed Contents | Rationale |
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Suitable Clothing |
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Suitable clothing is essential for safety |
PPE Required |
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Good PPE to protect from specific hazards |
Workshop hazards and mitigation |
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Hazards other than fire that could impact the rest of the workshop |
Fire risks |
Fire and burns are the single largest hazard in forging.
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Things that can cause fire |
Dealing with Fire |
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Have to be ready to deal with a fire if it happens |
Burn treatment |
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Shouldn't happen, but it's always a risk and people need to know how to deal with that |
Theory of steel forging[edit]
[Draw the iron-carbon phase diagram on the board covering 0-1.5% carbon and 0-1500 ºC]
Topic | Detailed Contents | Rationale |
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States of steel and their properties |
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Need to know the basics of how steels respond to heat in order to know how to work |
Critical Temperature |
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Vital concept for forging |
Hot hardness | Is a measure of how easy to forge the material is, small changes in composition can cause large changes in hot-hardness | Key concept in working with different steels. |
Heat treatment processes |
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Basic ways to change the properties of steels |
Heating Errors |
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Knowing the serious errors and how to avoid them |
Practical Forging[edit]
Topic | Detailed content | Rationale | ||
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Work Holding |
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How to hold work in a safe and effective way | ||
Examining and setting up the Forge |
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How to get the forge set up | ||
Powering the Forge |
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Hammering technique |
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Avoiding RSI and other injuries from the process |
Shaping metal |
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Actually moving metal around with the hammers | ||
Normalize and anneal when done |
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Post-forging treatments to make usable parts |
Shutdown and clean up[edit]
Topic | Detailed contents | Rationale |
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Shutting down the forge |
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Safe shut-down when done |
Putting everything back for the next person | ||
Problems |
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Keeping people updated on status |