How to make a mini forge out of an Altoids tin

In this instructable I have built a forge that really isn't to practical but if for some reason you need to forge yourself some paper clips this is the project for you.

Step 1: Materials

For this project you need the following:
-Altoids tin
-2" piece of brass tubing
-A tube of fireplace cement
-Perlite
-Rubber tubing

Tools
-Caulking gun
-Popsicle sticks (or something to spread the cement with)
-pencil torch (recommended)

Comments

[battle]

thanks i need to heat up a penny to flatten it with a hammer but i didnt want to spend money on a torch

[backburnerforge]

You better make sure the penny is made of copper! I think they quit using pure copper in them around 1973 (not sure). I was going to 'tin' a penny with some solder (just for yuks) and the instant I put the torch to it, it turned to liquid! It was then that I found out that pennies are made of babbitt (usually 95%-tin & 5%- copper).

But, in either case you won't need any heat to flatten a penny with a hammer; the hard part is holding it while you hit it hard!

[backburnerforge]

I have a fully equipped Blacksmith Shop and I am hosting our Guild's February meeting and giving a demo. But I gotta tell ya, I will make one of these and am going to fire it up at the demo! LOL

Thanks!

[Schmidty16]

can u melt the metal in there then pour it out into a mold

[simonfman]

i work with nails mainly and this looks like the thing for me. i hope i can build one soon because i don't want to blow a bunch of money of a propane torch that will be total overkill. great tutorial

[theoone]

you should post a couple of things that youve made with this forge

[Flareboy323]

I have to admit, this is pretty freaking cool :) Now to go make one, and make a stick man out of paperclips.. or maybe a paperclip necklace selling buisness? ;)

[geartechbrandon]

Thank you! This is going to be incredibly useful. I had been trying to come up with a good way to heat spring steel then form my own custom tools for miniature sculpting and this is going to do the job perfectly.

[jaencer]

it's a forge, right? where does the metal to be melted go?

[steampirate]

you don't use a forge to melt metal. you use it to heat up metal. (it isn't particularly good at that either.) if you want to melt metal I suggest searching for a foundry or furnace instead.

[mhkabir]

Can this be used to melt aluminium into thick tubes??

[steampirate]

I cant imagine this is able to get that hot but it might be worth a try...

[mhkabir]

I tried: it works -- sort of.

The mold heats up and the tube is formed, but is rater brittle due to very ittle heat.

[0087adam]

great for grilling hot dogs on the go...

[PastTheVoid]

I have ideas now....

[junits15]

what is your air source? how did you rig a fan into a tube like that?

[steampirate]

I have a forge blower that I made and it has variable settings so I just set it as low as possible. In regards to the connection, I used a piece of rubber and some duct tape.

[junits15]

oh, cool

[sharlston]

where you get your pencil torch?

[junits15]

i got one from lowes

[steampirate]

My torch is just something I got from harbor freight. I didn't expect it to last very long but it has served me very well. The only problem I have ever had with it is that the top burner assembly has fallen off. But it can easily be put back on and used afterwords.

[sharlston]

how much and how long doesthe butane last?

[steampirate]

The torch was about $5 and the butane lasts quite a long time considering it's size. Of course it does make a difference depending on how high the flame is.

[yeolddingdong]

what to use it for ?

[steampirate]

what?

[knexsuperbuilderfreak]

very nice whats its higest temp?

[steampirate]

I haven't measured but since it doesn't use as much charcoal as a regular forge it doesn't have as much thermal mass therefore lowering the temp.