Coffee Can Forge..Not what you think....Stainless Steel

**jjr2001** · Feb 28, 2018, 06:34 AM

Well I won't know how well this works but I thought I would post it now that it is complete.
Used a lot of water so I think I will cure it for a month or two prior to firing it up.

Picked up an old coffee brewer for $10.00. I think it might even have worked but did not try that.
While I drink a lot of coffee, I don't drink that much!
Cut off the bottom nut that retained the heating element and just put some duct over the hole from the inside.
Plugged the spout hole the same way.
Had a tapered florist can that was just the right size for the inner mold when suspended from the top of the can.
Added about 2" of plaster/pearlite mix to the bottom. Inserted the florist can and added lead weight so it would not float.
Continued to add plaster/pearlite mix by pouring it down the side of the florist can until full.

Anyhow this one was made with some 3/4" black pipe. Drilled the pipe for several 8-32 thumb screws to hold the torches.
Figured I can use one or two torches as necessary. I can also connect one torch to the grilling propane tank.
Torch position will be adjustable and of course this thing can be modified as needed.

Used pearlite since vermiculite was only available in a huge bag from HD. Found a $5.00 bag of pearlite at Wally Mart.
I have no idea how long the plaster of paris will last in this mix but it should not be too "hard" to re-do.

I filled the lid with the mix also since that was available with the stainless pot.
Should be interesting.

Cheers, JR

**rlm98253** · Feb 28, 2018, 05:00 PM

Interesting idea. If you end up having to repour the walls consider using mortar mix and perlite. Mortar mix is less than $5.00 per sack. I've used it making one-gallon can annealing ovens for my copper jewelry work. Excellent results, no problems.

**Taitius** · Feb 28, 2018, 06:21 PM

Great idea and it looks like it will make a good forge, but your refractory mix might not handle forging temps for too long. I don't know about the plaster, but I know from experience that perlite starts to fuse into glass at the upper forging temps. I suspect you may be able you protect the mix with a layer of higher temp refractory. A quarter inch thick of refractory cement might be enough. You can give it a try as is first, but it may start to sag and ooze if the interior surface climbs over 1900 F. If that happens you'll need to bust out the melted layers before you attempt a repair.

**jjr2001** · Feb 28, 2018, 06:52 PM

Thanks for the info guys. I have plenty of room for more cement and that refractory cement is what I wanted but could not find it near my location. I thought it had to be refractory cement and that regular cement would not work well but it may be worth a try. Maybe just a 1/4 or 1/2 inch layer added to the plaster I already have. Thanks for the ideas. I will post the first firing of it when I lite it up.

Cheers, JR

**ncollar** · Feb 28, 2018, 06:58 PM

jjr
I will be looking for the first fire up and how well it works out.
Very nice build, there is nothing like malting and making your own parts.
Nelson