tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33240461231001378012024-02-14T12:55:31.922-08:00My peculiar natureAn exploration of, well, whatever I happen to be interested in. Probably more Japanese tools and sharpening stones than any sane person would want to see. The fools progress?Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.comBlogger184125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-50875589176073126922018-05-09T01:05:00.000-07:002018-05-09T01:05:34.587-07:00Oroshigane steel (7).....last bloom of the day<br id="docs-internal-guid-5e9d86c8-43d9-8feb-6674-01da448841b4" /><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This day has been all about playing with fire. In keeping with that theme, as soon as the previous bloom was spark checked for approximate carbon content, it was popped back into the furnace. Actually, all of the blooms that I had made were added together to see if this Oroshigane melting hearth could handle the larger volume of steel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The prior bloom looked to my eye as if the air blast was a bit strong, so for the start of this melt, I separated the air feed pipe a couple of inches to take things down a notch. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One other notable difference for this melt is that the first two melts of the day had used up the amount of charcoal that I had sized and screened (roughly ½-1”, no fines). For this melt I was throwing chunks of charcoal in bucket, crushing them carelessly with a hammer, and adding the entire mess into the furnace, fines and all. The third and last melt of the day ran longer than the first two, mostly due to the reduced air pressure and volume. With less air, the charcoal seemed to be filling up the chimney column more completely and felt like the fan was having a hard time pushing air through the increased quantity of fines. I let things run for about 30 minutes to get the blooms back up to melting temperature, then reconnected the air supply pipe. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The flame tending to shift from red to yellow is more dramatic in picture than in real life, but does seem to correspond to the melting state of the iron inside the furnace. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well…….the higher air pressure had no problem clearing the fines, that's for sure, haha!</span><br /><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0tdkz1qrSU0/WvKm5vYLDPI/AAAAAAAAZOU/zB7zYBrCMboIqWn3RgpKAGg-twIIvePIgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_6020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0tdkz1qrSU0/WvKm5vYLDPI/AAAAAAAAZOU/zB7zYBrCMboIqWn3RgpKAGg-twIIvePIgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_6020.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My favorite!</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ixRn9oBw5Tc/WvKnFXlbWaI/AAAAAAAAZOY/BY794benWVsdJRep_LnQsNgAN7OrUDrNgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_6009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ixRn9oBw5Tc/WvKnFXlbWaI/AAAAAAAAZOY/BY794benWVsdJRep_LnQsNgAN7OrUDrNgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_6009.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The huge bursts of sparks only last for a few minutes after each charge of charcoal has been added, but add greatly to the overall excitement! After the fireworks have abated, the flame looks a bit less dramatic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you stare at the flames too long though, they will sometimes stare back. Ellie says this flame is full of fire demons!</span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dn4Xz_Lvcsk/WvKnK2xMPKI/AAAAAAAAZOc/Krb_1cYkU9UTBlmra6ztPX6SJxZdPHqkgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_6035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dn4Xz_Lvcsk/WvKnK2xMPKI/AAAAAAAAZOc/Krb_1cYkU9UTBlmra6ztPX6SJxZdPHqkgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_6035.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I ran the melt for about 30 more minutes (roughly 1hr total), then let the charcoal burn down to the tuyere before pulling the bloom. This one I like, bloom and picture both!</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LrqFP5DqKD8/WvKnPBpdiEI/AAAAAAAAZOg/ufjKFi4r1X42OVj6Cauq5ztxs8PxSYMEgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_6038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LrqFP5DqKD8/WvKnPBpdiEI/AAAAAAAAZOg/ufjKFi4r1X42OVj6Cauq5ztxs8PxSYMEgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_6038.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The camera can be a valuable tool in discerning what is going on during these high heat processes. I think that it shows a better differentiation that I can see by eye, maybe some increased IR ability, I don't know. The higher density of the iron/steel holds the heat much longer than the less dense slag. As with the other blooms, the mass is cup shaped, dramatically so. A small amount of slag would ideally be sitting on top of the developing steel bloom, but in this case is getting blasted off the top and onto the far wall of the furnace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I quench the bloom and pick out the small fragments of entrapped charcoal bits before finally giving it a quick spritz of phosphoric acid to dissolve the black oxides remaining on the surface. The original air blast direction is away from the viewer, the small slag mass being the furthest away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The bottom of the cup shaped bloom is a fascinating construct of small blobs and ribbons of iron. The tiny ribbons are bright, shiny and very flexible. You can bend then back and forth repeatedly without them breaking and they spark test as very low carbon iron.</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8pNyHdvbZIA/WvKnbsQ_auI/AAAAAAAAZOo/zl5XhBQq6zkBGhxiSDTm9ikJ4DQXNKSoQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_6046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8pNyHdvbZIA/WvKnbsQ_auI/AAAAAAAAZOo/zl5XhBQq6zkBGhxiSDTm9ikJ4DQXNKSoQCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_6046.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They are also razor sharp, something that I didn't realize until the next day. “How in the hell did I get all these cuts on my hand!?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The side view of the bloom opposite the tuyere seems to show a gradient of steel, iron at the bottom shifting to cast iron at the top.</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_iJRt1PdkVk/WvKnkXJ2F2I/AAAAAAAAZOs/uZwAv3Oq1c0cd47B6p1ucvMKBxPaKJXDACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_6047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_iJRt1PdkVk/WvKnkXJ2F2I/AAAAAAAAZOs/uZwAv3Oq1c0cd47B6p1ucvMKBxPaKJXDACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_6047.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This bloom would've been great to keep as is or to consolidate into a tighter mass, but instead of that, I smash it cold into fragments, to check out the grain structure of the iron/steel. I can make more, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The mass as a whole is very tough, odd considering that the steel grain structure should be huge, given the high and prolonged temperatures, but this thin section broke nicely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mostly rather nice and relatively small grain steel with a tiny bit of iron showing the characteristic stranding we see in wrought iron. The darker gray areas outside the break spark as cast iron, with a very few short red sparks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The higher heat of this final melt has put the end on a long afternoon of steel production. It isn't too clear in this photo, but the furnace wall has eroded back over 30 mm and the clay/charcoal tuyere is essentially gone. Large vitrified sections of the wall surrounding the highest heat areas have shattered and fallen away, presumably to end up as slag that was attached to the bloom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First some furnace repairs, then more fun.</span></div>
Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-67105404006374772262018-05-07T09:27:00.001-07:002018-05-07T10:06:37.723-07:00Oroshigane steel (6).....Still trying<br id="docs-internal-guid-5e9d86c8-3b62-8ce9-d2fa-996b7f3affa5" />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first round of iron melting in the Sumihira style Oroshigane furnace went so well, I just had to keep going. I used my last bit of bundle wrap wire during the first melt, but I still wanted to see how this furnace would handle a slightly larger mass of metal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How about a remelt of last year's pseudo-successful “Aristotle” run? If you look closely, you can see the remains of the partially melted feedstock still stuck to the mass of the bloom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The original melt of this blob of metal took over two hours and resulted in no notable increase in the carbon content. The mild steel rebar bundle wrap that originally tested as low carbon came out looking very different, but the spark looked much the same (perhaps it was just surface decarburization; I should've cut and polished the interior, but didn't). The reason that the melt took so long was because during the burn, the area around the tuyere (air inlet) had quickly melted and was continually dripping down to block the airflow. Not enough air = not enough heat. It did make a nice, very dense bloom however. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since the new furnace was already good and hot, I plopped the old bloom in at the bottom, then filled it with charcoal right to the top of the shaft. It only took a short while before the charcoal was fully burning with a sparse red flame.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The flame becomes more “solid” as the metal begins to melt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The previous burn produced a bloom that looked burnt to me and had a significant amount of cast iron in the composition. This time, as the flame begins to shift slightly into the yellow flame stage, I briefly turn off the blower (the hateful air mattress inflator!) and give a listen to the fire. I definitely hear the iron “boiling”, so I turn the blower back on and refill the shaft with charcoal one last time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As soon as the charcoal level drops to the level of the tuyere…….</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pvilx410kHI/WvB8p5XVhVI/AAAAAAAAZNA/Kxxfqs0EeQIv3bliHHHzV2S4E6pJsDW_gCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pvilx410kHI/WvB8p5XVhVI/AAAAAAAAZNA/Kxxfqs0EeQIv3bliHHHzV2S4E6pJsDW_gCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_5944.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">…..it's time to check out the results. This time the melt took, at most, 15 minutes.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qwXZhqhjhdk/WvB8v1MzYLI/AAAAAAAAZNE/WqcW6XlymMMdukmZOpLnkIWIHpQL8VQIgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qwXZhqhjhdk/WvB8v1MzYLI/AAAAAAAAZNE/WqcW6XlymMMdukmZOpLnkIWIHpQL8VQIgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_5951.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The thin gray mass on the left that is stuck to the bloom is the sacrificial charcoal/clay inner lining of the furnace, doing what it is supposed to; prevent the molten iron from sticking directly to the furnace itself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And, the result.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-86gBXMHEUys/WvB807UgFMI/AAAAAAAAZNI/G_l7WF2eXF8PeAvWWkcsz6x4DrOQd01gACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-86gBXMHEUys/WvB807UgFMI/AAAAAAAAZNI/G_l7WF2eXF8PeAvWWkcsz6x4DrOQd01gACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_5971.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another cup shaped bloom. The air blast was travelling from the ball of my thumb towards the tip of my pinky finger, as it were. There is a small bit of furnace lining stuck to the bloom (on the left) where it had briefly adhered to the wall underneath the tuyere. </span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BtDEjFvDvEM/WvB85PqC6gI/AAAAAAAAZNM/TJt5dBQGHnwj4YCzRqObNbEvGJcIb_pAwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BtDEjFvDvEM/WvB85PqC6gI/AAAAAAAAZNM/TJt5dBQGHnwj4YCzRqObNbEvGJcIb_pAwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_5964.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I like the appearance of this bloom better than the last, in any event. It looks like the force of the air blast was scouring the top of the bloom and throwing the small amount of slag against the wall. Because this isn't a smelting furnace for reducing iron from ore, the slag is most likely from the slight amount of wall erosion around the tuyere. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The underside of the bloom has many globular masses that sparked as high carbon steel.</span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yYVltcvpIRI/WvB886Jdl4I/AAAAAAAAZNQ/cLFZZsm_LtYzrl0umDE9W_CLhT3DXrH-QCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yYVltcvpIRI/WvB886Jdl4I/AAAAAAAAZNQ/cLFZZsm_LtYzrl0umDE9W_CLhT3DXrH-QCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_5966.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Looking into the furnace, you can see that the tuyere has eroded to be nearly flush with the wall of the shaft and there is evidence of spalling, as the walls vitrify and fracture off. You can also see the unstuck half of the sacrificial carbon/clay plate that the bloom sat upon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first two blooms from this furnace have been cup shaped in profile. I'm sure that someone with experience in these matters could tell in a moment what this says about the internal environment of the furnace is exactly, but I will need to do more experimenting. I suspect that that I've got the air blast set too high, but we will see.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Soon.</span></div>
Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-46714584889798675242018-05-04T09:38:00.000-07:002018-05-07T10:08:03.911-07:00Oroshigane steel (5)..... using the sumihira style furnace<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-5e9d86c8-2be9-5c3a-c588-dffc46deea36" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Sumihira style furnace has been completed and drying for a few days…..it's time to take this bad boy out for a spin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remember that stubborn little stick of mild steel that we just couldn't melt, using the “Aristotle” furnace? Reverting back to the dread air mattress inflator makes reducing this iron into a blob of unrecognizable goo a breeze ( no pun intended... really!).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Starting out, flames are thin and red in color, with just a hint of blue at the base of the flame ( which you can't see here because the sun is too intense in Hawaii).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As the furnace comes up to melting temperature, the flame becomes much “thicker” and shifts towards a more orange color. </span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v9ZSuLVQk2E/WuyGHqNypdI/AAAAAAAAZKo/YjKmnPulE3kUn7ucN0rKbDy6RcsIoincQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v9ZSuLVQk2E/WuyGHqNypdI/AAAAAAAAZKo/YjKmnPulE3kUn7ucN0rKbDy6RcsIoincQCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_5908.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You also get a good view of my ghetto style blower motor, duct tape and all. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Knowing when to pull the molten bloom from the hearth is going to take me a bit of time and effort to get dialed in. Sumihira writes that as the process nears completion, the intensity of the flame will moderate some and also shift into the yellow spectrum. Then…..you turn off the noisy blower and listen. The molten steel will sound as if it's boiling. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you think that it is about ready to come out, let the charcoal burn down until it reaches the tuyere, then turn off the air, grab a tool to hook out the bloom and…..</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZK0F76lZu0/WuyGNrs22DI/AAAAAAAAZKs/8uL8iJxn3DITdxmzuBISZ2ZtykVB4CL4ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZK0F76lZu0/WuyGNrs22DI/AAAAAAAAZKs/8uL8iJxn3DITdxmzuBISZ2ZtykVB4CL4ACKgBGAs/s640/IMG_5916.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">…..see what you got.</span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VbVpmXq4nMY/WuyGRhkbXhI/AAAAAAAAZKw/URjQnbRcSPcPUoFDil_tUQlAt0p88iO1wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="1600" height="263" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VbVpmXq4nMY/WuyGRhkbXhI/AAAAAAAAZKw/URjQnbRcSPcPUoFDil_tUQlAt0p88iO1wCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_5918.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Looks like a burnt-iron cookie!</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qx5HkjJvSAc/WuyGVrdNU3I/AAAAAAAAZK0/L08avPcJgsAW2toSVpqGSgpkB5egxruDwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qx5HkjJvSAc/WuyGVrdNU3I/AAAAAAAAZK0/L08avPcJgsAW2toSVpqGSgpkB5egxruDwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_5922.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another thing that I've been wondering about…...water quenching the bloom. In the handful of resources devoted to small scale iron smelting, YouTube, etc, when the raw bloom gets pulled from the furnace, the consolidation work begins immediately. The yellow-hot blob of steel is thrown onto a log or anvil, then gets gently pummeled by guys swinging sledgehammers. This squishes the odd protruding edges of the bloom into the concentrated center, consolidating the mass. The goal is to get the slag and other impurities out of the way as quickly as possible, resulting in a tight block of bloom iron or hearth steel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In contrast to this, pretty much all of the Japanese resources on tatara ( the traditional large scale way to make steel) and Oroshigane show the hot bloom pulled from the fire and then immediately quenched into water. The bloom gets cleaned up, then returned to the forge for shaping and consolidation. Why would you not start working the bloom right away while it's still good and hot? Does the force of the water quenching blast off the slag and bits of charcoal stuck to the bloom?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here's my chance to find out.</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ItDdK8-t_p0/WuyGaCo70uI/AAAAAAAAZK4/VVVWG5_Ic6sstYTjlzhccbnet9YikJ99QCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ItDdK8-t_p0/WuyGaCo70uI/AAAAAAAAZK4/VVVWG5_Ic6sstYTjlzhccbnet9YikJ99QCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_5923.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fun, lots of boiling water and funny noises are produced, but as far as the resulting bloom is concerned, I'm not sure that the quenching does anything to tidy up the mass.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rather ugly, this one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've seen lots of pictures of bloom steel and while this wouldn't be the ideally shaped result, it does display a commonly seen dished profile. </span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HnRaA_3DatU/WuyGiH-2SfI/AAAAAAAAZLA/nypcGrTWuwIM4K6uHWG7QL5LODsOaOsGwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HnRaA_3DatU/WuyGiH-2SfI/AAAAAAAAZLA/nypcGrTWuwIM4K6uHWG7QL5LODsOaOsGwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_5935.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this picture, the air blast would've been coming from the left. Please excuse the green strings of algae growing in my quench water, haha.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This entire process, from preheating the furnace to pulling the bloom from the fire used less than half of a 5 gallon bucket of hardwood charcoal, not a bad way to spend an afternoon. Even if you buy your charcoal in the store, that's still only a few bucks cost, a good deal even for a tightwad like myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The nice thing about performing an immediate water quench is that it makes the bloom available for spark testing right away. I sparked this little 1 lb. bloom but, try though I might, I couldn't get any decent pics as the sun was just too bright. Ahh…. the trials of living out in the open, haha. I'm grossly out of practice at interpreting carbon values by spark, but it looked to be a gradient of med/high carbon ( shortish yellow spark with strong bursts) ranging up to cast iron (very short red spark, sparse). A few bits tested low carbon, but the highest proportion looked to be cast iron. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This bloom would most likely be forgeable, given a high enough heat and a bit of patience. Fold and weld, fold and weld, and soon you would get a more homogeneous steel…….and I didn't do that. The melting of iron was so much fun that I immediately started in on a second melt, just to see if I could create a bloom with a more solid core. And larger, in anticipation of losing much of the total during the welding and blending phase. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One thing is certain though…..I need to be keeping better notes. Small changes in procedure seem to have large ramifications on the resulting steel. Go figure.</span></div>
Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-35259368423665019572018-04-29T12:14:00.000-07:002018-04-29T12:14:02.865-07:00Oroshigane......making steel (1)<br id="docs-internal-guid-bff5b218-e4af-eb99-a4a9-40401f12d215" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The weather gods have shown pity on us and granted a brief window of dry weather, just enough time for me to gutter the new roof…..and explore a new rabbit hole. With the drainage under control, it's time for me to shift gears a bit and take on something that I've been wanting to try for years; making steel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why would anyone want to make their own steel when so many excellent carbon steel alloys are widely available? Is homemade steel better in some way then what is already out there? In a word….</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So then, why put time and effort into working with such a ridiculously crude and outdated a material? After all, this is essentially a backdoor production method that hasn't seen the light of day in nearly 300 years. I could go on about the mystical alchemy inherent in the transformation of iron to steel, the connection to ironworkers ages past etc, and while that is certainly true, the short answer is that it's just plain cool. Come on now….who wouldn't want to make their own steel?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the Japanese swordsmithing tradition, the blacksmith can select a variety of different steels and re-melt them into a more easily worked form. This blacksmith made steel is called Oroshigane, and while I am not especially interested in making swords, I AM interested in their steel. Broken blades that shatter during the quench, old cast iron teapots, even the steely crumbles that accumulate in the bottom of the forge, all of this can be combined and blended to create a steel with the specific qualities desired. Call it extreme up-cycling. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's all about the carbon </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Steel, at its heart, is a simple compound of elemental iron and carbon. The amount of carbon added to the iron is very small, but it's impact can be huge. Take iron and add only 0.2-0.3% of carbon and the result is mild steel, the most common structural steel in use. Kitchen appliances, “wrought iron” furniture, the list goes on and on, but most of what we see on a daily basis is made of iron that has been made tougher by a miniscule addition of carbon. Add 0.4-0.6% carbon and you start getting a steel that can be made harder and therefore suitable for more extreme duties. Car axles and shafts, hammer heads, nails, lawnmower blades, wrenches….generally medium carbon steel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The sweet spot for carbon steel, at least for cutting edges, is around 0.8-1% carbon. Knife steel, Western woodworking plane blades and chisels, old car springs and such fall into this group. Steel with more than 1% is more of a rare animal, but Japanese woodworking tools (planes and chisels) generally use this very high carbon steel, likewise taps and dies, and some metal working files. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the higher end of the carbon steel spectrum, steel with carbon in excess of 0.8% makes the material more difficult to work. Forging is physically harder as the material just doesn't like to move, even at a high forging temperature. Forge welding becomes more difficult too, particularly when joining wrought iron to steel as my favorite tools do. Without delving into the metallurgy, any carbon in excess of 0.8% has the potential to cause trouble, unless the smith really knows what they are doing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Add 1.2%-2%% carbon and steel turns into a tricksy thing, and can exhibit a range of traits not normally associated with traditional carbon steel; superplasticity, extreme toughness, impact resistance and high elasticity…...all the while maintaining a very high degree of hardness. Again, this assumes that the blacksmith is highly skilled. Some of the tool steels used in laminated kanna blades use this UHCS (</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ultra high carbon steel</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is the term) for the cutting edge, laminated to antique wrought iron. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A carbon content upwards of 2% is termed cast iron, and while cast iron is a wonderful thing for pots and pans or engine parts, it's of no direct use in hand forging. As the carbon content of iron rises, the melting temperature falls (a trait that will come into play shortly), so having a very high carbon content allows iron to more easily become fully molten, then be poured into a mold….</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">cast</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> into a usefully shaped component. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, why all all of this blather about carbon content? At, or near melting temperature, iron is able to either take on (or lose) carbon, and that's what the oroshigane melting furnace is for. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This small shaft furnace heats the iron to a partially molten state as it descends towards the bottom of the column. Wood charcoal acts as both the fuel source and adds the carbon component, all brought to a furious heat by an air source that increases the rate of combustion. The concept is a simple one but, as they say, God is in the details. Shaft volume, air volume and pressure, carbon content of the starting materials, even the size and type of charcoal is important. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of most importance perhaps, is the height above the floor where the air blast enters the column. The temperature of the furnace is highest proximal to the air inlet, so if your furnace floor is at a level with the air inlet (</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tuyere</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is the term), the molten metal will be getting the full force of the air blast. This will actually burn out carbon, so if you are trying to lower the carbon content of cast iron to a more forgeable level, that's where you want to be. If your aim is to raise the carbon content to make some cutlery steel, you want the iron to be able to fall through the heat zone and collect underneath the air inlet, where it sits and absorbs more carbon, eventually resulting in...cast iron. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm just getting going with this, both the steel making and the long winded particulars. If you are truly interested in this field of inquiry, there are a few places to go, materials to read. Here's the shortlist …...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus Hernandez wrote up his experiences forging a blade out of steel made in a so-called “Aristotle” furnace. The swordsmith’s oroshigane furnace I made is nearly identical to this, and it was in reading this forum thread that I first became really interested in making my own steel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">— BROKEN RECORD WARNING—</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This thread is a perfect example of how information is disappearing daily from the web. If you find something of interest, document it well, because the original information might be gone before you know it. To view this post in its entirety with all of the important images, you need to go Wayback……the Wayback machine will take you there. Donate if you can.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A new way to make steel</span></div>
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<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150329053128/http://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?showtopic=11327&page=1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://web.archive.org/web/20150329053128/http://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?showtopic=11327&page=1</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bladesmiths forum is one of my favorite resources for edgy inspiration. They have a whole topic section devoted to smelting ore and making steel, tons of information here….</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?/forum/25-bloomers-and-buttons/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?/forum/25-bloomers-and-buttons/</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daniel Cauble has had some laudable success in making his own oroshigane, really inspiring work, beautiful steel.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?/topic/36558-picture-hvy-some-of-my-orishigane-for-japanese-blades/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?/topic/36558-picture-hvy-some-of-my-orishigane-for-japanese-blades/</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But my main source? The Japanese swordsmith Sumihira gifted us with actual particulars and details of how he raises and lowers carbon content in his work. It is from his writings that I got the measurements for my little furnace. Gold!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The forging process, beginning with making the oroshigane (Google translates oroshigane as “wholesaling”, but you can figure it out….mostly).</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~sumihira/04kajikoubou/0kajikoubou/kajikoubou.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sumihira process of the Japanese sword</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowering the carbon content of cast iron = sageba = ”lowering place”</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~sumihira/19sageba/00sage/00sage%20.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sageba, lowering carbon</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's a start. More to come….</span></div>
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<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" />Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-6324522955881563962018-04-29T12:11:00.000-07:002018-04-29T12:11:00.501-07:00Making steel (2)....the "Aristotle" furnace<br id="docs-internal-guid-bff5b218-e998-e8ab-a5c9-a0915e592478" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to try making my own steel so, based on the specifications given by the Japanese swordsmith Sumihira, I built this oroshigane melting hearth furnace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This simple vertical shaft furnace is used to melt scrap iron and steel, and in doing so, raise (or lower) the carbon content, hopefully to around 1.5% in my case. Make note that this furnace is for remelting scrap, NOT smelting iron from ore (maybe someday I'll give that a try too, but for now…). I'll give the particulars of this build in another post, mistakes and all, so those of you who want to give this a shot have something to go on. Everything I learn was originally shared on the net by someone else, so it's only fitting that I do the same. Successes and failures both.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For starters though……</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After building my oroshigane furnace, I had some materials left over, so I quickly put together a smaller version, based on writings by Lee Sauder. A PDF of his original paper can be found on his website, along with some of his other writings. All are worth reading and it's thanks to his work that so many others are trying these archaic methods of steel production. He's the pro.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.leesauder.com/smelting_research.php" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lee Sauder smelting research</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aristotle furnace</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.leesauder.com/pdfs/Aristotle's%20Steel.pdf" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aristotle's steel</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This “ Aristotle” remelting furnace is intended to be a quick and economical way to try making some steel and should be considered disposable. You might get 3-4 uses if you are careful but to try making it more robust rather defeats the purpose. You can slap one of these together and have it drying within an hour, a great afternoon project, for sure. Uses VERY little charcoal, one bag will last for multiple burns. If you've got clay in your yard, it'll cost nothing to make and it's super fun!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've made three for these things now, but my success has been, ummm….not so good. Two aspects are important for this design to work. Clay and air. Last year, my friend Jeff and I tried building one of these but, living in Hawaii, we have no native clay here. What I did have was the clumping type of cat litter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Clay</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CAT LITTER WILL NOT WORK WELL AS A HIGH TEMPERATURE REFRACTORY!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unscented clumping cat litter will reconstitute into a workable clay and is handy for lots of things, just not the extreme temperatures required to melt iron. At high heat, the clay starts to degenerate into a sandy powder. It shrinks a lot too, not what you want. If you have clay where you live, try that first ( it will likely work) but if you need to buy it, look for something with a high firing temperature, as close to a cone 10 as you can get. Lots of stuff will work though…..Just not cat litter, haha.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Air supply</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last year I used an old 12 volt air mattress inflator and it was fine. A hair dryer should be perfect for one of these small shaft furnaces and they are cheap and easy to find (if you can't borrow one ;-). A shop vac, set to blow, will be WAY too strong, but OK if you can throttle it down some.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once your furnace is dry and up to temp, the steel making process only takes about 20 minutes. In my case, we were listening to the shriek of that inflator for 2 hours….WAY too long! We were melting down some ¼” rebar bundle wrap wire, no problem for this design, but something wasn't right. The iron bloom that formed in the furnace was stuck fast, so after smashing the stack to get the metal out, you could see that the area of the tuyere (air inlet) had slumped, greatly restricting the airflow. We did make a blob of low carbon iron, though not what I was shooting for. No pics, my bad.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This time, still traumatized from last years howling mattress inflator, I grabbed a small 50 cfm bathroom ventilator fan and gave that a shot. I mounted it in a very sophisticated, waterproof and mobile containment (ie: Walmart bucket w/lid).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I added a ball valve to the 2” pvc tubing so that I can adjust the airflow down, handy for slow preheats or for using in the real forge.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d5lc43-ZQ2U/WtuONRmeeHI/AAAAAAAAZCc/F10ZrodFvzQZlOYOEwCcnUV2XAfbzt2JwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d5lc43-ZQ2U/WtuONRmeeHI/AAAAAAAAZCc/F10ZrodFvzQZlOYOEwCcnUV2XAfbzt2JwCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_5881.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">50 cfm works for a small charcoal forge, but a 100 cfm fan might be a better choice if you are buying something new. They aren't the perfect choice for a charcoal forge in general, but they work and are very quiet. If you are forging with mineral coal, don't waste your time with these, get a real blower.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For this “Aristotle” furnace, I used a mix of Home Depot fireclay, perlite (for insulation), shredded bark (for strength), and mortar mix to help things set up more quickly.</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-COikc1BsBik/WtuOfCnouKI/AAAAAAAAZCk/Z0qZtKrO_V87ZOZ-j1EfDW_sWufYv7J0QCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-COikc1BsBik/WtuOfCnouKI/AAAAAAAAZCk/Z0qZtKrO_V87ZOZ-j1EfDW_sWufYv7J0QCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_5835.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite what you might find on the internet, mortar/cement is a POOR choice for high temperature refractory. It's just not durable and when those hydrogen bonds reverse at high heat, it changes back into powder. It will work, somewhat, but there are better choices. Simple sand and fireclay seems to work better….20/20 hindsight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I dry and preheat the still wet clay by burning some scrap wood, then start adding the <a href="http://mypeculiarnature.blogspot.com/2015/09/building-charcoal-kiln-1.html" target="_blank">guava charcoal that I made a couple of years back</a>. You might remember my charcoal making ventures from before, and I'm finally getting a chance to use some of it. I really need to start making pine charcoal again, as this Guava burns slow. I'd prefer to have both on hand in the future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the center of the stack, you can see some of the ¼” mild steel stock that I am melting down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trying to melt down, that is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ellie melts down some old copper pennies and pokes the steel into the hot zone…..</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">….while Renee snuggles Nago the pig.</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k2WK5HAQYFw/WtuPTOmYnfI/AAAAAAAAZC0/Bsiw3iCywfM0iJZhSepm_Ivw-_MxfY1XACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k2WK5HAQYFw/WtuPTOmYnfI/AAAAAAAAZC0/Bsiw3iCywfM0iJZhSepm_Ivw-_MxfY1XACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_5892.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And in the ancient tradition of iron workers everywhere, I give offerings of ale and try to melt some bottlecaps. The stick of wire just sat there, laughing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No love…..needs more air.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More in a bit…..</span></div>
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<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" />Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-33621273989368636542018-04-29T12:08:00.002-07:002018-04-29T12:08:33.206-07:00Oroshigane steel (4)....Building the swordsmith's hearth<br id="docs-internal-guid-5e9d86c8-12b8-6213-cc05-2642c28af954" />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To hopefully clarify things a bit, the melting furnace that I have been describing up until now has been the “Aristotle” design that I first encountered on Lee Sauder’s site. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.leesauder.com/pdfs/Aristotle's%20Steel.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aristotle's steel</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's a neat little thing, quick to make, economical to run and, if you get lucky, will make you some high carbon bloom steel to play with. It's very small in size, with an internal shaft diameter of 10 cm, and 20 cm in height. Think of a 2 liter bottle of soda and you'll understand how small this is. The air comes in through that bumpout on the right side, a plenum that makes the air supply connection easier. I really like that aspect of the design, and while I love that this thing uses barely any charcoal, it's small size makes it a tricky proposition to get repeatable results. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Japanese swordsmith </span><a href="http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~sumihira/04kajikoubou/2orosigane/orosigane.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sumihira</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> gave the particular details of size and construction of a very similar design on his website. His vertical shaft furnace is used to either raise or lower the carbon levels in steel, the primary difference being that even at its lower range in size, this oroshigane furnace is still about 6x larger than the “Aristotle” in bore volume. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The dimensions that I used in this build have an internal shaft diameter 15 cm and a stack height of 30 cm. It's still small, but I think that the larger size makes it more stable in operation. The walls are 5 cm thick and the increased thermal mass holds the heat better, acting to buffer swings in temperature a bit. That said, this design is still at the small end of the size range given and Sumihira notes that getting consistent results with a small size furnaces can be problematic. I used the plenum idea from the “Aristotle”, but otherwise this is representative of a small Japanese oroshigane hearth furnace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">…..And I remembered to take some pictures as I built it! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Given that we are creating temperatures high enough to melt iron ( well over 2000F), I figure it would be prudent to make the base at least somewhat fire resistant. I cut a piece of old roofing tin into a convenient size, then mounted it in a wooden frame.</span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TtzM2NDWufg/WuYT0TigwQI/AAAAAAAAZJM/dC8QNIAOuDEMwfFjcHnnKQXeWcVEQoawwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TtzM2NDWufg/WuYT0TigwQI/AAAAAAAAZJM/dC8QNIAOuDEMwfFjcHnnKQXeWcVEQoawwCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_5831.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, the frame could burn and no, I'm not at all concerned.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This was actually the first furnace that I made this year and lacking experience, I attempted to make a sort of high temperature, insulating refractory cement. I would not choose this route again, but for the record, the mix is a 2:2:4 mix of fireclay, perlite and mortar mix. </span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ext9YN8aZOE/WuYT8MzdCTI/AAAAAAAAZJQ/lmfJZOVACTYFi4J50kfRtqhwTDpAtOshQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ext9YN8aZOE/WuYT8MzdCTI/AAAAAAAAZJQ/lmfJZOVACTYFi4J50kfRtqhwTDpAtOshQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_5833.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The mortar adds the sand for structure and strength, plus sets up fairly quickly, a nice aspect to minimize slumping. This would be a great mix for a low temperature smelter for aluminum, but it can't handle the high temps needed for iron melting. Next time I'll just use straight sand and skip the cement content entirely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once the ingredients had been mixed dry I added a measure of shredded bark mulch to help tie the mix together. Grass, straw, peat moss, anything will work here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I spread a layer of the refractory mix to provide a solid base to build from.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-37KxsXh_qy4/WuYUGOOC8II/AAAAAAAAZJY/DhmZJz7lhnocDgmNBD1oRUYMzH7PaLIUgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-37KxsXh_qy4/WuYUGOOC8II/AAAAAAAAZJY/DhmZJz7lhnocDgmNBD1oRUYMzH7PaLIUgCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_5836.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">…….and then somehow forgot to take pictures for a while …..*sigh*. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For this furnace build, I made a tube of chicken wire to act as reinforcement that will give the furnace at least a fighting chance of lasting for more than just a few uses. I set the chicken wire in place, then molded the refractory mix around it. A much better way would be to start out with a sturdy cardboard tube of about 6” diameter to use as a form. Slap on a base coat of refractory, wrap it up in chicken wire, then slap on more refractory to cover the wire. The form tube will burn out during the preheat, WAY faster and easier...20/20 hindsight!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The air plenum is formed around a handy cardboard tube that I pulled from the recycle bin. This paper towel roll is a bit small in diameter, 2” or larger might be better here, but this works.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here you can see the bottom hole where the air supply comes in, as well as the cardboard form used to shape the vertical shaft. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remove the form and you are left with an “L” shaped plenum that is open at the top and bottom.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMr2U79POEAdufz4VQJvo3LYopUd7fwgVTSA9rx597PWXnYnDOC5HdLke9OvWDJPpf6CTNh0uMq5LHRZbdDdowVurvL9DeojwGUIaxrEWrIa92_vcKUTSWWedhYjOIIio07FrHIZdAKkMk/s1600/IMG_5842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMr2U79POEAdufz4VQJvo3LYopUd7fwgVTSA9rx597PWXnYnDOC5HdLke9OvWDJPpf6CTNh0uMq5LHRZbdDdowVurvL9DeojwGUIaxrEWrIa92_vcKUTSWWedhYjOIIio07FrHIZdAKkMk/s320/IMG_5842.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The air enters the furnace shaft around 4” up from the bottom, 10 cm in this case. One very important detail that dictates the function of this furnace is the height and angle of the tuyere, where the air enters the main shaft. Referring back to Sumihira, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A shallow angle to the tuyere and a shallow depth (20-50mm) underneath is used for reducing carbon of cast iron. 5-6 degrees, 10 degrees max. A trumpet shaped tuyere gives a spreading, more diffuse air blast and soft, low temperature charcoal is best.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> A steeper angle and more height (50-100mm) is better suited to raising the carbon content of the base iron. 4-18 degrees are given as a range, with a more focused tuyere to concentrate the heat. Slower burning, high heat charcoal is good here, often a mix of miscellaneous hardwood charcoal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I throw a dart…..18 degrees it is! I use a 12mm diameter stick to punch a hole into the main shaft.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's not very clear from this picture, but the tuyere inlet is inside the “L” shaped plenum which will be sealed during the operation of the furnace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Looking down from the top…..stick still in place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The tuyere is just a hole where the air enters the stack. Keeping things simple and flush with the side of the shaft will allow better access to the bloom for removal, but also suffers a significant amount of blast erosion of the furnace wall itself. As the wall melts, it deforms the air blast until it clogs, resulting in a bloom that gets stuck in place anyway. AMHIK.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Ideally, the tuyere will protrude into the shaft a bit, maybe 25mm or so. Sumihira uses a tuyere shape that was favored by his teacher and is cast from a high temperature refractory cement. Here you can see that it protrudes into the main shaft, probably around 1 sun=30.3mm, and the furnace bed of crushed and moistened charcoal fines has been raised to be nearly flush with the tuyere. This would be intended for lowering the carbon content of cast iron.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~sumihira/19sageba/02sumihirasage/02sumihirasage%20.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sageba, lowering carbon content</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I mentioned before, I don't have an acceptable high temp refractory but a serviceable substitution was used by Dave Friesen of Island Blacksmith, for his </span><a href="http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/01/building-traditional-swordsmith-forge/" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">museum forge build</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Crushed charcoal fines and clay are mixed with a minimum amount of water, formed into an appropriate shape and left to dry. In this video, Dave is making the tuyere for a traditional Japanese swordsmith's charcoal fueled forge, but the tuyere shape and function is nearly identical.</span></div>
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<a href="https://youtu.be/DMdpZEds_uc" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://youtu.be/DMdpZEds_uc</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I love all of Dave's Crossed Heart Forge videos. Who would think that watching a talented bladesmith hammering on steel could be so restful?! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The “Aristotle” furnace that I built uses a consumable liner made from charcoal fines and clay, with a bit of peat moss added for structure. The mix is combined and kneaded until it is fully blended, then shaped into a patty and formed into a dish that sits at the bottom of the shaft. While not super durable, after it has been fired the resultant mix does hold together surprisingly well. For this Oroshigane furnace, I combined the two design features, a sacrificial furnace bed and a protuberant tuyere, both formed from charcoal fines and fireclay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can also see the stick that was used to punch the hole in the sidewall is still in place. The end of the stick ended up being about 8cm up from the bottom, not the 10 that I was shooting for. Not the end of the world, but it may affect the results some, not sure yet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The mixture that Dave specified for his tuyere has a ratio of 6 parts charcoal to 2 parts clay. I've been using a 50/50 blend because it looks neat in the mixing bucket, haha.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My last handful of clay is used to seal the area where the air enters the plenum at the very base of the furnace. I'm using a 2” PVC to a 2” galvanized nipple, but anything could be used here. The plenum design keeps everything cool so straight PVC alone would be fine, as long as you don't drop too much burning charcoal on it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And finally, the plenum gets covered up by a cool chunk of lava that Ellie found.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The rock isn't bonded in place because you need to be able to take it off periodically for tuyere access. When the tone of the air supply changes pitch, it's probably due to the air being restricted in some way. Grab a metal rod to clean the blockage and ream it out when it happens. The access port also lets you peek into the inferno to watch as your steel forms…..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Primal fun!</span></div>
<br />Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-2619992254545056002018-04-28T07:28:00.000-07:002018-04-28T07:28:47.983-07:00Oroshigane steel (3)....."Aristotle" again <br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The small “Aristotle” remelting furnace that I slapped together was suffering from one major deficiency….lack of air. The 50 cfm bathroom vent fan I used just doesn't have enough “</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">oomph</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” to get this thing up to iron melting temps, though we gave a mighty effort. Secondly, because I didn't give the furnace time to dry out properly, the poor thing developed some pretty extensive cracks as the clay shrank. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Step 1)</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Suck it up and pull out the hated air mattress inflator, who's devilish shriek haunts me still. I swear, the damn thing makes my tooth fillings vibrate, but it does move the air.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Step 2)</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> In hopes of getting one more use out of this little disposable design, I wrap the stack with baling wire, then apply more clay mix to the outer surface. A little extra mass will make the furnace both more sturdy and add a bit of additional thermal mass.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let's fire it up!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can't see what's happening to the metal inside the furnace of course, but the character of the flame can tell you something. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here you see that the stack is full of burning charcoal. The flame is thin, red, and of low intensity; it's time to add the metal to be melted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The idea here is to put the metal on top of the pile of burning charcoal, then keep adding more charcoal to the top as the pile burns down. The metal will slowly descend, hopefully to melt into a viscous pile at the bottom of the stack. The entire process should only take 15-20 minutes. This time, I am remelting old steel and cast iron blooms that I've made in another furnace, just playing and experimenting right now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What I want to show here is the flame character.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As the iron and steel reaches melting temperature, the color of the flame shows more of an orange cast and there is a substantial increase in flame intensity. The air supply is unchanged from the first picture, but the flame is much “thicker” now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As the melt progresses, the flame gets more yellow in hue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most of my melts have produced diffuse and airy blooms, probably due to my lack of a good, strong air supply. This time, I am running the burn for a longer period, just to see what I get at the end. Occasionally, the sound of the blower will change, indicating that tuyere is becoming clogged with slag (waste), molten metal or whatever. This design allows outside access to the tuyere, REALLY handy when you need to clear blockage. Just rod it out and keep going…..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In any event, after about 30 minutes, the tuyere keeps getting clogged and, because this furnace wasn't built to last, it has developed a fatal fracture. The flame has shifted firmly into the yellow spectrum.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Post mortem analysis showed that intense heat of the flame had eroded the area around the tuyere, so much so that the airway was blocked and the bloom stuck firmly in place. The intense, yellow flame shows that the air is blasting directly onto the metal itself and beginning to burn off carbon. If you are trying to lower the carbon content of cast iron, that's a good thing, but here…..not so much.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And what is the result?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An interesting bloom of mostly gray cast iron with a few tiny spots of steel, and lots of oxidized steel and slag, all mixed together into a big mess.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I quench the bloom in water, then spark test before smashing it into pieces. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most of the bloom crumbles into garbage, but one small area from the side furthest from the air blast fractures in a way that shows the crystalline structure of steel. Well….at least a tiny bit of steel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm still learning here, but what I think I see is some gray cast iron with a few larger white cast iron crystals. The lightest color, fine grain material sparks like medium carbon steel, but most of this mess appears to be slag, the melted remains of the furnace wall itself. The old furnace has been crushed, sifted, and put into a bucket to soak for a while, waiting to be reused. Clay is expensive here!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still exploring, more is on the way…...</span></div>
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<img src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/581355fc-d7ac-4fe5-9129-e60618953cde" /><img src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/c62d0997-ab5b-407c-b850-2bf5df659b20" /><img src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/8394d340-c70e-4272-a664-60fe554ea64a" /><img src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/95cb3b45-0c56-487f-92d0-d9543027fb43" /><img src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/0aee74ae-817f-460e-98ce-2590995561e7" /><img src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/94351859-a7d6-4a8e-af55-e8b72a7dab48" /><img src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/f98f92e4-f607-479c-a2ba-6126ce048687" />Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-76140205610896857382018-04-04T09:10:00.001-07:002018-04-04T09:10:46.213-07:00Sucker Hole or not......get the roof up quick!Finding good, used building supplies here on the Big Island is a real trick. Yes, there is a Craigslist here, but after repeatedly seeing ads offering water soaked offcuts and the type of items that you'd normally be pulling out of the dumpster, all at next-to-new prices….you get burned out after a while. I guess it's a natural result of needing to have everylastthing shipped in at great expense that makes people think that this stuff is made out of gold, but every now and then you find some deals.<br />
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One of the metal roofing companies not far down the road has occasional scratch and dent items, and if your stars are all in alignment, they might actually have something at the exact time you have need. Don't count on it. Steel roof at $2/linear foot doesn't last long, so when you see it, grab it. All of it. I did, about six months back, in anticipation of getting a real roof over our heads, and that time is now. One slight problem; the rain just won't give me a break.<br />
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A Sucker Hole, for those of you who aren't familiar with the term, is a break in the cloud cover that makes you think that it could turn into a decent day…...then as soon as you get started on something good, the clouds return, usually with a vengeance. Hahahahahaha…..SUCKER!<br />
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The Ace Hardware store here sells two different colors of large tarp; grey/brown and white. Both tarps are made by the same company, but the white tarps have proven VASTLY superior in both finish and durability. Despite the grey/brown tarp having a moderately reflective grey surface to minimize heat gain, the white colored tarps stay markedly cooler, like 30% cooler, so says my IR temperature gun. Go figure….in any event, relying on ANY tarp to keep you and yours dry is something all done on faith. We've been lucky, to say the least, but crossing your fingers for over a year in a climate as rainy as this one will test anyone's faith.<br />
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Now if only it would stay sunny for a few days…..<br />
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An actual bedroom, lucky kid.<br />
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I've been sitting on that decent sized pile of metal roof for months, and now that I've finally framed in Ellie's new addition, it's time to put it to use. The rain stopped, it's time to go for it!<br />
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And, the gods being fickle (at best!).....the clouds came back. In force.<br />
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Ahhhhh Hubris, you've gotten me again.<br />
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Actually, I got everything buttoned up, just in the nick of time, but only minutes away from a serious deluge. And only a couple of leaks, haha. It beats the tarp though. Next thing to do is gutters. At least now that it's raining again, I can get back to work on my fuigo.<br />
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It never ends, this building stuff.<br />
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<br />Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-19238092250887367762018-03-22T08:50:00.001-07:002018-04-29T12:19:43.106-07:00Rainy days getting you down? Build a Japanese blacksmithing bellows!<br />
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Thinking rationally for a bit, I realize that it doesn't REALLY rain every day here but…...it feels like it's been forever since we last had a solid day of sunshine. Rainy days are particularly bothersome for us in our open-air lifestyle ie: no windows that close, no doors and certainly no heating or dehumidifiers. Everything here is out in the open, and while that is nice when the weather is beautiful and sunny, wet days kinda suck. Three weeks of rain REALLY sucks!<br />
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There is a goodly long list of things that need doing ( replacing our sketchy tarp roof with real roofing, building a new bedroom addition for our soon-to-be teenage daughter, etc,etc,etc…..) but some tasks are better off being confined to drier days. Wooden body kanna tend to swell a bit in high humidity and can get out of whack. Lumber twists and warps, not a big problem for framing, but definitely a bad day for finer furniture projects. I don't know about you, but I hate working out in the rain anyways, so framing is out. Finish applications are verboten in this weather but given that I haven't built anything finer than a plywood box in God knows how long, that's pretty much a moot point. I can dig stuff up using the backhoe, as long as it's not raining too hard. Sharpening tools is a good rainy day project. Working at the forge is a great thing to do on cold and dreary days. Now, if only I had set up the forge sooner……<br />
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I bought the materials for putting together a forge blower using a bathroom ventilation fan, oh, two years ago I think. Ventilation fans are high volume, low pressure, pretty much the opposite of what you really want in a forge blower, but since I'm doing all my forge work using charcoal, the bathroom fan is adequate. Best of all, it's really quiet. The thing that I DON'T like about using an electric fan is that, unless you install a momentary-on foot switch, you are burning up fuel constantly. When you are producing all your own charcoal, that's a real concern. A human powered forge bellows only makes air when you need it.<br />
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When working tool steel at the forge, temperature control is crucial so you need to regulate the air supply to make the fire hotter (or less so). You can install an inline gate valve to restrict the air volume, but the simple shaded pole induction motors used in small bathroom fans don't really like the increase in back pressure. You can wire in a rheostat, but they don't really like that either. Either of these means will work, so if that's all you got, work with it, but it's not exactly ideal. Bathroom fans use electricity of course, and that's something that is in short supply in our off grid lifestyle, so although that's another factor for me, it's probably not so much of a concern for you, hahaha.<br />
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So…..it's raining again, and everyone needs a rainy day project, right?<br />
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One of things holding me back from building said forge is my oh so strong desire for a proper Japanese blacksmith bellows ( 鞴 [ふいご (fuigo)). You know…..that funny wooden box that you see sitting to the left of the forge in nearly any Japanese blacksmithing video.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4s84VPPj_Ug/WrPJG__LV0I/AAAAAAAAYlY/bpAETC-0rPAjcGZt8otWkUXNw8OVtww1ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4s84VPPj_Ug/WrPJG__LV0I/AAAAAAAAYlY/bpAETC-0rPAjcGZt8otWkUXNw8OVtww1ACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_1307.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've been wanting to build a true Japanese fuigo for a long time, pretty much as long as I've been interested in forging tools. One slight hang up though, is that there are very few resources for the details of their construction. Search the internet in any language you choose and you'll find a few examples of fuigo that others have built but they have been, shall we say...simplistic in design? A traditional Japanese fuigo box bellows IS a simple thing, being essentially a box (duh!) and piston, with a few flapper valves that keep the air moving in the direction you want to it to go. There are a few hints of construction to be found that indicate that the Japanese fuigo has some details that aren't obvious to the casual observer.<br />
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Here is a couple of links to a repair that was performed for the Miki city ancient rite preservation society.<br />
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<a href="https://blog.goo.ne.jp/chikuma_2008/e/f58bc5f149810ca05594400cda81993d" target="_blank">Fuigo repair (1)</a><br />
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<a href="https://blog.goo.ne.jp/chikuma_2008/e/eeb6c16b4b7dbc2aaeb55cda0ba153d7" target="_blank">Fuigo repair (2)</a><br />
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The fuigo being repaired had been used by one of the most highly regarded Japanese toolsmiths, Chiyozuru Sadahide I, a name that is well known to any Japanese tool aficionado. It's hard to find a more legitimate example of fuigo construction than this, and those blog posts highlight a few interesting details.<br />
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<li>The long sides of the fuigo are bowed inward in both height and width (although just how much isn't specified) to better resist the force of air pressure.</li>
<li>The flapper valves are tapered, thin at top and thicker at the bottom, and are covered with rice paper to provide an improved seal. Dave Friesen of Island blacksmith did an excellent write up of this detail here……<a href="http://islandblacksmith.ca/2015/11/making-valves-for-fuigo-box-bellows/" target="_blank">making-valves-for-fuigo-box-bellows</a></li>
<li>The long side panels of the fuigo are only about 9mm thick and are made up of two planks of cedar glued and reinforced using iron pins (like brads or dowels, but I can't find any pics of that detail).</li>
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Some interesting clues, to be sure. But that's not all…..<br />
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This YouTube video highlights a reproduction fuigo, skillfully built by California craftsman John Burt.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3Ecetg1B7y4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3Ecetg1B7y4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ecetg1B7y4&t=0s&index=7&list=PLg4KBTHxJ6dNDHc7mTsbx71eEbQmd2a-p" target="_blank">Making a Japanese box bellows</a><br />
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This reproduction fuigo was built for the upcoming United States visit of another well known Japanese blacksmith, sawsmith Miyano Dai Endo, better known on this side of the ocean as Yataiki (You can read more about Yataiki at the Daiku dojo website <a href="http://www.daikudojo.org/Archive/gallery_yataiki/)" target="_blank">http://www.daikudojo.org/Archive/gallery_yataiki/)</a><br />
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The YouTube video mentions the bowed sides of the traditional fuigo, but also says that the bellows is tapered in length, a full 5mm from one end to the other. That's interesting……I wonder what else there is to learn here.<br />
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A few years back, Gabe Dwiggins of Granite Mountain Woodcraft wrote up the best fuigo build ever.<br />
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<a href="http://granitemountainwoodcraft.com/category/fuigo/" target="_blank">http://granitemountainwoodcraft.com/category/fuigo/</a><br />
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To top that off, the next year he drove all the way across the country to visit with Japanese saw metate Mark Grable and while there, took detailed and meticulous measures of a REAL Japanese box bellows.<br />
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There are clues here, to be sure. More than clues actually, because Gabe was able to get accurate measurements.<br />
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<a href="http://granitemountainwoodcraft.com/2016/04/23/hirotas-fuigo" target="_blank">hirotas-fuigo</a><br />
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Ironically, this fuigo is the exact same bellows that John Burt copied in that YouTube video... cool! Small world, isn't it?<br />
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Gabe, being the awesome guy that he is, took it upon himself to draw up detailed plans, then shared this hard earned bit of intellectual gold with others. It's taken me far too long to get going on this project, but it's finally time to build this sucker!<br />
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I'm not going to give a step by step build log, because I suspect that Gabe has one of his own in the works (and if not…...hint hint!) , plus he will do a much better job of detailing this important tool build, far better than I ever could. I am just digging the opportunity to build something I've wanted for quite some time and didn't even need to do the difficult design work. I can't think of the last time I got to built something to a plan, haha.<br />
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Easy peasy. I owe you big time, Gabe!<br />
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Starting these types of projects, I start to remember certain things. Things like……<br />
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I dislike gluing up large stock and….<br />
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....I hate yellow glue ( but I'm also leary about using hide glue in this warm and humid Hawaiian enviroment).<br />
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The prospect of gluing up the various sizes required for this project was probably the single greatest obstacle to me not building this thing sooner.<br />
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I love working with different species of wood, especially when they agree with my kanna.<br />
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Most of this fuigo will be constructed of your basic western red Cedar, but when I didn't find any 20mm thick stock hidden in my lumber stash/treasure hoard (and felt too lazy to head over to the lumber yard), I decided to use this mystery wood. Harder than cedar, I suspect it's some species of mahogany. I've got a fair bit Honduran mahogany buried in my lumber pile, but this isn't it. Spanish cedar? Toon? Nope, not Toon (Australian cedar). Whatever it is, it's got a nice reddish hue and it works nicely with my edged tools, not something that I can say about the many varieties of eucalyptus we have here in Hawaii.<br />
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Doesn't matter what kind of wood it is, pig loves to dig in and take a nap.<br />
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The list of stock thicknesses for this project are various : 9mm, 18mm, 20mm and 25mm. Convert these measures into the old-school Japanese shakkanhō (尺貫法, "shaku–kan system") measurement units of bu (3.03mm=1bu), and you've got some readily available stock that conveniently matches your chisels…..at least if you are in Japan, haha. I'm making due with what's more commonly found in his part of the globe.<br />
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There is one final hurdle for me, concerning this build. If Gabe went through all the effort of making detailed measurements of an honest-to-god Japanese fuigo, it would only be fitting that I should make my reproduction as authentic as possible. I've already fudged some stock thicknesses to what I had on hand, but not by any huge amount, ditto the wood species. My hangup is the nails used to fasten the sides of the fuigo.<br />
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These forged nails have a head that is first flattened, then rolled back on itself. Way cool, and there is even a YouTube video showing them being forged.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zZk4WBBcik&index=5&t=0s&list=PLg4KBTHxJ6dNDHc7mTsbx71eEbQmd2a-p" target="_blank">Forging traditional Japanese nails</a><br />
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This would be another ideal and appropriate little side project…...if I had a fuigo, haha.<br />
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Chicken or the egg….chicken or the egg…...<br />
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<br />Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-61312021332937561742018-03-10T10:36:00.002-08:002018-03-10T10:36:17.316-08:00Building inroads <br />
As I'm sure I've mentioned before, this place in Hawaii where we have come to live started out as a blank slate for us. I mean, REALLY blank…..no buildings, no electricity, and no driveway (unless you count the well established pig trails).<br />
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Our first steps in making a survey of possible building sites necessitated cutting my way through the fern and guava tangle using that mainstay of all jungle explorers…..the machete. Next, pick a route, any route, make your best guess as to where you might end up, then cut down anything within reach of the chainsaw. Now it's time to bring out the big guns….the backhoe.<br />
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Having a machine like the backhoe to do the heavy lifting (or digging, as it were) has been an immense time and labor saver, although all that easy access to dirt moving muscle makes it somewhat more likely to bite off more than you can chew. A backhoe is a sort of jack-of-all-trades, able to do many things, but it's not necessarily the perfect tool for the job. The smart people hire a bulldozer and get the job done in a few days rather than fiddle around for a month, picking along with the hoe. To use this one machine as the sole means of building a road or leveling a house pad is folly so, of course, that's exactly how I choose to go about the task. It works for me, but it's not what I recommend to others, haha.<br />
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Try to choose a path that will entail the least amount of material removal, then muck out as much as you can.<br />
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I filled the deepest holes with a combination of rocks and old tree stumps, but the style credit goes to Renee. Some sections of the drive remind me of the Inca trail, with carefully placed basaltic lava filling and leveling things out as much as possible.<br />
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Unfortunately, this is only a foundation course. The next step buries all that excellent rock work underneath a bed of red cinder, the go-to choice on a volcanic island with no gravel deposits.<br />
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The cinder is the highly aerated ash and molten rock that gets blasted out of a volcano during eruptions. It's lightweight and very friable, crushing down to fill in the nooks and crannies amongst the larger stones. It looks cool and comes in either red or black, although red is harder and is the more preferred for roads. Some of the black cinder is light enough to float on water and it makes a popular growing medium.<br />
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Red and green….looking a bit like Christmas last winter.<br />
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As we wander over the land, we are trying to maintain a particular vision in how we are altering the landscape. Ellie had her eye on this naturally wet spot as the perfect site for digging a pond.<br />
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And after a few hours of digging, she was finished.<br />
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Next comes rock work, plantings, and the addition of some mosquito fish to keep the biting insects in check.<br />
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After 500’ of road building fun, we reached to a tolerably level area, a good enough spot to build a quick and dirty shelter.<br />
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What's that? You hear banjos?<br />
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Building here has been a trial all my own. I've had such grand ideas and desires, clever solutions and design/build concepts to explore, none of which have happened yet. I'm embarrassed to say that expediency has been the primary motivator, just trying to get a better roof over our heads. This area was only intended to be a dry spot to work but, as these things tend to go, we've been living in this shed for over a year now. Time for a real roof, ya think?<br />
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Stay on the trail a bit longer and the guava eventually thins out, getting replaced by Uluhe ferns and sparsely placed native Ohia trees.<br />
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Some date palms, a few soon-to-be monster Albizia trees, Hapu'u tree ferns and sunshine.<br />
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The perfect place for another structure, lightly built and none too well at that (although I'm far from being finished). I lugged in every stick, on my shoulder the entire way, so some big concessions were made in material choices and dimensions.<br />
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This too was intended as a quickly built and dry place to work, the primary building site is even further down the trail. We'll see how that plays out. In the meantime, it's a nice place to string a hammock.<br />
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The sunny spots attract a different kind of wildlife.<br />
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I swear, most of what we are building here ends up being taken over by the critters.<br />
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Her favorite nesting spot.<br />
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Eggs and tools, two things that might be better off separated, but at least we are getting the eggs more often than the rats do. Finally, somebody is earning their keep!<br />
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<br />Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-76913206695292568882018-02-26T15:50:00.000-08:002018-02-26T15:56:01.086-08:00Wild boar!<br />
Jesus H. Christ! Nearly two years since writing?! Where ya been? Watcha been doin’? I guess that enough time has passed now that it's time for an update.<br />
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I'll warn you up front…..I've got a two year backlog of pictures and much of this will only be of direct interest to friends and family. Who wants to sit and look at some stranger's baby or vacation pictures?!<br />
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OK, where was I? Oh yeah…..the challenges of living with wild pigs.<br />
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You see them on occasion, but signs of their passing through are everywhere.<br />
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Unfortunately, the evidence that they leave behind is often a completely trashed garden and dying fruit trees that have been stripped of their bark.<br />
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Wild pigs in Hawaii.<br />
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It has always been our intention to hunt wild pig. I mean, they are so common in this part of the big island that a few more won't be missed and they taste good! They make gardening a challenge, alter the native forest environment in many negative ways and reproduce like mad. Bagging a few for the freezer is a win/win, right?<br />
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Well, about this time last year, just before nightfall, my daughter Eliana and I heard a loud ruckus coming from the near edge of the jungle. Dashing off to check things out, after a few minutes Ellie returned.<br />
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“Dad! There's a young wild pig here! I'm going to try feeding him! Yes, I'll watch out for the momma pig.”, in that exasperated tone that's so familiar to the pre-teen parent.<br />
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“Don't forget to bring a big stick!” I yelled as she was running off, thinking of all those nasty pictures, hunters gored and bleeding from wild boar tusk woundings. Yet another example of good parenting, it's true.<br />
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We have an unwritten rule regarding animals that show up around here. Everybody gets fed! As you would imagine, this quickly leads to a overabundance of mouths to feed. More cats than I can remember the names to, chickens trying to take over the storage shed, and now….<br />
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I'm sure that you have already guessed where this is going…..<br />
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Ellie promptly named him “Nago”, in homage to the wild boar deity from Miyazaki's “Princess Mononoke”.<br />
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I had an old bag of dogfood that was getting in the way, might as well put it to good use.<br />
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From hunting pig, to feeding one. Rest assured, the irony is not wasted on me.<br />
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If you've lived with pigs before (not that I have), you know that they are extremely social creatures. This little guy follows you everywhere, “helping” in the garden, running off with your tools or trying to sneak into the house. Not having an actual door per-se led to a couple of misunderstandings between us, but for the most part, things have gone smoothly. Remarkably well, in fact.<br />
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Ellie introduced him to the pleasures of mud…..<br />
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...but the tub he figured out on his own.<br />
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He likes the cats, something that we were concerned about...<br />
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And just as cats do, he prefers to sleep on your lap, or at your feet as a second choice.<br />
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We walk through the jungle, trying to find the eggs that the crafty chickens hide from us.<br />
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Note to chickens: Bare cinder makes for a lousy nest that is not kind to eggs.<br />
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This place is thick with old lava tubes, often just below the surface. In between other projects, Nago has a favorite tube that he is trying to fill with branches and sticks.<br />
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I cover the hole with an old piece of roofing, but he pulls it off and gets back to work. We have no idea what he is planning, but it is interesting to see him being so industrious.<br />
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It didn't take long for him to outgrow his tub.<br />
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Right about that time, teenage boys being remarkable similar regardless of species, it was time for a trip to visit the vet.<br />
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He looked a little hungover on the ride home.<br />
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The vet didn't even think that we were crazy, not that unusual at all. Kinda makes you wonder about the place where we live, doesn't it?<br />
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So, one year in and he's still here, not exactly a pet, but close enough that it makes no difference. We have a few rules established, for him and for us. No pigs in the bed or the house. Ellie is not supposed to ride the pig. Pig is not supposed to run off with my tools or the groceries. We are to feed the pig at daybreak, lest pig wake us all with his impression of a loud and demented kazoo. And so on.<br />
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From this….<br />
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...to this.<br />
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And for those of you who wonder what it is that I do with my day...Too much of this, to be honest.<br />
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Sitting around in my pj’s, drinking coffee and providing cats with a warm place to snooze, pig at my side and waiting to do something fun.<br />
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It's harder to eat someone who you know. Those other pigs though…..<br />
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The last couple of years has just flown by, yet not a single day has passed where I haven't given at least some thought to writing these posts. The idea of putting ones lives and thoughts out there in such a visible way as this can be so daunting at times. What do you focus on? Who reads this stuff? Is this supposed to be a diary? Should you concentrate on simple and close-ended projects that others might emulate? Long term projects that someone might find inspiring? Are you building a brand and using the blog to promote your own awesomeness?<br />
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Maybe it is best to think of this blog as a sort of catch-all bin, lots of random stuff, some of which might come in handy some day. Welcome to the junk drawer of my mind, haha. Strange though it is to say (sad, I'll admit) I occasionally need to refer back to something that I wrote years ago, having entirely forgotten whatever it was in the interim. Documentation definitely has its value. Just because you find something interesting on the internet today, don't assume that it will be there tomorrow. Some of the best and most valuable resources of information that I have found on the net over the years are gone already and more is disappearing daily. Domains expire, picture hosting becomes a financial burden, technology shifts to the flashy new thing, or maybe intellectual property is getting monetized. Whatever. It's gone. Remember that knowledge not shared=knowledge lost. If you care about something, share it as widely as possible.<br />
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Of no less benefit is the people whom you meet, in a virtual sense if not in person. Finding someone to talk with and bounce ideas off of is really nice, particularly on subjects of, shall we say, less than universal appeal. I tend to get quite wrapped up and obsessive in my varying interests and it's not often that I find someone that is patient enough to sit through my endless yammering on and on and on. I try to keep that junk under wraps, not wanting to scare the neighbors. When I catch myself running a bit over-long on some obscure topic, I can usually cover up by apologizing for my lack of social skills…..”Yeah, I don't get out much...umm….Sorry”. With a blog, the reader can be passive, active, or just opt out entirely without needing to back out of the room as politely as possible. My wife loves to read the blog because it gives her a glimpse into the reasons why I find certain things interesting, yet doesn't obligate her to sit and listen to me ramble for hours on end. She gets to share in some of my delight, but it doesn't give her a headache, haha.<br />
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The act of organizing the content in my mind and arranging it some coherent fashion, choosing photographs to augment the presentation and then writing enough to fill in the blanks, requires me to think about things in a more linear pattern. This forced focus has only improved the outcome of most anything that I've documented. The downside is when I start writing up some new interest or discovery, only to fail so spectacularly halfway in that I gotta drop the line. A series of posts detailing something that only results in a dead end sucks, both for the writer and the reader. I've been guilty of that far to often already and you have my sincerest apologies.<br />
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But the best thing of all? In an very literal sense, arranging words and images tells a story. The wonder of telling the story is that it shifts the attention into the abstract. To describe what we are building, be it a box, a travelog, or a philosophy, draws the writer out of their own first-person experience and into the third-person. Paradoxically, it is that distancing of self that can help us to better see the wonder and beauty inherent in each of our lives. The things that I do in my daily life are quickly written over by new experience, then forgotten. In sharing, I see myself differently. Something as mundane as digging yet another hole becomes something…..more. I don't really know how to put any of this into words, but whatever it is, I've missed it greatly.<br />
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Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-37333408242163361222016-04-07T13:50:00.001-07:002016-04-07T13:50:47.291-07:00Digging in the dirt — Feb and March 2016<p> </p><p>We (Renee mostly, let's be honest here) have been doing a lot of digging since we bought this piece of land, but you know who's *REALLY* good at digging?</p><p> </p><p>Pigs. </p><p>Wild pigs are in abundance, as I'm sure that I've mentioned a time or two, and the evidence of their passing through an area is hard to miss. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iUfichxVx90/VvlkjlvunnI/AAAAAAAAVEA/URlJb18X2eEexgJjy9omVFY_IylFvTusgCHM/s2048/IMG_3423.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iUfichxVx90/VvlkjlvunnI/AAAAAAAAVEA/URlJb18X2eEexgJjy9omVFY_IylFvTusgCHM/s500/IMG_3423.JPG" id="blogsy-1460055376525.0723" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>This area looks like it's been gone over with a rototiller. Maybe it would be a good spot for a new garden?</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rvpAWnlfIO0/VvlkjiH5DdI/AAAAAAAAVEA/TTaHQVdNWdQpvQ_ePgoWAeCg8-wNbhgNACHM/s2048/IMG_3508.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rvpAWnlfIO0/VvlkjiH5DdI/AAAAAAAAVEA/TTaHQVdNWdQpvQ_ePgoWAeCg8-wNbhgNACHM/s500/IMG_3508.JPG" id="blogsy-1460055376508.1758" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Unfortunately, they also found something interesting in Renee's shade garden.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v3zMbnq1GTc/VvlkjkeaS-I/AAAAAAAAVEA/obOay4StWMkgo2TUhgNJ_KQYmxGWoD4TQCHM/s2048/IMG_3503.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v3zMbnq1GTc/VvlkjkeaS-I/AAAAAAAAVEA/obOay4StWMkgo2TUhgNJ_KQYmxGWoD4TQCHM/s500/IMG_3503.JPG" id="blogsy-1460055376562.8638" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Trampled and dug through but, as tasty forage is abundant and most of the plants are purely ornamental, the pigs left most of the plantings alone. We have been expecting this sort of thing to be a common occurrence, but nonetheless this serves as a good wakeup call, a thing to keep in mind for our edible endeavors. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Many families here keep a pig or two, and more and more it's feeling like a practical decision. We generate very little household waste, but despite a lifetime habit of composting vegetable matter and recycling what we can, there always remains the question of dealing with non-veg materials, meat scraps and the like. It's highly unlikely that we will go vegan anytime soon (like...never), and a pig is happy to turn that nasty garbage into protein and manure. Pen them into a restricted area and they will also do an admirably thorough job of tilling the soil, as we have been reminded.</p><p> </p><p>Pigs....the garden tool that you eat.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>While thinking of pens and enclosures, I started putting a bit of the rampant tangle of Guava to a more directed use. It's my intent to lay the guava as a hedge row in the English tradition, using its resilience and vigorous nature to help define the property boundaries, but this day was more of a fun start.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hFV5PcSOfnI/VvlkjvTjxqI/AAAAAAAAVEA/liBmSVZUWJoZIpagBduhThpHddzJvh3nACHM/s2048/IMG_3510.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hFV5PcSOfnI/VvlkjvTjxqI/AAAAAAAAVEA/liBmSVZUWJoZIpagBduhThpHddzJvh3nACHM/s500/IMG_3510.JPG" id="blogsy-1460055376575.8662" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JLhn7RHmTf0/VvlkjtbKUII/AAAAAAAAVEA/4_E7xCOMRKwXV_PNODD9fOvUHKudUQj5ACHM/s2048/IMG_3513.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JLhn7RHmTf0/VvlkjtbKUII/AAAAAAAAVEA/4_E7xCOMRKwXV_PNODD9fOvUHKudUQj5ACHM/s500/IMG_3513.JPG" id="blogsy-1460055376507.5933" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This area is the only level spot large enough to fit our two (small) cars and it's proximal to the road. After removing the guava, we'll actually have an area to park! First though, the stumps and roots must be removed. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5SraWK5v6Ts/VvlsnoJr2MI/AAAAAAAAVEY/pj6vOrA55XAivQ-08mDFhM3BCT6w-YhEACHM/s2048/IMG_3477.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5SraWK5v6Ts/VvlsnoJr2MI/AAAAAAAAVEY/pj6vOrA55XAivQ-08mDFhM3BCT6w-YhEACHM/s500/IMG_3477.JPG" id="blogsy-1460055376564.2231" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p>A lashed-stick tripod and hand winch make the task a bit easier than tearing away with a pickaxe alone. I pull the root mass upward, then work around the perimeter, severing the remaining roots using a hatchet and knife until the clump is free. My saving grace is that the soil in this area is fairly thin with lava sheet below, and the guava is a shallow rooting plant, here at least. 30 minutes? Then on to the next.....and the next.....and.....</p><p> </p><p>Every now and then our neighbor Robert Sr. drives by, giving us crazy haoles mildly incredulous looks and offering a tepid wave. After watching me take the better part of a week to clear a 10' x 20', he says he's had enough and that watching me work like this is making HIM tired. Crazy haoles! He fires up his old Case backhoe, then finishes stripping off our parking spot in about 15 minutes flat, haha. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_kX4QTx7egA/Vvlkjp0wDvI/AAAAAAAAVEA/4zLalBW9anILeNMrfvWV_vSBHIyaVa5ywCHM/s2048/IMG_3517.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_kX4QTx7egA/Vvlkjp0wDvI/AAAAAAAAVEA/4zLalBW9anILeNMrfvWV_vSBHIyaVa5ywCHM/s500/IMG_3517.JPG" id="blogsy-1460055376527.2446" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>After pulling out some of the loose lava for Renee to play with, we've got the beginnings of a parking lot. Thanks Robert!</p><p> </p><p>Having neighbors like Robert Sr. is one of the reasons <em>why</em> I like this part of Hawaii. He's a grouchy old hawaiian dude and not overly friendly to strangers. Opposite his driveway is a derelict school bus of his that acts as a local landmark, and from what little bit of his property you can see from the road, it seems to consist of a couple of junk cars and an old shack, all of which is almost entirely hidden underneath 20 years of jungle growth. The cluttered mess and gruff demeanor are a front. He plants starfruit that are hugely prolific, right next to the road so that neighbors can share the bounty. He drives old cars because only fools drive new ones that are troublesome for the owner to fix. Likewise, his old backhoe gets worked one periodically by Robert himself, just enough to keep it functional. He saves his money, only spending when necessary. My kinda guy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Well, a couple days later, what should I find but this?</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaBwFMTocuTuI5lMDMPH8m21mcUUpd2DsL3Kvt7rrKTSQcaVMM7LOwOxrVUypJm6j3Wmr6d0nhS3e3b2q0bWcBI4NHxG8cO4XxmnfEseVUlyBPoxSt690c_MT3q4_cnRN1gSugqzs-gQs/s2048/IMG_3587.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaBwFMTocuTuI5lMDMPH8m21mcUUpd2DsL3Kvt7rrKTSQcaVMM7LOwOxrVUypJm6j3Wmr6d0nhS3e3b2q0bWcBI4NHxG8cO4XxmnfEseVUlyBPoxSt690c_MT3q4_cnRN1gSugqzs-gQs/s500/IMG_3587.JPG" id="blogsy-1460055376561.9878" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Robert put Renee in the driver's seat, and told her to have fun. She did, and quickly roughed out another garden bed, then dug up more stone for the remaining wall.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nzEo1okhve0/Vvlkjkr4pTI/AAAAAAAAVEA/peysu5Bdj4Ujc7_hAlIC37WVzqnMt0pPQCHM/s2048/IMG_3589.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nzEo1okhve0/Vvlkjkr4pTI/AAAAAAAAVEA/peysu5Bdj4Ujc7_hAlIC37WVzqnMt0pPQCHM/s500/IMG_3589.JPG" id="blogsy-1460055376525.3657" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Renee says "Wow! That was awesome! We should get one of these things!</p><p> </p><p>Haha! Bingo! Just what I was waiting for! I had been following the Big Island backhoe and excavator market for the last 4 months, and it just so happened......</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jw-f6Uelbi8/VvlkjmKwlGI/AAAAAAAAVEA/VoV2KJFedpcDNOLMuG0QzTNsvCPkVaE4gCHM/s2048/IMG_3640.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jw-f6Uelbi8/VvlkjmKwlGI/AAAAAAAAVEA/VoV2KJFedpcDNOLMuG0QzTNsvCPkVaE4gCHM/s500/IMG_3640.JPG" id="blogsy-1460055376508.232" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VGtCHBYOXu8/VvlkjlPoupI/AAAAAAAAVEA/TCyXvACSvi8yvoxLMVBJuqilLgZfMgKhACHM/s2048/IMG_3624.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VGtCHBYOXu8/VvlkjlPoupI/AAAAAAAAVEA/TCyXvACSvi8yvoxLMVBJuqilLgZfMgKhACHM/s500/IMG_3624.JPG" id="blogsy-1460055376545.0994" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>And Renee is right. Backhoe's ARE fun!</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I must admit to feeling a bit conflicted in buying/using heavy equipment to aid us in our endeavors. Foolish perhaps, but.....</p><p> </p><p>Clearing the land is a large undertaking. The general means of doing this is tohire a huge bulldozer to strip off every bit of living matter, then drag a 3' long tooth through the lava to break things up. The resultant rubble then gets driven over repeatedly until the stones crushed into an even size, then spread around to contour the site. Finally, it all gets covered up with imported topsoil so that stuff can grow, usually a grassy lawn. I think I could safely say that a lawn would be the LAST thing that we want to surround ourselves by, to look at every day. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We pass by this neighbor on our little side road, and we've been able to watch as he developes this property. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aXTEuHDZau8/VwasyEAZ-nI/AAAAAAAAVIo/89S6MyoSM3wdTqG2kS8niJn-JiNxiGi6wCHM/s2048/IMG_3469.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aXTEuHDZau8/VwasyEAZ-nI/AAAAAAAAVIo/89S6MyoSM3wdTqG2kS8niJn-JiNxiGi6wCHM/s500/IMG_3469.JPG" id="blogsy-1460055376551.9595" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Not too bad, as these things go. He had a smaller bulldozer brought in to do the work, taking about one weeks time. He left some trees for visual interest (the permaculture guys here call this "native landscaping") and I'm sure that it will continue to improve in the coming years. Still, wherever the bulldozer goes, the soil disappears. That thin brown patch is all that's left of the soil, the rest of the place is bare, gray stone.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In some areas, the amount of topsoil is insignificant. This stretch of road I cut is 100' long and runs atop an old lava tube. Zero soil here.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZAKmGdsswOc/VwasyG8zX9I/AAAAAAAAVIo/UdE0fg8dzDEGWNYzOHIUKhjg4GFkLNkmQCHM/s2048/IMG_3729.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZAKmGdsswOc/VwasyG8zX9I/AAAAAAAAVIo/UdE0fg8dzDEGWNYzOHIUKhjg4GFkLNkmQCHM/s500/IMG_3729.JPG" id="blogsy-1460055376562.4414" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>Other spots however.....</p><p> </p><p>Large areas of our place have these fields, full of climbing Aluhe fern. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NXLFEH4GXq4/VwasyM9ACyI/AAAAAAAAVIo/17d0UKrYHNkCAnwBzmu3j6MiFoaOIylHACHM/s2048/IMG_3734.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NXLFEH4GXq4/VwasyM9ACyI/AAAAAAAAVIo/17d0UKrYHNkCAnwBzmu3j6MiFoaOIylHACHM/s500/IMG_3734.JPG" id="blogsy-1460055376495.9194" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div><p> </p><p>The soil here is so deep, 4-wheel drive would've been a nice option for the backhoe. 2-3' deep with some chunks of old lava thrown into the mix, rich, black soil. At least with a backhoe, you never get stuck, haha.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So my quandary? Why would anyone NOT want to use bigger tools, get the work done with dramatically less effort? Back in the old days, a poor farmer would have to clear his entire field, carved from the forest itself, using only an axe, pick, and shovel. Of course, as soon as he could afford it, he bought a plow-horse, a team of oxen if he was doing really well. There is always work to do, and it's just natural to shift the burden to other things. God knows, I've got plenty of other things to occupy my time. The days are almost NEVER long enough, and none of us know how much time we really have.</p><p> </p><p>My issue is with scale. Bigger tools mean bigger projects, more time, and more expense. When your tools are a shovel and a hatchet, you build within the inherent restraint of the tools. My original intent was to clear a small spot from the jungle, then build a quick shelter. My enthusiasm for digging stumps from the ground is not boundless, and at the rate I've been going, the time required to get to the back of our 1045' deep property would be likely measured in years. Renee is patient, but even she has limits. So yeah, the time thing is important too, but again, much of this is about scale of work.</p><p> </p><p>Small. Small is good. Using just a shovel and pick, I can build a very cute and practical garden bed. Big gardens are a PITA, small pocket gardens are fun. I'd rather have 10 small gardens than one large one. Likewise, are homes. Small houses are great, cheap and funky. A big house (and mortgage!) is a quick route to an unhappy life. I'm usually more enchanted by a cute garden shed than a pole barn.</p><p> </p><p>Enter Sjovel (he's not Swedish but, what the hell, it's a good name for a guy who digs holes). 10 days of digging has gotten me 1/3 of the way into the property and, while its far from being a road that you could actually drive on, at least it gives access. Another week of work should put me in the general vicinity of where we would like to begin building. Along the way, I've been collecting Ohia to use for future construction and a difficult proposition I had been dwelling on for ages, moving SUPER heavy logs, has been solved with the stroke of a pen. Making new garden spots will be a breeze. </p><p> </p><p>The problem is that it's too easy. I need to reign myself in periodically, to remind myself that the trail should be as narrow as physically possible, to not dig up every rock I can find, and not pull up every guava within reach (and it's easy, let me tell you, ripping out the guava). See, every patch of Guava that gets torn out, every clump of Aluhe that I rip up, it all gets replaced by something else. All garden spots need a cover crop ASAP, otherwise there are a multitude of nasty weeds that will fill that void. This virgin land has very few weeds, so few that you can infer their introduction based on how far the new growth is from the parent stock next door. I think of tearing up the land as an obligation, like having children or adopting a pet. A lifetime contract of sorts. A cleared field needs to be worked, fed and nurtured, else it runs amuck and goes to hell. </p><p> </p><p>And a bigger house would be nice, but a larger structure takes more time and money to build. A small house is efficient to build, easier keep warm or cool, and is more comfortable to be in. To keep things in perspective, 900 sq/ft is getting too big for our liking, so it's not like we are talking about building a mansion or anything, but....when the limiting function changes from what one man can lift and carry, into the monetary restrictions on buying big pieces of lumber, it's something to think about. How much of your life are you willing to trade for a larger house? Me? Not much. </p><p> </p><p>The garden might get bigger though. </p><p> <br></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-17393204079146626412016-02-07T09:31:00.001-08:002016-02-07T09:31:50.061-08:00January progress.....a bit, anyways.<p> </p><p>Perhaps it's my Midwestern blood, but wintertime is still a period of hibernation for me. This, despite our now living in Hawaii with its tropical climate and long(er) day length. At least that's what I'm telling myself.....surely that's a good excuse for my lack of progress on the home-building front?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"So.....what have you guys been up to, anyways?"</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>—*NOTE TO SELF*—</p><p>When buying salvaged roofing material, try not to choose the stuff that has 20-odd layers of old paint on it, no matter how cheap it may be. Remember and acknowledge how obsessive you can get when picking old chips of peeling paint from a surface.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nGWukOLBsZY/VrUlJsDgQ-I/AAAAAAAAUe4/8LZX0zHJnac/s2048/IMG_3229.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nGWukOLBsZY/VrUlJsDgQ-I/AAAAAAAAUe4/8LZX0zHJnac/s500/IMG_3229.JPG" id="blogsy-1454859338648.9048" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>The wire wheel/grinder combo might be faster than going it all by hand power, but not by too much. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"But wait......I thought that you guys didn't have electricity?!?"</p><p> </p><p>Please bear witness to our emergency generator. Not only is it huge and inefficient, it's also one of the most expensive ways to create watts, haha.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5IksedN9qC8/VrUlJtK1f5I/AAAAAAAAUe4/v2QgqklgZio/s2048/IMG_3230.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5IksedN9qC8/VrUlJtK1f5I/AAAAAAAAUe4/v2QgqklgZio/s500/IMG_3230.JPG" id="blogsy-1454859338626.8198" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>The jumper cables run into a tote, inside of which is a deep cycle battery that acts as a buffer for heavy surge loads, and from that, to moderately cheap 2000 watt sine wave inverter. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-M3NMtrW0AcE/VrUlJhTiyvI/AAAAAAAAUe4/rhEUdslRNWE/s2048/IMG_3231.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-M3NMtrW0AcE/VrUlJhTiyvI/AAAAAAAAUe4/rhEUdslRNWE/s500/IMG_3231.JPG" id="blogsy-1454859338603.1577" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>The inverter is mounted to a piece of plywood, keeping both the inverter and battery from shifting around, and elevating everything from any acid spills or inadvertently accumulated rainwater. In the picture, you are looking at the side of the inverter, that silver thing under my multi-meter. The silver box looks pretty boring, but that's where the magic happens, Direct current (DC @12 volts) being altered into its Alternating (AC @120 volts) wave form. </p><p> </p><p>The whole setup is pretty ghetto, but that's how we roll. It works, though I try to use it as little as possible, it being a severe impediment to my being able to brag about how we don't need their stinking electricity anyhow, thank you very much....haha. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglk-LrVCjLIjhgHQ142s1wZlx2mij5YqKCcb2YZ34fsRVTq8mFXjhGG58ZSZgUejFSdMLyvfCv9eJZ3QmT9yVmDIUmhYOvqp0aM25FvPnwZxOD2Pp7dQZp8gr-zSR1JY1croELrimbfCip/s2048/IMG_3232.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglk-LrVCjLIjhgHQ142s1wZlx2mij5YqKCcb2YZ34fsRVTq8mFXjhGG58ZSZgUejFSdMLyvfCv9eJZ3QmT9yVmDIUmhYOvqp0aM25FvPnwZxOD2Pp7dQZp8gr-zSR1JY1croELrimbfCip/s500/IMG_3232.JPG" id="blogsy-1454859338608.9229" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>There's more fun where that came from.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The beautiful Renee has been doing the real work for the last month, finding the perfect place to put all of the lava she digs up.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1G_KAmQU3AE/VrdYTszrh_I/AAAAAAAAUgI/muWHKJMs-YE/s2048/IMG_3273.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1G_KAmQU3AE/VrdYTszrh_I/AAAAAAAAUgI/muWHKJMs-YE/s500/IMG_3273.JPG" id="blogsy-1454859338589.4854" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NWtplLyA62U/VrdYTj6eOlI/AAAAAAAAUgM/kWV71FWqTg0/s2048/IMG_3275.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NWtplLyA62U/VrdYTj6eOlI/AAAAAAAAUgM/kWV71FWqTg0/s500/IMG_3275.JPG" id="blogsy-1454859338614.6758" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyZpqljlOEhNAVL7A6_-ka3-MbRfEb0ETVfzc4PaIPRHCJSeBqR97slsAFWVaruq_cKwF_bcm0eQk7Xq5VLlUYI9X9yJzHf6M2lMUEJ_ZrTDFEy0TIs7FcLb8j9iqN0dQnFbVyzYdl1No/s2048/IMG_3297.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyZpqljlOEhNAVL7A6_-ka3-MbRfEb0ETVfzc4PaIPRHCJSeBqR97slsAFWVaruq_cKwF_bcm0eQk7Xq5VLlUYI9X9yJzHf6M2lMUEJ_ZrTDFEy0TIs7FcLb8j9iqN0dQnFbVyzYdl1No/s500/IMG_3297.JPG" id="blogsy-1454859338641.5603" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>The Okinawan sweet potatoes love it here.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Paths and terraces.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LNT8u7gOtxo/VrUkOz0IYQI/AAAAAAAAUek/ltieEeoMFqw/s2048/IMG_3296.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LNT8u7gOtxo/VrUkOz0IYQI/AAAAAAAAUek/ltieEeoMFqw/s500/IMG_3296.JPG" id="blogsy-1454859338621.166" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>It's a little hard to discern, but she has been weaving the guava whips into a sort of living fence. Soon the thin shoots will be sending out new vertical growth, turning this surface into a wall of solid green.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Cv3Tu96kYyw/VrFMRslFPrI/AAAAAAAAUVE/5sj51EFHpc8/s2048/IMG_3298.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Cv3Tu96kYyw/VrFMRslFPrI/AAAAAAAAUVE/5sj51EFHpc8/s500/IMG_3298.JPG" id="blogsy-1454859338584.1157" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>The walls surround an area of dappled sunlight, perfect for growing some of the more shade tolerant plants.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>She weaves the stiff Aluhe fern stems, wrapping ever more of the thin Guava shoots, around and around......</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_OAIY2hSiRc/VrFO8FbM07I/AAAAAAAAUZw/f0tIanEjxHs/s2048/IMG_3299.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_OAIY2hSiRc/VrFO8FbM07I/AAAAAAAAUZw/f0tIanEjxHs/s500/IMG_3299.JPG" id="blogsy-1454859338571.52" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>.....hangs them in the trees, then tucks in an Orchid (actually vice-versa, but you get the gist).</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pkphEpz8AYg/VrFOyC37AfI/AAAAAAAAUZw/Dp-cKSDwWPo/s2048/IMG_3302.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pkphEpz8AYg/VrFOyC37AfI/AAAAAAAAUZw/Dp-cKSDwWPo/s500/IMG_3302.JPG" id="blogsy-1454859338602.9626" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p>Homemade planters for epiphytes, pretty cool.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I've been incrementally cutting my way through the tangles of Guava, swinging the chainsaw in an arc roughly 6" above the ground.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6kJhSs2w6xM/VrdZEtmSKkI/AAAAAAAAUgk/NbTkFnzDx8w/s2048/IMG_3280.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6kJhSs2w6xM/VrdZEtmSKkI/AAAAAAAAUgk/NbTkFnzDx8w/s500/IMG_3280.JPG" id="blogsy-1454859338615.2246" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>It doesn't look like much, but this area, only 20' to a side, created a stack of Guava nearly the height of my head.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QWVBJ2B_XLg/VrUkOwlBfjI/AAAAAAAAUek/_G8AjBXp5AQ/s2048/IMG_3295.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QWVBJ2B_XLg/VrUkOwlBfjI/AAAAAAAAUek/_G8AjBXp5AQ/s500/IMG_3295.JPG" id="blogsy-1454859338661.086" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>We separate the shoots by size, smallest to large, then cutting off the branched top, to be composted. I see an army of stick chairs here....</p><p> </p><p>...or maybe a stick house?</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ocoYrT5sh8Q/VrFOd0361DI/AAAAAAAAUZw/X03Y0TQOcc4/s2048/IMG_3304.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ocoYrT5sh8Q/VrFOd0361DI/AAAAAAAAUZw/X03Y0TQOcc4/s500/IMG_3304.JPG" id="blogsy-1454859338634.2656" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>We are roofing the structure with clear polycarbonate sheets in the interest of keeping the weight as low as possible. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tPkGdJW_HFc/VrFOLovlxcI/AAAAAAAAUdA/uREVFZWLgPc/s2048/IMG_3306.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tPkGdJW_HFc/VrFOLovlxcI/AAAAAAAAUdA/uREVFZWLgPc/s500/IMG_3306.JPG" id="blogsy-1454859338596.3164" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>It's also cool, because when you lie on your back and look to the sky, it's as near a thing as having no roof at all. </p><p> </p><p>Initially, I have screwed the intersecting pieces together. Then, after the branches have had a bit of time to shrink some, I lash things tight, using lengths of nylon seine twine. Screws alone won't suffice for long, the forces of the bending and shrinking sticks being enough to snap the stiff deck screws here and there. The twine square lashing stiffened things up remarkably, tying the structure into a springy and resilient whole. I like that.</p><p> </p><p>What maybe doesn't show in the photo, is that there are approximately 10 bazillion intersecting branches in this glorified 12' x 23' gazebo, and many of the lashing are stacked one atop the other. Access gets awfully tight in spots, so progress is slow. I try to tie each lashing perfectly, and despite having already done this *many* times already, I still occasionally take one apart that just doesn't look right. </p><p> </p><p>Aside from the time involved in doing a good job, there is also the concern over UV degradation, bring roofed with clear panels and all. The lashing need to be coated with something, paint most likely, but I can already see that as another one of those projects that gets delayed too long. The proper time to coat the lash is...immediately! </p><p> </p><p>You also might notice that I'm using unpeeled logs. Initially, this was to be just a quick way to get a roof over my head, a dry spot to work. Famous last words, right? I started out peeling the sticks, stripping them of their bark, but being in somewhat of a hurry (ie: lazy), I swiftly transitioned into using the stock just as it came, bark and all. Within just days, I noticed something interesting though. The sticks that had been peeled were immediately lunched by the ferocious powder post beetles that we've got here, whereas the unpeeled stuff remains untouched to this day. The bark and leaves of this Guava contain so many tannins, nobody wants to eat it. Working the stuff instantly turns steel tools black, and makes your clothing look as though you've been crawling around under your car, dropping the transmission or something. This stuff will make a great ebonizing, purple/black dye....That's for another day though. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So what have I *really* been doing? </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y32uJJTtj4A/VrFN4hfeQBI/AAAAAAAAUZo/zqxszuISwwg/s2048/IMG_3366.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y32uJJTtj4A/VrFN4hfeQBI/AAAAAAAAUZo/zqxszuISwwg/s500/IMG_3366.JPG" id="blogsy-1454859338641.5208" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p>Mostly sitting on my ass, filling page upon page in my "Book of bad ideas". </p><p> </p><p>See, the real problem here is that I've got too many options. I'm extremely adept at making the most of little, but now that most of the typical restraints have been lifted, I'm at a loss for direction. We have money, and we have space, but no map. Each route has its attractions, particularly so, as our standards are very low, haha...... Or are they?</p><p> </p><p>To be honest, I'm finding that building with sticks and branches is....unfulfilling. Renee has forbidden me from tearing the "stickhaus" down and starting anew, but I swear....given half a chance....</p><p> </p><p>I'm spoiled, I admit it, but working on a project that doesn't fully resonate within, it's draining. Why don't I build what I REALLY want to build? Well, what I've been obsessing about, apparently it hasn't been done before, at least according to Google. I consider myself fairly adept at sifting through multiple search term queries, and I know that the truth is out there, but I'm not finding much inspiration.</p><p> </p><p>What I want to build is a system, something that I've touched on before, a modular format, prefab, portable when need be, type of small structure design. Individual components must be portable by one strong individual or two, if your hermit has a friend. The standard size of sheet goods is 4'x8', too big a fit for most cars, so smaller multiples are required. I want it to look nice too, so I'm intending to use as much "real" wood as possible, only resorting to plywood and it's like if it's worth enduring its unfriendly working qualities. </p><p> </p><p>A small and efficient shelter, low cost, and not too difficult for the average person to build. Let it be nice to look at as well, and you might be seeing them tucked into cozy secret corners, without drawing too much fuss by the neighbors (and authorities). Not a "tiny" treasure McMansion, nor a 1970's Swedish erector set house. Legos color scheme is too bright, so no love there either. </p><p> </p><p>There is no way that I am the first here, but really.....</p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-14248140540163953392015-11-16T10:23:00.001-08:002015-12-29T11:32:05.439-08:00Tooth angle on a Japanese crosscut saw<p> </p><p> </p><p>My sincerest apologies to my friends who have been wondering where I've been for the last 2 months. Popular speculation had me suffering an unlikely and grisly demise, fallen to my death in some hidden lava tube, but no....</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Our house on the mainland Oregon coast sold, and there were a few projects that still needed to be finished up before handing off the keys to the new owner. It's an ironic cliche that the carpenter's house is never finished and this is no different. The cobbler's children that suffer from lack of shoes, that sort of thing. You probably know how it is. Anyways, 3 weeks of intensive house type woodworking, flat winter's lighting and rain. Lots of rain. That's at least one thing that Hawaii and the Oregon coast share.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Having been in Hawaii now for just over one year, visiting the mainland again reminded me of numerous things that I seem to have already forgotten, but one of the most notable for me was the light. Daylight that is. There's not much of it, and what there is comes at such a low angle, it seemed as though everything looked just the slightest bit "off" to me. Shadows were long and the colors didn't look as vibrant. My iPad evidently forgot about the relatively northern light too. The pictures that I took are, well, not my best. Yeah, blame the camera, haha.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The stairway to the attic bedroom needed a door and handrail.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-coJB1FVLd3g/VlPpc_f3GLI/AAAAAAAAUNE/VXjYbymmyt4/s2048/IMG_3145.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-coJB1FVLd3g/VlPpc_f3GLI/AAAAAAAAUNE/VXjYbymmyt4/s500/IMG_3145.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626216.4314" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p>I had to get a bit creative, trying to squeeze a manufactured door and jamb into such a narrow opening, but I got lucky. Down the road from our old house is "R. Gray's bargain yard", a wonderful resource for scroungeing unusual building materials. The owner, Bill, came to my rescue yet again and found me an off-size, special order return that fit the opening, needing only a bit more massaging than your typical install. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It was fun to do some plain old carpentry again, so different from the stick and log work that I've been doing in Hawaii. After packing off all my tools to bring home to the Big Island, it felt funny to be packing them <em>back</em> to Oregon again, but at least I got to plane some wood. Electricity came in handy. I still miss my old tablesaw at times. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Ahhhhh, my old workbench......didn't ever get that project completed either, but at least the new owner is an eager woodworker. She'll finish it up nicely. She was psyched to keep my old saw and I'm glad that it found a good new owner.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gUXMd-Ewz1Q/Vk5G60l7YoI/AAAAAAAAULs/Aw6NDN3g8KU/s2048/IMG_3138.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gUXMd-Ewz1Q/Vk5G60l7YoI/AAAAAAAAULs/Aw6NDN3g8KU/s500/IMG_3138.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626237.543" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>I brought along a minimal assortment of tools, nothing fancy. </p><p> </p><p>The TSA always gets a treat, looking through my baggage. They generally do a better job packing my bags than I do, and never skimp on the tape that holds the lids on he boxes, haha. A tough and thankless job, to be sure.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I was so happy to be planing wood again, I maybe went a little above and beyond on some of the tasks that needed completion. The attic railing (Port Orford cedar....such a great wood!) posts and balusters received a winding chamferred edge and a simple bridle joint attachment, draw-bored and pegged using bamboo skewers. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q0wSuhrhRlI/Vk5Gyu6h70I/AAAAAAAAULk/9sn9xYp_owI/s2048/IMG_3136.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q0wSuhrhRlI/Vk5Gyu6h70I/AAAAAAAAULk/9sn9xYp_owI/s500/IMG_3136.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626232.6177" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>And finally, capped with some nice ribbon figured African mahogany that I was saving for a special place. The light was so bad, I couldn't get a picture. It definitely made the colors in the attic look off. Ewww, yuck!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_fqAsKDhltk/VlPphZ5vjvI/AAAAAAAAUM8/-YpQtJutsqw/s2048/IMG_3146.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_fqAsKDhltk/VlPphZ5vjvI/AAAAAAAAUM8/-YpQtJutsqw/s500/IMG_3146.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626190.026" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>If I ever figure out how to plane that curly, interlocked crap with a kanna and NOT get any tear-out, I'll share the knowledge. It's good to have goals, right? The <a href="http://mypeculiarnature.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-wonders-of-using-high-angle.html" target="_blank" title="">47 degree kanna that Dave gifted me</a> would've been just the thing, had it been here – sigh.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So where was I? </p><p> </p><p>Before I left, I had started on this post, some thoughts regarding an optimized tooth pattern for a Japanese saw I've been using for working green wood, but maybe this should be a WIP thing instead. Get this thing going before I forget what I've already done. An aspect of blogging that I love......I can show my mistakes. Maybe we both learn that way, hmmmmm?</p><p> </p><p>So, spoiler alert. I'm not satisfied with this saw, so you might not want to jump right in and copy what I'm doing here. Not quite ready for prime time...... yet.</p><p> </p><a name="more"></a><p> </p><p> </p><p>I need a general purpose saw that works well on green, sticky wood.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMLKa9fLt1d5DLxdW7KgF6lE4hFhtFE7TBAROHBdhpwD0EOJC23ZBxOIHVr1ue3Nz9L7wNo5esMS0A2Qp_eDLAbBCD3hitRRC7k9RPTjOiMYMli_q3nWVPWIzDtvHtHiVmZ81b7C06Cyj/s2048/IMG_3107.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMLKa9fLt1d5DLxdW7KgF6lE4hFhtFE7TBAROHBdhpwD0EOJC23ZBxOIHVr1ue3Nz9L7wNo5esMS0A2Qp_eDLAbBCD3hitRRC7k9RPTjOiMYMli_q3nWVPWIzDtvHtHiVmZ81b7C06Cyj/s500/IMG_3107.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626191.597" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>I've had this old bugger kicking around for a while, but haven't really felt the need to use it very often.....'till now. This was 1/3rd of a lot that I bought for $15 on eBay nearly four years ago and I guess it's time I put this thing into circulation. They sell even cheaper on <a href="http://category.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/list/%E3%81%AE%E3%81%93%E3%81%8E%E3%82%8A-%E3%83%8F%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89%E3%83%84%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB-%E5%A4%A7%E5%B7%A5%E9%81%93%E5%85%B7-%E5%B7%A5%E5%85%B7-DIY%E7%94%A8%E5%93%81-%E4%BD%8F%E3%81%BE%E3%81%84-%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%83%86%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2/2084211478/?p=%E3%81%AE%E3%81%93%E3%81%8E%E3%82%8A&tab_ex=commerce&istatus=2" target="_blank" title="">Yahoo Japan</a>, so have <a href="http://rk-trading.ocnk.net/page/18" target="_blank" title="">Murakami</a> get you a bunch.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4yrzW1PVFrs/Vlh63bFOXVI/AAAAAAAAUNo/VyPRavSFxYc/s2048/IMG_3097.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4yrzW1PVFrs/Vlh63bFOXVI/AAAAAAAAUNo/VyPRavSFxYc/s500/IMG_3097.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626256.6177" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Felling trees, even the relatively small ones, using a pruning saw (much less using a trusted ryoba) is good meditative work, but when a tree is in danger of dropping onto my head, I want to get done with the task as quickly as possible, you know?</p><p> </p><p> It's time to pull out the big(ger) guns.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMLKa9fLt1d5DLxdW7KgF6lE4hFhtFE7TBAROHBdhpwD0EOJC23ZBxOIHVr1ue3Nz9L7wNo5esMS0A2Qp_eDLAbBCD3hitRRC7k9RPTjOiMYMli_q3nWVPWIzDtvHtHiVmZ81b7C06Cyj/s2048/IMG_3107.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMLKa9fLt1d5DLxdW7KgF6lE4hFhtFE7TBAROHBdhpwD0EOJC23ZBxOIHVr1ue3Nz9L7wNo5esMS0A2Qp_eDLAbBCD3hitRRC7k9RPTjOiMYMli_q3nWVPWIzDtvHtHiVmZ81b7C06Cyj/s500/IMG_3107.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626188.2458" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a> </div><p> </p><p> </p><p>The toothed length of this crosscut saw is a respectable 20" (about 510 mm) and the handle is nice and fat, perfect for two handed sawing. There are a few slight bumps to the blade that I still need to remove, as you can see from the slightly brighter spots on the body where it has been rubbing in the cut. Contact with the walls of the cut = friction, so hammering out the dents is a short list priority. You can also see a couple of lines of fairly severe corrosion that run diagonally across the blade. Bummer, but not the end of the world.</p><p> </p><p>The farthest end of the saw where the teeth are largest has a vertical tooth angle. 0* rake angle.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5j3wLpFx5h8/Vjg_xuS_ptI/AAAAAAAAUIY/Z_zGs7giveI/s2048/IMG_3108.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5j3wLpFx5h8/Vjg_xuS_ptI/AAAAAAAAUIY/Z_zGs7giveI/s500/IMG_3108.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626277.9612" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>90* and pointy, these teeth are similar to a rip tooth, but still have a front, back, and top bevel/facet. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I'm holding the file to show the approximate angle of the cutting face, around 75* or so. That would be 15* away from being a purely perpendicular rip tooth.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JhsejazsO7I/Vjg_xpklrjI/AAAAAAAAUIY/Sh2McGukSPk/s2048/IMG_3114.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JhsejazsO7I/Vjg_xpklrjI/AAAAAAAAUIY/Sh2McGukSPk/s500/IMG_3114.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626211.4717" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Not being the purely perpendicular face that you would see with a proper rip tooth, it's more of a hybrid, but this is a general purpose saw, I suppose. You might notice that I've already jointed the saw, the tops of the teeth are showing little flat surfaces.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As we approach the handle end of the saw, the teeth gradually assume a more relaxed slope.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rJxJZkQTMqM/Vjg_xpDwW0I/AAAAAAAAUIY/msg-QYYewgY/s2048/IMG_3109.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rJxJZkQTMqM/Vjg_xpDwW0I/AAAAAAAAUIY/msg-QYYewgY/s500/IMG_3109.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626280.1245" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>These teeth are the familiar shape that you see on any crosscut blade, although the rake angle is more shallow than you'd see on a ryoba for instance, about a -10* rake angle. These teeth at the heel of the saw are probably shaped differently to make it easier to start the cut. The relaxed tooth angle gives a nicer shearing action.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The tooth pattern must have originally looked more like this example from a pruning saw manufacturer.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--hj0LvjBeXk/VjjhWRknlEI/AAAAAAAAUJI/2vwyaaVqYsQ/s434/IMG_3131.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--hj0LvjBeXk/VjjhWRknlEI/AAAAAAAAUJI/2vwyaaVqYsQ/s434/IMG_3131.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626208.4114" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="434" height="277"></a></div><p> </p><p>My saw is similar, but the saw in the photo above has both leading and trailing edges at much shallower angles, closer to 45* from the looks of it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When I check my saw, the file shows a cutting angle of nearly 60*, so a 30* angle to the leading edge. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ECooXj4KqC8/Vjg_xjZCWrI/AAAAAAAAUIY/1Sd8MGjhu9w/s2048/IMG_3115.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ECooXj4KqC8/Vjg_xjZCWrI/AAAAAAAAUIY/1Sd8MGjhu9w/s500/IMG_3115.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626238.2854" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>It's pretty much a standard crosscut tooth shape, although I'm going to try reducing the height of the teeth a bit, in orders to lend extra durability for cutting these dense Hawaiian hardwoods.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Rust is bad! Here is a closeup of the rusted area.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FeehhBB5uJ0/Vjg_xjyUnqI/AAAAAAAAUIw/QNCbt1UOP-g/s1996/IMG_3111.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FeehhBB5uJ0/Vjg_xjyUnqI/AAAAAAAAUIw/QNCbt1UOP-g/s500/IMG_3111.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626265.1326" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="419"></a></div><p> </p><p>The tooth in the center has been polished using a hard novaculite oilstone and is tilted towards the viewer. Skip a tooth either direction and the two teeth at the edges of the photo are the rusty ones. The pitted rust on these teeth will prevent them from ever being truly sharp. Worse, the little pits will tend to hold onto little threads of wood fiber, increasing drag and tending to pull the cut to one side. Unfortunate.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> So, this is all fine and dandy, but so far I am really just copying the tooth pattern as it is. The interesting points are that this saw has both a progressive tooth size AND shape. And of course, it has a hand forge-welded tang, the saw blade tapered in both length and height....all that good Japanese craftsman stuff<em>.</em></p><p><em><br></em></p><p>What am I doing differently, you ask?</p><p> </p><p>Every 5th tooth I mark with a pen, prior to filing the top facet of the teeth. The fifth tooth I will turn into a raker, to better clear away the wood waste.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1Q918CppW0U/Vjg_xpDDbzI/AAAAAAAAUIY/roK8u0BfT7Q/s2048/IMG_3120.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1Q918CppW0U/Vjg_xpDDbzI/AAAAAAAAUIY/roK8u0BfT7Q/s500/IMG_3120.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626197.9758" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I use the 5th tooth raker through most of the length, but leave the teeth closest to the handle alone.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MCEpTK9gB00/Vjg_xp_9QPI/AAAAAAAAUIY/pgwE55I4UxI/s2048/IMG_3121.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MCEpTK9gB00/Vjg_xp_9QPI/AAAAAAAAUIY/pgwE55I4UxI/s500/IMG_3121.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626220.3433" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In the interest of experimenting with saw tooth shape, I'm going to alter the shape of the teeth in stages, beginning with the rakers. The upper slope I'm going to start with is.....oh, maybe 12*, probably too shallow, although it's similar to the clearance angle you want for a plane blade. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Erv_LDILgco/Vjg_xqfEVOI/AAAAAAAAUIY/BiX2UZQL7Jw/s2048/IMG_3123.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Erv_LDILgco/Vjg_xqfEVOI/AAAAAAAAUIY/BiX2UZQL7Jw/s500/IMG_3123.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626282.4685" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Other than filing the raker tooth to a flat/chisel tooth, I leave the forward and trailing edges alone. It will be an admittedly crappy rip tooth shape, but I'm experimenting here, OK?</p><p> </p><p>I give ALL the teeth a top slope of about 12*, but otherwise the other teeth are just copied as they were. Looking at the photos, I see that I need to work more on keeping my angles even from one side to the other. Everyone has a "strong" side, so it's just one more thing to give some thought to. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>How did it work?</p><p> </p><p>It cut. This is 8" of hard Ohia.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUX_bGzNqp__R_fReUsBH16VFvTU39gQRgWAqBd7VWuVR1w4PT3kxq85kzchMfvGan0w6lEv2ZyrC6e9u6UD_d6EdKyyzr4bKOPEPrYsB7eNmFBe9ILEJzb73XBqDDVNPOfjgy3OxS3qZB/s2048/IMG_3126.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUX_bGzNqp__R_fReUsBH16VFvTU39gQRgWAqBd7VWuVR1w4PT3kxq85kzchMfvGan0w6lEv2ZyrC6e9u6UD_d6EdKyyzr4bKOPEPrYsB7eNmFBe9ILEJzb73XBqDDVNPOfjgy3OxS3qZB/s500/IMG_3126.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626228.0276" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>And.....it felt crappy, haha. Both slow AND grabby, the worst of both worlds! The saw was dull and slow before, but sharp(ish) and slow?! </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>How about something softer? A low quality fir 4x.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-M4NqvWRHrik/Vjg_xkbXJUI/AAAAAAAAUIY/77jaFXv9v30/s2048/IMG_3127.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-M4NqvWRHrik/Vjg_xkbXJUI/AAAAAAAAUIY/77jaFXv9v30/s500/IMG_3127.JPG" id="blogsy-1451416626213.9893" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Awful. Those big ol' teeth grabbed those growth rings and tried to rip that stick out of my hands on nearly every stroke. The cut surface quality is terrible as well (at least for a Japanese saw). And slow. Or perhaps my standards are just too high. Nawww. It sucked. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So there ya go. Universal Japanese saw v2.0......epic fail. There are some obvious things that can be improved, tip slope angle being the principle suspect, but we'll have to see. It's rare that sharpening a tool will lead to a decrease in performance and this was pretty lousy, so something interesting must be going on. It sure gets me thinking. </p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20">Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-92145980613663812432015-10-31T09:53:00.001-07:002015-11-16T10:20:55.060-08:00Weekend progress<p> </p><p>Renee, being the hard working girl that she is, has a "real" job that occupies here throughout the week, has her crunching numbers, strings of crazy long gene sequences AND teaching a class and students as well. Thank god she can relax and take things easy on the weekend.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Renee is also like a little excavator in human form, and I don't know where she finds the energy (She's nuclear powered, I suspect). </p><p> </p><p>On Saturday, she had a vision, then promptly started to make it real. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KiOYtuPLJVk/VjMSyuM9-XI/AAAAAAAAUDg/NJ5XRMg-mEQ/s2048/IMG_3072.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KiOYtuPLJVk/VjMSyuM9-XI/AAAAAAAAUDg/NJ5XRMg-mEQ/s500/IMG_3072.JPG" id="blogsy-1446310501046.5442" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Or maybe she just couldn't stop digging. The woman is, seriously, just a digging maniac. Ellie is searching for leaves, and the neighbors dog is searching for Ellie.</p><p> </p><p>We've got soil in abundance, lying all rich, loose and crumbly atop the lava. The Aluhe ferns that were here before, blanketed the area with leaves and other decomposing matter for the last few hundred years, eventually producing this wonderful soil. Soil is truly an amazing resource, something that too many of us take for granted, but not us. We are conserving every bit that we can. After living here for nearly a year, we have seen just how rare this type of earth is. More common is to have the barest skin of dirt lying on top of large sheets of lava. This is the first place that we've been where you can actually use a shovel. </p><p> </p><p>It is common here to ask, "How is your land? Is there soil?"</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Ellie has been making birds from various leaves found in the forest. This one must be a cardinal, judging from the crest on its head (the next step will be working on camera focus :-)</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UZEzantOaU0/VjMSgA77JWI/AAAAAAAAUB0/wtubbNYZCNs/s2048/IMG_3080.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UZEzantOaU0/VjMSgA77JWI/AAAAAAAAUB0/wtubbNYZCNs/s500/IMG_3080.JPG" id="blogsy-1446310501011.9824" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Our baby cardinal friend lives here somewhere, and it's my hope that if we would start laying out some food, we'd see him again. None of the cardinals are about, so there must be some better food elsewhere. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Dogs and dirt.....what's the attraction?</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ra2V_CZttWI/VjMR_ahVNKI/AAAAAAAAUBk/EUhalICzcwg/s2048/IMG_3082.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ra2V_CZttWI/VjMR_ahVNKI/AAAAAAAAUBk/EUhalICzcwg/s500/IMG_3082.JPG" id="blogsy-1446310500977.2969" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>I'd say that she is hunting up a gopher, but I'm pretty sure that we don't have them here in Hawaii, certainly not on this side of the island. She's just loving the dirt, digging and helping out. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This is the place on Sunday.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XqnrQTXdogc/VjMRWvN2xYI/AAAAAAAAUBU/k2pvrAUo_gc/s2048/IMG_3088.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XqnrQTXdogc/VjMRWvN2xYI/AAAAAAAAUBU/k2pvrAUo_gc/s500/IMG_3088.JPG" id="blogsy-1446310500990.1533" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>She dug out a big pocket of soil, separated out the jumbled chunks of lava, then layed a solid base for a parking area. She's a monster.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This entire island we live on, soil, trees, food, animals, everything that we know and see every day....it's just a skin atop rock. Everywhere, the entire world is like that, but it's something that we've forgotten, most places. This miniscule layer is all that we have, that gives us life and sustains us. The big island of Hawaii is new, geologically speaking, and here we are reminded constantly that life is a short and wonderful thing. </p><p> </p><p>The soil is life, and the lava underneath is the origin, the beginning. These volcanoes erupt continually, lava breaking free onto the surface and covering everything, then quieting down again for 10 years...100 years.... 1,000 years....</p><p> </p><p>When the lava flows, it often covers, but doesn't always scour the earth. It buries. So what we are seeing as we dig our little garden bed, is evidence of a millenia of events. The lava comes, then life gradually colonizes. The native Ohia trees are some of the first to return, having evolved to be able to live in thin soil, putting out thin strands and clumps of aerial roots to aid them in obtaining the water they need, water from the air itself. Eventually you get a mature Ohia forest, which is what we have now. Then the lava returns, covers it all, and the cycle begins again. </p><p> </p><p>Our little garden is thin lava, broken by time, atop more lava which is also broken, atop probably more lava. There have been many different lava flows here, and there will be more.....probably. The island is still moving, and as it drifts further from the thin spot on the Earth's mantle that caused the island to form in the first place, the island will cease to grow. </p><p> </p><p>Anyways......dirt and rocks. Lots of dirt. Renee is in heaven. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>She has exposed two ridges of lava, and right down the center, she is seeing in her mind a waterfall cascade of steps, the early stages of which you can see here, from the side.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zfzqHOj-FP8/VjMQd_CRG8I/AAAAAAAAUBE/FDs3tTpwpY8/s2048/IMG_3090.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zfzqHOj-FP8/VjMQd_CRG8I/AAAAAAAAUBE/FDs3tTpwpY8/s500/IMG_3090.JPG" id="blogsy-1446310501025.3035" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The broken lava is an absolute joy to work with, coming in a wealth of different shapes, many flat surfaces, and some with square corners.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WitJK3y1TAk/VjMQHbmWc1I/AAAAAAAAUA8/XdtIKbleZnQ/s2048/IMG_3091.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WitJK3y1TAk/VjMQHbmWc1I/AAAAAAAAUA8/XdtIKbleZnQ/s500/IMG_3091.JPG" id="blogsy-1446310501067.142" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>If you've done rock work before, you know that square corners are like gold, something to be saved and hoarded for the future. The rock above isn't a corner per se, but is even more unusual, shaped like an inverted "L". It's also blue in color. Renee is using blue and silver stones for the steps, placing the red and gray rock elsewhere. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>And up above, she planted some Okinawan sweet potato runners.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ntpfu0jKRmI/VjMPukrZRFI/AAAAAAAAUA0/56WcDfiF8I8/s2048/IMG_3092.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ntpfu0jKRmI/VjMPukrZRFI/AAAAAAAAUA0/56WcDfiF8I8/s500/IMG_3092.JPG" id="blogsy-1446310501065.6487" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>This is a new favorite of mine, though I've never been a fan of sweet potatoes. This plant is gardener's ease personified, just drop it on the ground, place a few handfuls of dirt here and there on the runner stem and that's it. It will soon grow and spread everywhere that you let it, and it also works well as a cover crop/living mulch. The young greens and shoots are eaten steamed, and taste somewhat similar to spinach, minus that uncomfortable oxalic acid feel in the mouth. VERY tasty, both the greens and the purple fleshed tuber. </p><p> </p><p>Part of being a good gardener (which I am emphatically NOT), is knowing what grows where. This is a new climate, and to be rigid in our thinking and demand that all of our old favorites be grown in the garden, well, that's just absurd. Normal potatoes, lettuce, tomatos, peas....there is a long list of what doesn't like to grow here, primarily due to the high rainfall. There is an entire new world of plants that DO love it here though, and "right living" comes from that understanding. Effect change where you can.....don't try change the plants (because they won't listen), change your diet instead. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I have a different set of time constraints than my wife, so I get to work on the new place most every day. I start out as I usually do, by clearing the building site of undergrowth, then piling materials dead in the middle where they are guaranteed to be underfoot, whether I need them or not.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IimEc0s-bAw/VjMTisKyYsI/AAAAAAAAUCU/HrBO-Z4vHvw/s2048/IMG_3067.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IimEc0s-bAw/VjMTisKyYsI/AAAAAAAAUCU/HrBO-Z4vHvw/s500/IMG_3067.JPG" id="blogsy-1446310501079.7134" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>I ran a stringline around a rough perimeter going from tree to tree at an arbitrary height above grade. The slope right here is about 1/10 and, where the patch of ground that Renee has been working has lots of soil, this spot has essentially none. That's why I chose it. It's a horrible spot to grow things. Keep life where it is most happy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Raise the camera a bit, and the strings come into alignment.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5nYdLe1vcpc/VjMTSoBNmuI/AAAAAAAAUCM/F5fWm5pLPY4/s2048/IMG_3068.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5nYdLe1vcpc/VjMTSoBNmuI/AAAAAAAAUCM/F5fWm5pLPY4/s500/IMG_3068.JPG" id="blogsy-1446310500989.9282" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>The lines are level, but the camera is not.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Some of you might recognize some joinery here.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O-0ldrw-X6Q/VjMRlWYdsWI/AAAAAAAAUBc/kklPT0ddtGU/s2048/IMG_3087.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O-0ldrw-X6Q/VjMRlWYdsWI/AAAAAAAAUBc/kklPT0ddtGU/s500/IMG_3087.JPG" id="blogsy-1446310501035.4143" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So honest to God, I drive myself crazy. This is supposed to be a simple elevated platform, a level surface from which to work, and a basic tin roof. I'm not even planning for walls. 80% of the materials are ugly and salvaged and I'm planning on using guava sticks for the roof members. A long service life is not a consideration, and take-apart modular is a minor design theme. I finally caved and bought a screwgun, so screws are here, nails are here, and I should just bang this out, right?</p><p> </p><p>To all of you who know me.....I can hear you. Yeah, right, sure.</p><p> </p><p>It starts with a simple splice......</p><p> </p><p>This lumberyard 2x6 would feel so much nicer in the hand if it were planed....</p><p> </p><p>Height above grade will be over 36" at the most likely side of approach, so maybe if the nicer sticks were used on that side, maybe introduce some curved elements......</p><p> </p><p>And so it goes. I can't help myself. People kindly (and sometimes NOT so kindly, haha) call me a perfectionist, but it's not true. I'm an incrementalist. Perfection is an illusion that can never be attained, but nearly everything can be made just *sliiigghtly* better. </p><p> </p><p>Naturally, this drives others crazy too.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I chose a site with a minimum of existing growth because I don't want to disturb the area any more than necessary but, because the guava is:</p><ul><li>A) Considered a pernicious invasive that everyone wants to kill anyway, and....</li><li>B) is also a lively and resilient growing machine, that....</li></ul><p>..... I start envisioning using the few existing trees as the foundation posts of the structure and extending up to serve as supports for the roof as well. These things are so tough, that I fully expect them to bounce right back, sending out new lateral growth, despite being viciously "topped". And if they die.....well, I was going to cut them down anyway. <br></p><p> </p><p>But what if they DO live? Wouldn't it be cool if the structure was as "alive" as possible? Not only is the guava a vigorous and hardy tree, it's also enthusiastically innosuculate, meaning that it is self-grafting. If you want to weave a living wall, there would be few better choices of plant to begin with.</p><p> </p><p>In any event, while I entertain grand thoughts, I also rig a tarp overhead, to keep the tools dry. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b7mJ14KBlkQ/VjMPQUtXxKI/AAAAAAAAUAk/HFAQY_fEkkY/s2048/IMG_3094.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b7mJ14KBlkQ/VjMPQUtXxKI/AAAAAAAAUAk/HFAQY_fEkkY/s500/IMG_3094.JPG" id="blogsy-1446310501060.097" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>The sumi ink that I'm using for layout works great on damp lumber, but if the stick is actually wet, the ink just runs and bleeds. If I swipe the area with a rag, then lay down a very fine line, the ink will set enough to hold, but it's not the same as say, marking on dry wood. FYI, for those of you working in the rain. Fresh cut green wood, no problem. Compared to pencil, there still is no comparison. A pencil only works well on dry lumber, and it's been nearly 6 months since I've touched one for carpentry. I used one the other day...for about 2 seconds. How the hell do you cut to such a fat f***ing line, haha?!</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I also built a new sharpening station.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bjpEUY4zLpw/VjMPbotfk4I/AAAAAAAAUAs/KuyhrdSo53o/s2048/IMG_3093.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bjpEUY4zLpw/VjMPbotfk4I/AAAAAAAAUAs/KuyhrdSo53o/s500/IMG_3093.JPG" id="blogsy-1446310501011.0022" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Haha.....nice, huh?! I miss using good stones though. My standards are currently low.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20">Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-25902093570312577172015-10-29T08:59:00.001-07:002015-10-29T09:08:30.810-07:00Japanese saws– salvage the junk<p> </p><p>One of my new favorite saws is an old piece of junk.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t8T8ArwRXFM/Vf7mxWku9ZI/AAAAAAAATY0/EaA9VHmXFMQ/s2048/IMG_2237.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t8T8ArwRXFM/Vf7mxWku9ZI/AAAAAAAATY0/EaA9VHmXFMQ/s500/IMG_2237.JPG" id="blogsy-1446134901447.1663" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Found in a water filled wooden tray, out in the wilds of Hawaii, it had some unusual company. A good (albeit rusty) saw set, a pre-1917 Disston keyhole saw, a 1950-ish rip kataba Z-saw (stamped Honolulu), and a weird Swiss-army saw/multi blade thing, among other stuff. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Well, I cleaned off some of the rust and it's not so bad really.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OBBT4ued8TA/Vf7k1YhzLxI/AAAAAAAATYU/hm2roGC4mv4/s2048/IMG_2802.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OBBT4ued8TA/Vf7k1YhzLxI/AAAAAAAATYU/hm2roGC4mv4/s500/IMG_2802.JPG" id="blogsy-1446134901533.965" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>It's no work of art, just a tool, but I'm liking it a lot more than I had expected. As a "cut down anything then forget it outside in the rain" kind of tool, it excels. I've found that it holds a good edge, and the spring and temper was well done. It had no kinks when I found it, and we haven't introduced any new ones, despite our best efforts. The saw back is taper ground to a knife edge, so much so that I can use it as a machete for thick grassy stems. It has proven itself to be deceptively capable.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As is expected, it could do with some improvement.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GcDwXN6X4TM/Vf7k1dWiJtI/AAAAAAAATYU/Jv6OGM1NZE0/s2048/IMG_2804.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GcDwXN6X4TM/Vf7k1dWiJtI/AAAAAAAATYU/Jv6OGM1NZE0/s500/IMG_2804.JPG" id="blogsy-1446134901448.9546" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>It has probably been sharpened a few times already, but the nib on the nose still stands proud of the teeth. It needs to be made even with the teeth. More importantly, the teeth height is uneven, one side being longer than the other. Whoever was sharpening it had a definite "strong side". I know that because I do, too. Because the teeth are longer on one side, the cut drifts to the longer side, binding the saw at about 2" deep. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>And, as I was saying in the prior post, the saw teeth are still not as clean as they could be. Let's see if I can improve things a bit.</p><p> </p><p>Scrape 'em clean.....</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-llg-k-3KB3w/Vipi94MgiUI/AAAAAAAAT9A/Uc6xJNTwXV4/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title=""><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-llg-k-3KB3w/Vipi94MgiUI/AAAAAAAAT9A/Uc6xJNTwXV4/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1446134901515.208" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>.....then polish 'em up a bit.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-29qyTwO8T4Y/Vipi98uy1uI/AAAAAAAAT9I/haH-C0soMr4/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-29qyTwO8T4Y/Vipi98uy1uI/AAAAAAAAT9I/haH-C0soMr4/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1446134901529.2083" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>FYI, sandpaper isn't the best way to do this, but if you do, try to rub parallel to the tooth itself. If you rub back and forth, it mostly cuts up the sandpaper and rounds the tooth shape in undesirable ways. Anyways, the sandpaper method didn't totally ruin anything, and may have helped improve the teeth marginally. </p><p> </p><p>I use the edge of a really hard oilstone instead. It's WAY better. I just do the minimum required to get the outer face of the tooth bright. No matter which method you choose, this does reduce the amount of set some (x)amount. The less you do, the better. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sighting the length of the blade, you can see that the nib at the tail of the saw stands proud as well as a few odd teeth.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AQUukWNTGQs/VikT-kGj_UI/AAAAAAAAT3Y/lNPAXdTOMOs/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AQUukWNTGQs/VikT-kGj_UI/AAAAAAAAT3Y/lNPAXdTOMOs/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1446134901446.262" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I joint the saw using a standard western mill file, running the length until I see a bright tip at each tooth.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yuZ1qmAZSKU/Vipi9yD7Y_I/AAAAAAAAT7s/SmFGrfaZ8MM/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yuZ1qmAZSKU/Vipi9yD7Y_I/AAAAAAAAT7s/SmFGrfaZ8MM/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1446134901452.9607" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>I joint at each sharpening, because I'm training myself and my body. If I was REALLY good, I could probably get away with 1 joint/ 3 sharpenings, but what's the harm? You're only going to get better if you work on refinement, and in my head is a picture of a saw with teeth of a perfectly even height, not just "good enough".</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oRX6iWt-koA/Vipi93KrH7I/AAAAAAAAT7s/ZZx0YV_r8Zg/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oRX6iWt-koA/Vipi93KrH7I/AAAAAAAAT7s/ZZx0YV_r8Zg/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1446134901468.851" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>And what do I get for all my high talk of standards?</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Xl8fJ-xVcN8/Vipi9ytBWZI/AAAAAAAAT7s/B-FVJdoi4xI/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Xl8fJ-xVcN8/Vipi9ytBWZI/AAAAAAAAT7s/B-FVJdoi4xI/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1446134901495.2068" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Haha! Missed a big 'ol dip...whoops! I see a bunch of low teeth, mostly on one side, my "strong" side.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Dw93xllP1Lc/Vipi9wQ7nLI/AAAAAAAAT7s/p0Xs-d9ew94/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title=""><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Dw93xllP1Lc/Vipi9wQ7nLI/AAAAAAAAT7s/p0Xs-d9ew94/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1446134901451.614" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Maybe two. Jeez.....what a hack!</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When I sharpened, I changed the tooth geometry a little bit, but that's for the next post. I've been thinking about and researching saw teeth for nearly two years now, but it's only recently that I've been able to test the saws so rigorously. Living this off-grid, extreme bush lifestyle, I am cutting live wood, green sticks and lumber, lumberyard "dry" Wood, and a fair bit of aged salvage lumber as well. And lots of it. </p><p> </p><p>One of our new neighbors kindly offered to bring over his generator and a bunch of saws for me to use, after I told him that I was cutting everything by hand. You try to explain that you are actually enjoying the act of cutting the wood, and anyway, you can't easily cut much of this stuff with power saws and....you get that half perplexed, "huh.... OK, whatever" look. It's good to have such generous neighbors though. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Even though the tooth height is less than perfect, it still cuts well. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pIlCgCMqyik/Vipi94zEguI/AAAAAAAAT7s/5VHkfWq53ys/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pIlCgCMqyik/Vipi94zEguI/AAAAAAAAT7s/5VHkfWq53ys/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1446134901477.093" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>The cut through this hard (wet) Ohia went faster than you'd think, and the saw tracked straight and true, no binding anymore. I guess that I improved it some. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CvOd8GlJ61U/VikT-pS8XOI/AAAAAAAAT3g/r8OkQ09ra1Q/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CvOd8GlJ61U/VikT-pS8XOI/AAAAAAAAT3g/r8OkQ09ra1Q/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1446134901470.971" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>The wet wood shows scars easily, but it looks like a couple of teeth are set a tad more than the others. The scars look worse than they are, and I can't feel them by hand, but it's not perfect yet.</p><p> </p><p>Because the saw is severely taper ground, it probably had very little set initially, and after a handful of sharpenings, it's probably about ready for asari/setting again. The lack of set, combined with the light weight of the saw has the saw itself riding up at times, meaning that you need to maintain downward pressure as you are using it for a ridiculously deep cut like this. What's happening is that the improved saw teeth are cutting more efficiently and are making more sawdust in the process. The problem is that the teeth are still the same size that they were before, and now the gullets are too small to hold the additional sawdust. The next step for this saw would be to give it some raker teeth and a few deeper gullets, turn it into a little madonoko saw, maybe. </p><p> </p><p>This saw is for smaller stuff, like 2" and under, but it's good to have the capability nonetheless. I was felling a couple of 6" guava trees yesterday with this little guy, and it was a bit of a struggle. Why I don't use my chainsaw is a mystery to me. Scares the birds, I suppose.</p><p> </p><p>What I really want to write about are teeth. Japanese saw teeth. </p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-79152046426032773682015-10-26T09:38:00.001-07:002015-10-27T09:01:32.777-07:00Some thoughts on sharpening Japanese saws– It's the little things<p> </p><p>Lately I've been waking up in the morning and *reeeaaly* wishing that more people were writing about sharpening saws, Japanese saws in particular. I guess that I'm just obsessed, but saws have been in my mind for a while now, and I just can't get enough. 3 o'clock in the morning, and I'm wondering if it's too early to get out of bed and get back to work, sharpening more saws.</p><p> </p><p>Yeah.....better not. It's too dark to see, anyways. Have I mentioned that we don't have electricity?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Almost nobody writes about this stuff, not even in the Japanese blogs. <a href="http://laborlimaetoolworks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="">Sebastian</a> has been doing a great job resurrecting the sharpening art, and <a href="http://granitemountainwoodcraft.com/" target="_blank" title="">Gabe</a> is doing wonderfully with his big Maebiki-oga's, but.....I want more. What little I find amounts to :</p><ul><li>Here is a diagram of a rip tooth. Copy it.</li><li>Here is a diagram of a crosscut tooth. Copy it.</li></ul><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YcMLg8ZurhM/Viv6Tu7OoHI/AAAAAAAAT8E/XKPxUfim1RY/s595/image.jpeg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YcMLg8ZurhM/Viv6Tu7OoHI/AAAAAAAAT8E/XKPxUfim1RY/s500/image.jpeg" id="blogsy-1445961295538.5073" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="556"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The truth of it is that those directives are absolutely correct, and as a beginner, there is no better way. Look at what a "proper" tooth shape is, then emulate. When your saw starts to behave strangely, it's probably not your imagination, because they do get dull. Just because your saw is a superawesome Japanese tool, well.....it's just steel. Before it gets too dull and something nasty happens, point that bugger up. Freshen up those facets, it's not that hard. If your saw isn't too messed up, you merely copy what's already there. It's easy (almost). Assuming that you've got a decent, non-impulse hardened tooth saw....and a file.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sebastian, Mark Grable and I went in on buying a Yahoo Japan auction lot of saw files, bought and shipped through the excellent kindness of <a href="http://rk-trading.ocnk.net/" target="_blank" title="">R-K Trading Company </a>(thank you, Murakami!). I'll tell you this....I'm never paying retail again! Admittedly, it seems like we did get a bit lucky, we got them so cheaply. I wish that we had bid on the other lots as well, but in any event, I now have an embarrassment of 75mm, standard cut, double edged yasuri feather files. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h0RCYKtWKlI/Vf7k1VyYcaI/AAAAAAAATYU/AdnVsKCkp3w/s2048/IMG_2801.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h0RCYKtWKlI/Vf7k1VyYcaI/AAAAAAAATYU/AdnVsKCkp3w/s500/IMG_2801.JPG" id="blogsy-1445961295551.8098" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> From what I've been able to determine, Japanese saw files come in a standard cut and a finer cut (called "aburame"). If you take two files, one standard and one aburame and place them side by side, you will see that not only does the aburame have a much finer tooth spacing, it also has a thinner cross-sectional shape. These particular 75mm files are almost a perfect cross-sectional match to my fine tooth aburame 125mm file, despite its being almost twice the size. All of these files are incredibly narrow, delicate creatures, but comparatively speaking, these 75mm files are bruisers. </p><p> </p><p>These files are all NOS from an old hardware store or something, Tsubohi File Works and Co., God only knows how old....50 years? These files leave a relatively coarse finish to the saw teeth, not exactly what you'd want for a final sharpening. I've been sharpening every saw within reach, and so far I'm still using the first one that I pulled out of the box, so I would say that these Tsubohi files are both forgiving and VERY durable. What the hell am I going to do with the rest of the 4 boxes.....I need more saws, obviously!</p><p> </p><p>Japanese yasuri saw files come double sided, as these are, and single sided fine cut, a seemingly rare beast. 80-90% of the files that I see at auction are the standard double sided, and this must be indicative of something. I see two immediate possibilities. Assuming that 50 years ago the manufacturer made an equivalent number of all types of saw files, we can see that everyone loved the fine tooth single sided files so much, that they used them all up. All that are left now are the sucky, hated, standard double sided files.</p><p> </p><p>Or....</p><p> </p><p>Standard tooth, double sided files were made in far greater numbers because they are such useful creatures and were used for such important tasks, that the stores needed to keep their shelves well stocked. I don't know, I'm just guessing, but I'm thinking that these files have a specific purpose.....and the fun is in the finding, no?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>All this talk about files, but they are actually only peripheral today. Today is about the forgotten side of the tooth, the actual "side" of the saw. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I was working on a saw the other day and I took some pictures to get a better look at things. </p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREpFv0wcGHCuVCausnGltINsNw51WDCeX0AwPMKeRprPNt3D1kgj3zxeKDwxmwsc13wnqkMBTi3Hy8pYhTVN3OatPTBGqUF8D-7CnhM-H9rdX3OJzXuqvbV5HJKHbX71hKY-gVC12YmkG/s2048/IMG_2676.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREpFv0wcGHCuVCausnGltINsNw51WDCeX0AwPMKeRprPNt3D1kgj3zxeKDwxmwsc13wnqkMBTi3Hy8pYhTVN3OatPTBGqUF8D-7CnhM-H9rdX3OJzXuqvbV5HJKHbX71hKY-gVC12YmkG/s500/IMG_2676.JPG" id="blogsy-1445961295513.746" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Not horrible (aside from the gullets being sloped the wrong way....too much island bliss, I guess), but when I look closely at the "dark" side of the tooth facing the camera, I see little specks of light. Those specks will be tiny jagged areas, perfect for snagging stray wood fibers and clogging the action of the saw. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A few of us have been pestering Mark Grable mercilessly for tips and information, anything Japanese saw related, and he's been wonderfully forthcoming with his knowledge and experience. Often, the briefest statement will have broad influence, importance far in excess of its brevity. Nerdy though it is, I've got a document of "Grable'isms" that I read before working on a saw, and it's amazing how something that you've read a thousand times before, will suddenly being new insight into a problem you are having. Case in point, Mark has mentioned that it's difficult to know what you are seeing, if the saw is all dark and pitted with rust. </p><p> </p><p>What?! Rusty saws?! </p><p> </p><p>Being attracted to the old and neglected, all my saws are rusty to varying degrees. Check out these treasures.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t8T8ArwRXFM/Vf7mxWku9ZI/AAAAAAAATY0/EaA9VHmXFMQ/s2048/IMG_2237.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t8T8ArwRXFM/Vf7mxWku9ZI/AAAAAAAATY0/EaA9VHmXFMQ/s500/IMG_2237.JPG" id="blogsy-1445961295507.2258" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>The little rip kataba in the center you might remember as being the subject of an aborted <a href="http://mypeculiarnature.blogspot.com/2015/07/sometimes-you-get-luckymy-first.html" target="_blank" title="">series on saw rehab</a> I never brought to completion. I may have "massaged" the poor thing to death, just as you can soften metal by using a planishing wheel. The narrow bladed saw just to the right of the kataba has become one of my favorites, though. Ugly, rusty little thing, but it's a handy blade shape for pruning and trimming green wood.</p><p> </p><p> I've already sharpened this a couple of times –I'm currently sharpening the saws at the merest HINT of being dull–, but then I started thinking about the side of the saw tooth. This is the equivalent of the "back" of a plane blade. You can't get a plane iron sharp if you only sharpen the face and ignore the back. </p><p> </p><p>Duh!</p><p> </p><p>The simple solution to the problem is....well...I don't know.</p><p> </p><p>Ignore please, my use of a file here. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfJNz_E-3yeK25lf8v3JjQwx_6GLQrYq2_8sbMF7Cr3jIXLVfNweEPM6JG6Y60d0vB0u82HYEzWCMjJyCCnE23CG28ndXMSxvmGylU53NCyQ427WtYMIQIQ0bixtFUjDxStH_ZPX11sRl/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfJNz_E-3yeK25lf8v3JjQwx_6GLQrYq2_8sbMF7Cr3jIXLVfNweEPM6JG6Y60d0vB0u82HYEzWCMjJyCCnE23CG28ndXMSxvmGylU53NCyQ427WtYMIQIQ0bixtFUjDxStH_ZPX11sRl/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1445961295493.553" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>What I am really doing is gently scraping any trace of surface rust from the sides of the teeth that are facing toward me. I'm using the forward edge of the file as a scraper because it is easily the hardest steel that I've got handy. Really handy, like, already in my hand, haha.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>And for Sebastian.....This is the saw that I mentioned in you comments regarding your <a href="http://laborlimaetoolworks.blogspot.com/2015/10/universal-dozuki.html" target="_blank" title="">universal dozuki</a>. It was originally a purely perpendicular tooth rip pattern, with all teeth being the same size. I gave it more of a short and fat crosscut shape, with a stubby top facet. I'm putting together a post on my experiments with varying tooth geometries, but it might be a little while before things slow down some. </p><p> </p><p>This saw, like most others, has teeth with a slight set, so the teeth are slightly bent to a curve, not straight. To polish the side of the tooth requires a curved implement of some sort. I tried using a curved/rounded edge wooden block with some #220 sandpaper wrapped around it. A flat sanding block will just level out the sides of the teeth, leaving you a saw with no set. Binds-ville, man, Binds-ville.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-29qyTwO8T4Y/Vipi98uy1uI/AAAAAAAAT7s/Xjor9w7aSyw/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-29qyTwO8T4Y/Vipi98uy1uI/AAAAAAAAT7s/Xjor9w7aSyw/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1445961295550.8538" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>It works, and if that's all you got, use it. It's a pain though, and the tendency of the sandpaper is to round over the edges of the teeth. That's bad obviously, so try to find something better. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Much better for me, was a little Washita sharpening stone with a radiused edge. Different saw, but the idea remains.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJ6sBfnibSQnVxzqF7_9-Rbx1D8t1iYmMVv40QfSpbI50nhMBLbDDwaqgO85lKSmDi3VwpVW4l2U5G_Mkjc1JoUfC0fDi2iRC83w3sB6syzQvGfecafB3Lo3SEptwCO0LFiYFhZNhtKoD/s2048/IMG_3058.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJ6sBfnibSQnVxzqF7_9-Rbx1D8t1iYmMVv40QfSpbI50nhMBLbDDwaqgO85lKSmDi3VwpVW4l2U5G_Mkjc1JoUfC0fDi2iRC83w3sB6syzQvGfecafB3Lo3SEptwCO0LFiYFhZNhtKoD/s500/IMG_3058.JPG" id="blogsy-1445961295499.051" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p>Hey! My saw grew another set of teeth! A synthetic stone was too soft for polishing the edges of the saw teeth. An Norton medium India slipstone would be perfect.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Edit: Added a pic Here.</p><p> </p><p>Here you can get an idea of the polishing effect at the tops of the teeth, although these are far from perfect. Remember, only the teeth that are facing upward are being polished. The ones that face away don't matter. Small steps, incremental change.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Hce6Ku5DyVc/Vi-d3-KcyMI/AAAAAAAAT-I/_G6LRtPn1kU/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Hce6Ku5DyVc/Vi-d3-KcyMI/AAAAAAAAT-I/_G6LRtPn1kU/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1445961295535.7607" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p>More than anything though, this really seems to point out how skilled you are in setting the teeth, because every discrepancy leaps right out at you. It's a good opportunity to even things up, work on your Asari skills. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Of course, once I got started.....</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S1rFnI87YB4/VimPcGnsXbI/AAAAAAAAT7M/ypjvaW6fpNc/s2048/IMG_3060.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S1rFnI87YB4/VimPcGnsXbI/AAAAAAAAT7M/ypjvaW6fpNc/s500/IMG_3060.JPG" id="blogsy-1445961295512.7373" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>The dark red stone next to the soap is a small offcut of a synthetic #1200 waterstone. I takes a few swipes with that first, to seed the surface with abrasive grit, then do the bulk of the rubbing using the much slower natural stone. </p><p> </p><p>This revealed lots of lumps and bumps.....Oh boy!!!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jODXKb49AL4/VimPcOUu3lI/AAAAAAAAT7M/XBM_vE17QpM/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jODXKb49AL4/VimPcOUu3lI/AAAAAAAAT7M/XBM_vE17QpM/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1445961295573.4167" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>Off to the anvil, just give me an excuse, any excuse. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S3iNphl7X1I/VimPcGYTTEI/AAAAAAAAT7M/-V_aLcz3raw/s2048/IMG_3062.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S3iNphl7X1I/VimPcGYTTEI/AAAAAAAAT7M/-V_aLcz3raw/s500/IMG_3062.JPG" id="blogsy-1445961295559.9873" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>The lighter spots are deviations from the average plane of the saw. Lumps. They aren't bad though, so my little tack hammer seems the proper tool. Many small strikes, focusing on the areas around the bumps more than the bumps themselves. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>My point here, assuming that there is one, is that the smallest things can have large effects. The teeth of your saw will never be truly sharp unless the sides of the saw blade are clean and smoothly polished. A little bit at a time, if your saw looks as bad as most of mine. If I were to get the blade to a polished state, most of my teeth would be gone, abraded away in the process. Better is to sneak up on polished, taking a little off at each sharpening, so the edges get incrementally improved. With just a slight amount of work, I've probably made the saw 30% sharper, although cleaning and working the sides of the teeth actually dulled them a bit, so some touch up was required. </p><p> </p><p>The big ryoba worked fine with those little bumps and dents along the blade, but as with the rust, it is better to have as straight a blade as possible. Less friction, and it's fun to hit things with hammers. </p><p> </p><p>It's the little stuff, dontcha know.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Oh boy....it's finally getting light out. Time to sharpen something!</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-74588325025227410352015-10-13T09:35:00.003-07:002017-01-16T09:46:46.800-08:00Building a charcoal kiln #4<div><br></div>Part 4 of,<div><br></div><div><br>
"More than you ever wanted to know about building a kiln for making bladesmithing charcoal."</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br>
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I've got a few more things that I'd like to try.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br>
For starters, my burn chamber is just a horizontal tube of tin. Once the draft gets established, the heat and smoke gets drawn into the coaling chamber nicely. It works OK, and you can't get much more simple than that, but when I look at the diagrams of the traditional earth berm kilns, you can see that the burn chamber is much more enclosed within the body of the kiln. </div><div><br>
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The metal drum Iwasaki kilns that I've repeatedly referenced use a separate partial drum to serve as a burn chamber, and that's great. Mine could be improved though. See, the reason that I like the more enclosed fire chamber is that it looks like a smaller fire could be used, since the heat and smoke are more tightly directed into the coaling chamber. By reducing the size of the fire, we are trading a possibly longer coaling time, with the lessening of heat and the force of the flames.......At least that's my thinking.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br>
The second thing that I've been wanting to test out.</div><div><br></div><div><br>
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The traditional kiln shows the wood being tightly packed and VERTICAL. I did the best that I could, and the back has a higher proportion of vertical, but.....This was a huge PITA, and I doubt that I'll do it this way again. Maybe with a rectangular coaling chamber it wouldn't be so difficult. We'll see what the charcoal looks like.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br>
So here is my quick and dirty improvement to the burn chamber. That's not parallax error, it really is tilted.</div><div><br>
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The end that abuts the barrel lid has a mating flange that it sort of hangs from and also seals the join a bit, point being that it forms a tighter fit than before. Towards the center of the burn "tube" is the feed door, a 3-sided cut, bent down at about a 45 degree angle. The end of the tube at the left is still fully open. If it bears repeating, I'll take better photos next time. The description is hard to follow.</div><div><br></div><div><br>
What I've made here is closer to being a top loading, horizontal draft "rocket stove", and it works so much better it's surprising. The separate air channel on the left let's you pack the fuel port totally full, without starving the fire of air. The burn chamber creates good air turbulence as well, contributing to better combustion. These simple mods make the fire much easier to start, it burns hotter, and it's easier to load the fuel charge (meaning you can cram it full and then just check back every 30 minutes or so to refuel). The slight incline to the chamber might help induce a properly directed draft too. It seemed that way, despite the visible flames occasionally shooting out the fuel port. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>It's still ugly and cheesy looking, but remember, I need to be able to whip this whole assembly out of the way in seconds, when it's time to shut down the coaling process. I can grab a stick and lift this nasty mess out of the way in two heartbeats. Also, don't forget that the galvanized metal that I am using gives off extremely poisonous fumes as the zinc burns off. Don't sit too close, not before making peace with your gods.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br>
And the third thing.......</div><div><br>
Right after my last firing, I was sitting around reading about Sumi-yaki (Google : <a href="http://xn--w8j415qjma/" target="_blank" title="">炭焼き</a> ), looking for more tips and improvements I can make to the process. I found a couple of good ones. </div><div><br>
This is from a site making bamboo charcoal, slightly different, but essentially the same.<br>
<blockquote>
Charcoal making process according to the drum charcoal kettle is as follows. <br>
1. pilot flame to burn and raise the temperature of <br>
2. smoke up to 85-95 degrees and make sure that "it was deliberately fart" (strong smell) (0.5 to 1 hour)<br>
3. fired to stop the pilot flame, to limit the supply of air, keep the temperature of the smoke (4 hours) <br>
4. temperature of the smoke if promoted carbide begin to rise (2 hours) <br>
5. temperature of the smoke misses the thermometer When equal to or greater than 180 degrees (one hour) is <br>
6. smoke Open the internal cover Once colorless, do "Nerashi" (about 10 minutes)<br>
7. Exit to close the air inlet and the chimney outlet (total of 8 hours)</blockquote><div><br></div>
When you get to the "Fart-smelling, yellow smoke phase", stop firing and cut back the air supply......huh.</div><div><br></div><div><br>
I don't think that I've ever seen that referenced before, stopping the fire (the fart smell....everyone knows that. The yellow smoke has a large sulfer component, I think). The thought behind this is that once you get the yellow smoke going, the wood inside the drum has established a kind of oxygen deprived combustion, so any additional heat input only would be causing potential damage to the coal.<br>
When you get into making traditional bladesmithing charcoal, you quickly realize that there is something missing in our body of knowledge, some little detail. Nearly everyone out there is making nasty, overcooked char. It's fine for the garden, but not as good in the forge. Everything that I've read has you firing the burn, right up until it's time to shut 'er down. Maybe this simple thing is one of the details?</div><div><br>
Cutting back on the air supply will further slow the process of coaling, but it also gives greater control. Once you get to the yellow smoke phase, things start to happen ever more quickly. During my last burn, from YS phase to done only took a little over an hour. This time.....closer to 2 hours, but the rate of change towards the end of the process felt much more relaxed. I'm hoping that the charcoal felt the same too, nice and relaxed. We'll see.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br>
So the yellow smoke for me and this Guava I'm coaling went on for quite a while, but essentially, I stopped fueling the fire and cut back the air a bit.</div><div><br>
The yellow smoke phase is around 350*F at the stack. </div><div><br>
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The partial brick at the front can be bumped either way to give enough air to keep the stack temperature rising.</div><div> <br>
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fO1xHyeaNnk/Vhkv4B-glJI/AAAAAAAATw0/Z17vkxiEhLg/s2048/001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="375" id="blogsy-1444753988089.3079" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fO1xHyeaNnk/Vhkv4B-glJI/AAAAAAAATw0/Z17vkxiEhLg/s500/001.jpg" width="500"></a></div><div><br></div>I didn't really need to do anything though, just sat and watched the smoke.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br>
We are getting close to shut down time. The stack temp reads around 500*F and there is still quite a bit of "white" in the smoke.</div><div><br>
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The amount of finishing time is one of the more important aspects that determine the qualities of the charcoal. Because I am using this for bladesmithing, I don't want to cook everything out. If I was using this for an indoor hibatchi or a charcoal heater, I would try to cook the charcoal until it was as clear as possible.</div><div><br></div><div>I guess that it goes to show just how divorced from the mainstream I am but.....it just occurred to me, the number one use for real charcoal is likely to be for grilling a barbecue, haha. Would you believe that I've not tried that yet?!</div><div><br></div><div>Wow! Get a life, kid!</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br>
Here is where I shut down, nearly 800*F at the stack.</div><div><br>
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If you compare the smoke to the prior pic, you can see that most of the "white" is gone. The time interval between the two was approximately 15 minutes.</div><div><br></div><div><br>
I dragged the firebox out of the way, piled up bricks and dirt to shut down combustion, capped the stack and called it a night. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br>
So what do we get this time? Trash or treasure?</div><div><br>
Hmmmmm......</div><div><br>
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I'm thinking trash. Where does all of the wood go?! The barrel was packed as tightly as I could get it. Lots of ash......</div><div><br>
Overcooked.</div><div><br>
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Oh well.....it all burns, right?</div><div><br></div><div><br>
I grab the shovel and sieve to start cleaning up, but this stuff doesn't shovel. Just past the overcooked stuff are sticks of solid carbon, and they aren't falling apart like the other charcoal that I've made.</div><div><br>
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Almost the entire burn looked like this......sticks, magically shrunken and transformed. </div><div><br>
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It's too bad that the bark is still on the sticks, because that thin outer layer affects the resonant qualities. I've finally made the "hard" charcoal, paradoxically known as "white" charcoal, or electrolytic charcoal. These carbon sticks are now conductive to electricity. The light was pretty flat, but you can see that the charcoal looks silver, not black. Cool, huh?</div><div><br></div><div><br>
I don't think that this would be considered true "white" charcoal, but it's getting close. This charcoal kiln is definitely capable of getting up to the 2000*F needed for complete carbonization, and I've been wanting to attempt the making of the "white" charcoal, but to get it right, I would need to open the barrel at the finish, then quickly smother the charcoal. Scary! The burning charcoal gets buried in old wood ashes.....ironically, something that I don't really have much of, haha.</div><div><br></div><div><br>
This charcoal is really starting to exhibit the resonant qualities that I find so interesting. The water being completely driven out of the wood, making the carbonized cells ring like bells, each stick like part of a strange looking wind-chime.....I don't know, but it's neat to experience, charcoal that sings.</div><div><br></div><div><br>
The resonance is dampened by both the outer bark layer and the amount of wood shrinkage within the stick itself. These didn't ring well.</div><div><br>
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<div style="background-image: url(file:///var/mobile/Containers/Bundle/Application/052FF14A-C88C-44E8-AD6B-54446AF1688F/Blogsy.app/typing_icon.png); background-size: 10px 25px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 12px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; widows: auto; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"><div style="background-image: url(file:///var/mobile/Containers/Bundle/Application/052FF14A-C88C-44E8-AD6B-54446AF1688F/Blogsy.app/typing_icon.png); background-size: 10px 25px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 12px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As you'd expect, a solid bar of carbon rings clean and loud, while one that is covered in tiny plates of carbonized bark – which also resonate, but at different rates/frequencies– sounds flat or muddy.</span></div><div style="background-image: url(file:///var/mobile/Containers/Bundle/Application/052FF14A-C88C-44E8-AD6B-54446AF1688F/Blogsy.app/typing_icon.png); background-size: 10px 25px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 12px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"></div><div style="background-image: url(file:///var/mobile/Containers/Bundle/Application/052FF14A-C88C-44E8-AD6B-54446AF1688F/Blogsy.app/typing_icon.png); background-size: 10px 25px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 12px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"></div><div style="background-image: url(file:///var/mobile/Containers/Bundle/Application/052FF14A-C88C-44E8-AD6B-54446AF1688F/Blogsy.app/typing_icon.png); background-size: 10px 25px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 12px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="background-image: url(file:///var/mobile/Containers/Bundle/Application/052FF14A-C88C-44E8-AD6B-54446AF1688F/Blogsy.app/typing_icon.png); background-size: 10px 25px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 12px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">These sound like tuning forks.</span></div></div>
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You only get a couple of whacks before some fracture occurs and the stick breaks in two. Some of the smaller stuff must've been fairly dry when they went into the kiln, because they showed no shrinkage splits at all, just solid carbon. When they break, it's with a super high pitched *TINK* that hurts my ears a bit. Some of them shattered forcibly, like a candy cane.</div><div><br></div><div><br>
Towards the rear of the kiln, in the area of the vent stack, the wood barely even looks like charcoal. It has a brown hue, but it's not undercooked. There was also an iridescent blue in spots, some strange chemical compound flaring off, I guess.</div><div> <br>
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So, at the very bottom of the barrel I laid four sticks full length, and of the entire load, it was only these sticks that didn't fully carbonize. Everything else was fully cooked, through and through. </div><div><br>
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The verdict is in. </div><div><br></div><div>I deem the charcoal kiln a success, though my firing procedure could still use some refinement. This kiln design is far and away the easiest and most reliable way to make high quality blacksmithing charcoal, at least compared to what I've done in the past. I'm having a hard time restraining myself from burning all the time, I just love opening the kiln up, seeing what has been created. Maybe it's because good charcoal is such a rarity? I don't know, but I just love it. </div><div><br></div><div><br>
A big question remains......is this charcoal any good? I am following my interests here, doing this just for fun. I mean....I still need to build a fuigo and small forge, I'm not even prepared to test this stuff properly. Right now, I'm learning the art, getting to know the kiln itself. I'm just seeing what *kinds* of charcoal I can make, and I'm not worried about whether or not the stuff burns hot/cool/too slow/fast, whatever. This batch ended up very "hard".... fun, but not what you want for forging, exactly. </div><div><br></div><div><br>
For forging you want the softer "black" charcoal, not this hard "white" charcoal, at least that's my understanding. When I was using my home made charcoal before, I was using the soft, crummy, and overcooked charcoal for lower temperature work like quenching and tempering, and saved the best hard pine charcoal for welding. It was soooo much nicer to work with, but it was also touchy, too. Get my timing off, forget what I was doing for just a moment and I'd start to hear the metal breath....then hiss, the sound of the steel burning. The charcoal that I made from rotten cedar deck boards could also reach welding heat, but it took MUCH more effort. Not beter/worse, just different. It should be a relatively simple matter to make a variety of slightly differing charcoal that will be task specific. </div><div><br></div><div><br>
Hopefully when Mark Grable reads this, he will be able to comment on what the charcoal was REALLY like, the charcoal that Yataiki preferred for forging his saws. I've got so many questions.......<br>
<ul>
<li>Red pine for forging, so I've heard, but were there different qualities that were used to differentiate? I can imagine opening a bag o' charcoal, sorting through the sticks and making different piles.....Chopping into ever smaller pieces.</li>
<li>Is there anything that must be avoided, when choosing? Different species would burn differently, but also might introduce a chemical component that would be good....or bad. </li>
<li>What am I obviously missing here? I mean....this is what I've come up with after watching a handful of YouTube videos, written anecdotes and allusions that I've found, and my own slight experience. But mostly this is the product of inference, experiment, and some guessing, haha. </li>
</ul>
And of course, there is the question of tree species. For all I know, guava might be a terrible bladesmithing charcoal.....I guess that I'll find out. This wood is still fairly wet, but surprisingly, it doesn't seem to matter much. Using dry wood must speed the operation some, but that might not be a completely good thing. This wet wood is shrinking dramatically, and shows many cracks and fissures. That keeps it from being used as part of a totally kickass Halloween themed windchime, true, but it also means that it is easier to split. The hard and solid ones are harder to break.....kind of loud too.</div><div><br></div><div><br>
That a person can make a simple little charcoal kiln out of an old paint can, make some char, then start burning steel.....needing only a armfull of bricks and an old bathroom fan (and the paint can).....That's freakin' cool.</div><div><br></div><div><br>
I've already got the kiln started on the next batch, this time loaded with all of the sticks lying flat, easy as can be. If anything strange happens, I'll let you know. If you know something that I don't......you let me know, OK? </div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-82973242476967249132015-10-08T19:13:00.001-07:002015-10-08T19:15:44.148-07:00How to build a house in Hawaii for next to nothing<p> </p><p>I'll tell you right up front, it's going to entail a lot of hard work.</p><p> </p><p>And it will take time. Not to be coy or anything, but this is inevitably going to be a ridiculously extended series of posts. You gotta start somewhere though, right?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This side of the big island is rife with wonderful old houses that have seen better days. Since even before we moved here, it's been my dream to somehow get one of these tumbledown old shacks, dismantle it down to its roots, and salvage all of the materials that I can. </p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-18Ggfc6JtAM/VhVQjNCaibI/AAAAAAAATtc/0lPEGskk6qE/s600/image.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-18Ggfc6JtAM/VhVQjNCaibI/AAAAAAAATtc/0lPEGskk6qE/s500/image.jpg" id="blogsy-1444356702110.2778" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="252" alt=""></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>See, many of these old houses were made from some nice materials, stuff that is virtually unobtainable today, at least not without selling your child into slavery. Renee says that option is off the table however, so it looks like a-scavenging I will go.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A wonderful woman who bought a piece of property a few years back (just outside of Pahoa) had exactly that sort of place, the tumbledown shack. The house was too far gone to be salvaged, so they tore it down, saving and reusing what they could. New construction in Hawaii does not allow for the use of used or salvage materials, but at least they could use some of the old siding lumber to build a fence. They also saved the windows, and that's where I come in.</p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kH32EIRQDMk/VhVJ0usNd2I/AAAAAAAATsY/IK4EVESBeXk/s2048/IMG_2955.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kH32EIRQDMk/VhVJ0usNd2I/AAAAAAAATsY/IK4EVESBeXk/s500/IMG_2955.JPG" id="blogsy-1444356702093.6606" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="375" alt=""></a></div><p> </p><p>This is stack of old sash windows, at least 3/4 of which I should be able to make good again. For some inspirational reading, I refer back to a Shinglemaker post a while back, on <a href="https://shinglemaker.wordpress.com/tag/windows/" target="_blank" title="">rejuvenating some of his old Dutch beauties</a>. These windows won't be too terribly different and I'll go into the details of the restoration agonies in a future post. </p><p> </p><p>I am pretty excited to begin with the fixing, because it will be a crash course (no pun intended) in how things used to be done. Many of these windows were built the old way, by hand, lots of through tenon, wavy glass, and unfortunately, some termite damage. I'm also looking forward to using the old-school lime/linseed oil putty, something that I've never made or used before, but who's qualities I've heard worshipfull references to for ages.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So I got all of the old windows, and while I was there, I cleaned up the site a bit, picking up the leftovers that were headed for the burn pile.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jCDO7ZDUr6o/VhVJ0giI20I/AAAAAAAATsY/u-cJ6rUdEhk/s2048/IMG_2954.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jCDO7ZDUr6o/VhVJ0giI20I/AAAAAAAATsY/u-cJ6rUdEhk/s500/IMG_2954.JPG" id="blogsy-1444356702064.735" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="375" alt=""></a></div><p> </p><p>It took a few trips with my little car, but I've got most of it home now. That's a big pile of old growth redwood siding, totally clear (no knot holes), something that I can't even imagine trying to buy now, just WAY too expensive. Expensive to buy new, but every day tons of this stuff is tossed into the dumpsters island wide. I had been looking for exactly this type of material, to use for building my traditional Japanese forge bellows, the fuigo. Tight CVG redwood was tops on my list of materials to use and.........here it is. Now I just need to pull a bazillion nails and scrape off the old paint.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Also while I was there, the owner brought in a crew to cut down some of the larger nuisance trees that were in the immediate area. Most notably were four smallish Albizia, generally referred to as "That G#*!!!!#%#%*{+}!!!!), and any number of less polite epithets, dependant upon present company. Smallish in size, all four are only about 24" in diameter, which ages them at about 10-15 years old or so. The owners decision to remove them now is a sound one because these trees grow incredibly fast, and though the trees themselves are beautiful, they are also weak and prone to shedding monstrous limbs at the slightest provocation. They call this the "Albizia tree epidemic", and it is a legal liability nightmare.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The owner had girdled this tree last year, so it has been seasoning for that time, loosing some of its moisture and all of its leaves. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Fdu44ikU9T0/VhVJ0j_uFvI/AAAAAAAATsY/G7kZub_0Jms/s2048/IMG_2951.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Fdu44ikU9T0/VhVJ0j_uFvI/AAAAAAAATsY/G7kZub_0Jms/s500/IMG_2951.JPG" id="blogsy-1444356702103.8206" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="667" alt=""></a></div><p> </p><p>I asked the tree crew to leave me a good sized section of the main trunk, so that I can try my hand at working with this stuff, cutting planks mostly. The Albizia wood isn't commonly used, and is generally considered to be trash, barely worth even chipping for mulch. People don't even use it for firewood. That sounds about perfect for me, with my penchant for trying to find a better use for everyone else's garbage. </p><p> </p><p>The crew left me four trees, about 50' linear feet of 2' diameter logs. That's about the same volume of area as what my car occupies. My arms are feeling bigger already! </p><p> </p><p>And.</p><p> </p><p>That's just the main stems. There are huge amounts of limbs still laying everywhere. It's funny to me, seeing a 1' diameter limb, 10' long and thinking....ehh, what's the point of cutting that little crap?! And these trees aren't even particularly large. Some of these monsters are closer to 5' diameter. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Like a fool, I forgot my inkline to mark the initial cut, so I had to eyeball it and was wandering all over the place. Not pretty.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b-zrxH0Ehgk/VhVJ0mdPoRI/AAAAAAAATsY/y143XhK2RQg/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b-zrxH0Ehgk/VhVJ0mdPoRI/AAAAAAAATsY/y143XhK2RQg/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1444356702077.035" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="667" alt=""></a></div><p> </p><p>Pardon the forced perspective, they aren't really as big as they appear. Even after splitting the 12' log, I still had to shorten the lengths to 6' so that I could move them around, much less squeeze them into my poor little car. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Once I got home, I slapped some paint on the endgrain to slow the drying some, try to minimize the checking. I still need to strip the bark, if I hope to save the wood from the beetle larvae.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LKij8B--NLw/VhVJ0uaRMhI/AAAAAAAATsY/E-mgg4l3Xn4/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LKij8B--NLw/VhVJ0uaRMhI/AAAAAAAATsY/E-mgg4l3Xn4/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1444356702094.8665" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="375" alt=""></a></div><p> </p><p>Sammy likes them.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Opening these logs up was like seeing an old friend. I realized that this is most likely the same type of wood that gets used as a lightweight core stock on some of the solid core plywood panels that I've bought in the past. The panel manufacturer rips the core into strips, glues them back together, and finally, glues down an attractive face veneer. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FXmbneHqqBU/VhVJ0v0hRFI/AAAAAAAATsY/OaA4-YEC_F4/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FXmbneHqqBU/VhVJ0v0hRFI/AAAAAAAATsY/OaA4-YEC_F4/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1444356702034.457" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="375" alt=""></a></div><p> </p><p>This log shows rather bland grain, but nothing objectionable. The color is a light tan and cream thankfully, as some of the other stuff that I've seen has a distinct greenish cast to it, green with undertones of mud.....yuck. The fuzzyness that is apparent in places seems to indicate that the grain will be slightly interlocked but again, nothing surprising. </p><p> </p><p>My immediate impression of the wood is that it will make for some interesting furniture building, if not the house. The wood is light in weight and considered brittle. It's not rot or insect resistant either, so if we were to use it for building, it would be interior only. I look at the wood and see.....thick tabletop surfaces, or very thin panel stock. I think that this wood has good potential, and it's free for the asking. You could get a mountain of this stuff in days, if you had a loading truck and trailer. I've read technical papers that measured it's overall strength to be somewhat on par with eastern White Pine, which is what got me interested in this lumber in the first place. Let's find a use for this stuff.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>One of the many other nuisance trees that were cut, were a handful of Cecropia. I used some of the shorter pieces as sleepers to keep the Albizia off the ground. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bVctS1_r3Fg/VhVJ0n6fSoI/AAAAAAAATsY/_Y_p4xTelkE/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bVctS1_r3Fg/VhVJ0n6fSoI/AAAAAAAATsY/_Y_p4xTelkE/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1444356702034.976" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="375" alt=""></a></div><p> </p><p>Growth rings! I haven't seen that in a while.</p><p> </p><p>The center pith is hollow with very thin and brittle membranes that divide the length. One of the common names of this plant is "Pump-wood", and it's obvious why. It would be an easy task to push a stick through the divisions, creating a long, hollow tube. That would make for some very rustic plumbing, but sanitation might be questionable. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It has distinctively radiant, palmate leaves.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PBBmbe-uaOI/VhVP1EltfLI/AAAAAAAATtU/E27_znA7eCg/s410/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PBBmbe-uaOI/VhVP1EltfLI/AAAAAAAATtU/E27_znA7eCg/s410/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1444356702058.8384" class="aligncenter" width="410" height="410" alt=""></a></div><p> </p><p>The leaves look a bit similar to the Jamaican castor bean plant, and nearly everyone that I've met has the mistaken impression that it IS the castor bean, but it's not. If you were hoping to make some <a href="http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/ricin/facts.asp" target="_blank" title="">Ricin</a>, you're SOL......sorry.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Back to Cecropia obtusifolia .....</p><p> <a dir="ltr" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/</a><br></p><p> </p><p>There is some very interesting reading there. Turns out its got a muriad of tradition and modern medical uses, a far more interesting character than just being on the "100 worst invasive plant species" would indicate. In retrospect, it seems like it's often the most prolific and resilient species that have the potential for having interesting qualities. I've always had a sympathy for difficult personalities.</p><p> </p><p>The general consensus is that it is a weak and non-durable wood, opportunistic in disturbed areas and it has large, stinky blossoms too. From my limited experience, it feels pretty strong to me, so I'm looking forward to exploring it's potentials in the near future. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So what has this to do with building cheaply? I guess that it's obvious, but I'm finding that free materials abounds, if you've got the knowledge and energy to invest in the gathering. </p><p> </p><p>Oh yeah.....time. This is a huge time element here. You can't just start building tomorrow, you know?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20">Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-11072817981527435002015-09-27T14:34:00.001-07:002015-09-27T14:56:18.423-07:00Build a charcoal kiln part 3....The first results.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AT9OxMZlcZo/VfwdTQLqHeI/AAAAAAAATfo/oppXNPaYaRA/s2048/IMG_2841.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AT9OxMZlcZo/VfwdTQLqHeI/AAAAAAAATfo/oppXNPaYaRA/s500/IMG_2841.JPG" id="blogsy-1443389694383.135" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p>So I built this charcoal kiln to make proper bladesmithing charcoal.....If you want to see it from the beginning:</p><ul> <li><a href="http://mypeculiarnature.blogspot.com/2015/09/building-charcoal-kiln-1.html" target="_blank" title="">Part 1</a></li> <li><a href="http://mypeculiarnature.blogspot.com/2015/09/building-charcoal-kiln-2.html" target="_blank" title="">Part 2</a></li></ul><br><p>It's ugly, I'll grant you that, haha.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>How did yesterday's burn work out?</p><p> </p><p>Not the greatest I've made....</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tmaLpgNPqzg/VggtES1Ls8I/AAAAAAAATl8/dGwX54bjFwA/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tmaLpgNPqzg/VggtES1Ls8I/AAAAAAAATl8/dGwX54bjFwA/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443389694360.3882" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>.....but not the worst, either. It looks badly overcooked. The barrel is only half full, but started out being packed. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Given that this was a newly constructed kiln, surrounded by wet grass/clay insulation (didn't work, BTW), and filled to the brim with wood that was far from dry....my expectations were low. I was anticipating a lot of undercooked stuff though, so go figure. This was probably a worst case scenario, so the results are encouraging. </p><p> </p><p>My only real successes in the past have been using a 5 gallon retort style kiln. I've cooked in 55 gallon drums a few times before, but that only resulted in badly overcooked or badly undercooked charcoal. Certainly nothing approaching a consistent result, anyways. What did I get this time?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The first shovels don't look so hot (no pun intended). This ashy, shrunken and fractured look is overcooked. Too much heat, over too long a time period.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mIP7bmeS5Eo/VggtER31MDI/AAAAAAAATl8/n-UUPXNshqY/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mIP7bmeS5Eo/VggtER31MDI/AAAAAAAATl8/n-UUPXNshqY/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443389694338.3145" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I sift out the fines using a nominal 1/2" mesh. </p><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b9AYdRCajnQ/VggtEYmzVPI/AAAAAAAATl8/CBNyAFOzNgc/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b9AYdRCajnQ/VggtEYmzVPI/AAAAAAAATl8/CBNyAFOzNgc/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443389694330.8877" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>When I first opened the barrel, it looked to me as though much of the wood had been reduced to ashes –generally that's due to having an air leak somewhere– but as I am sifting, I'm not really finding as much ash as I had thought. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I do find a couple of pieces that aren't fully cooked. This chunk is 1/2 charcoal, the other 1/2 still a little bit brown.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BUgTd825dOU/VggtEWczwyI/AAAAAAAATl4/BKLaNLvkxV0/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BUgTd825dOU/VggtEWczwyI/AAAAAAAATl4/BKLaNLvkxV0/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443389694385.9673" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>You can still see the holes in the wood, tunnels left by beetle larvae. So cool!</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Here is a perfect example of overcooked charcoal. Spongy looking, soft rounded edges, and a gray cast to it. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-el0lUebYN_U/VggtEalXe7I/AAAAAAAATl8/xfoDNDp6MIs/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-el0lUebYN_U/VggtEalXe7I/AAAAAAAATl8/xfoDNDp6MIs/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443389694351.967" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>This is charcoal that has had all of the volatile elements burned from it, not really what we want for the forge. It's great for the garden though. I am surprised how little there is of this. Only 4-5% of the total, if that. I got similar results when using my 5 gallon retort.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Most of the charcoal came out looking like this. A perfect piece is on top, a slightly overcooked piece below.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b6tYhZix9Bk/VggtEYIdJwI/AAAAAAAATl8/e866aByFIwc/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b6tYhZix9Bk/VggtEYIdJwI/AAAAAAAATl8/e866aByFIwc/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443389694346.5024" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>The perfect charcoal breaks cleanly with a crisp *snap*. You can see how fine grain this Guava is. That is another variable to this attempt, I've never cooked a hardwood species, much less Guava. I've only used softwoods in the past. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A before and after comparison.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uiNmaabieZk/VggtESRHMjI/AAAAAAAATl8/us0UW8D7LoA/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uiNmaabieZk/VggtESRHMjI/AAAAAAAATl8/us0UW8D7LoA/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443389694404.0613" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>One of the aspects that I love the most is how little the wood is affected by a proper coaling process. If done well, the charcoal product will look exactly like the original, just shrunken and black after having all of the liquid components removed. The Japanese have turned this into an art of sorts, converting all sorts of things into charcoal themed displays.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0JZtPnSvIA0/VghgzWWy4KI/AAAAAAAATm4/3HdOoOzapE0/s800/Photo%25252020150927113432145.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0JZtPnSvIA0/VghgzWWy4KI/AAAAAAAATm4/3HdOoOzapE0/s500/Photo%25252020150927113432145.jpg" id="blogsy-1443389694376.7732" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="375" alt=""></a></div><p> </p><p>I recognize a pineapple and a sea urchin, but the other stuff? Is that a lufa sponge?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>My guava charcoal isn't that pretty, but you can see how many of the sticks had fissured, peeling bark when they went into the kiln and still have it upon coming out. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-i3NYwaEGflw/VggtEbCVnHI/AAAAAAAATl8/8Ygc_QLB1Zo/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-i3NYwaEGflw/VggtEbCVnHI/AAAAAAAATl8/8Ygc_QLB1Zo/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443389694374.8694" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>You can see evidence of the larvae tunneling underneath the bark. I just love this stuff.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eHUzAyQ4Pbo/VggtEUeVSQI/AAAAAAAATl8/RPYOohXvFoM/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eHUzAyQ4Pbo/VggtEUeVSQI/AAAAAAAATl8/RPYOohXvFoM/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443389694323.5388" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>It's hard to tell from the photos, but the charcoal itself has a silvery sheen to it, and it rings slightly when tapped. Pouring the charcoal into the bag, it has a musical sound to it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>And here is the yield. A small 4 lb bag of fines (mostly the small fragments of bark that fell off of the sticks), and a large bag of decent charcoal.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O-riVMYYduk/VggtEZfpPDI/AAAAAAAATl8/1E7eCjI5Xew/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O-riVMYYduk/VggtEZfpPDI/AAAAAAAATl8/1E7eCjI5Xew/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443389694339.0613" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>This Guava charcoal is MUCH heavier than the pine and cedar charcoal that I am used to. I would guess that the bag weighs around 70lbs, more than the bag can withstand in any event, so somewhere around there. </p><p> </p><p>The small bag of fines can be crushed further and used for the bed of my forge, added to the clay for yaki-ire, used as a component of the welding flux, or just spread in the garden. Nothing is wasted.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Here is the barrel after shoveling out the interior. I took no special care here, just scooped out the charcoal, but my point is that there was actually very little ash produced, far less than I was expecting.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AAvtKjM0EBA/VggtEYt8HeI/AAAAAAAATl8/awo7hXLyTHI/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AAvtKjM0EBA/VggtEYt8HeI/AAAAAAAATl8/awo7hXLyTHI/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443389694333.6646" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>So in retrospect, the yield wasn't as poor as I had initially thought. The cooked charcoal is dramatically reduced in diameter after losing all its water, and also had settled quite a bit. It's hard for me to guess at a yield, but based primarily on the amount of ash I saw.....jeez, 80% maybe? </p><p><br></p><p>Another good thing about proper charcoal.....it's clean. Well, kinda clean.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uOpt3uzHK18/VggtEW5I25I/AAAAAAAATl8/Rn0PyIVm1dw/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uOpt3uzHK18/VggtEW5I25I/AAAAAAAATl8/Rn0PyIVm1dw/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443389694366.2656" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Despite having shoveled out a whole drum of char, screening it all and bagging it, my hands are barely dirty. My feet are still clean! It's nice stuff.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This particular batch of charcoal doesn't have the clear pure *ring* of some charcoal, but had I started with dry sticks to begin with, I suspect it would. The next batch (I'll probably start today....I'm a charcoal junky, haha) I will shut down sooner, earlier in the blue smoke phase, so we'll see how that affects things. The kiln is dry now too, not buried in wet mud. That should help. This charcoal will be fine to use, but I still want to do better. </p><p> </p><p>Another improvement will be to construct the fire chamber to be more like a self feeding rocket stove, with a tilted or vertical entry for the fuel sticks. Put gravity to work for you, right? Nothing too fancy though, because you need to be able to seal the coaling chamber quickly. </p><p> </p><p>So, a success! If you are into traditional blacksmithing and need some fuel, this works well. We've got tons of downed trees sitting here that I need to clean up, nearly all of it being thin, invasive guava that everyone else hates. I haven't used the guava charcoal in the forge yet (still haven't built my forge even, so I guess that I better hurry up, huh?), but this should work fine. There is a never ending supply of free guava here. </p><p> </p><p>This is a great way to use what many people view as waste, and that's a huge positive in my book. Cut the tree, and what isn't suitable for lumber gets turned into charcoal. The smallest twigs and twistiest branches are used to actually make the charcoal, while the leaves go into the garden compost. </p><p> </p><p>The only real problem that remains is the noxious smoke thing. Maybe we can devise a scrubber for the vent stack. One of the more common uses for the Iwasaki kiln is to capture the "Wood vinegar" distillate, used for lots of different things but I'm not really familiar with that side of stuff. Essentially, the smoke gets funneled into a long cooling pipe, then condenses back into a liquid which then is collected. Something to think about. It might be worth a shot.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>My charcoal producing kiln is not really an original idea (nothing is, right?), but is loosely based on a traditional Japanese coaling kiln.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dMylz1VC99Y/Vghg2W8LTFI/AAAAAAAATnA/6oVzj1owpV4/s703/Photo%25252020150927113432167.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dMylz1VC99Y/Vghg2W8LTFI/AAAAAAAATnA/6oVzj1owpV4/s500/Photo%25252020150927113432167.jpg" id="blogsy-1443389694326.4856" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="320" alt=""></a></div><p> <a href="http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/okakawa2/62354573.html" target="_blank" title="">http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/okakawa2/62354573.html</a></p><p> </p><p>The fire never actually touches the wood that will be turned into charcoal, and the blue line presumably represents the liquid distillate. The traditional kiln is packed with wood as tightly as possible, but much of the wood is stacked vertically, and there doesn't appear to be an air channel underneath the wood, only a small space that runs just under the ceiling. I might try this next firing.</p><p> </p><p>The 55 gallon drum that the design is based around has a limited service life, so perhaps I will make the real version one day. That a fun class that would be! </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So there you have it. Now you can make awesome charcoal too. It's pretty easy and might even be called fun. If the neighbors get fussy, have them come talk to me.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Now if only I had a forge......</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20">Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-9085336287592734612015-09-26T09:53:00.001-07:002015-09-26T11:34:52.292-07:00Building a charcoal kiln #2..."FIRE!"<p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AT9OxMZlcZo/VfwdTQLqHeI/AAAAAAAATXg/iNlbSpe4xeU/s2048/IMG_2841.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AT9OxMZlcZo/VfwdTQLqHeI/AAAAAAAATXg/iNlbSpe4xeU/s500/IMG_2841.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896492.0732" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">More about making a kiln to produce blacksmithing charcoal.......<a href="http://mypeculiarnature.blogspot.com/2015/09/building-charcoal-kiln-1.html" target="_blank" title="">Installment #1 </a><strong><a href="http://mypeculiarnature.blogspot.com/2015/09/building-charcoal-kiln-1.html" target="_blank" title="">here</a></strong>.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">OK, where was I?</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></p><p> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I toss on a few more sheets of tin to serve as a roof and it's time to give it a try.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I first lay a perpendicular floor of sticks, to keep the wood slightly elevated and to give an air path for the initial stages of burning.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0BpavVpyvtg/VfwdTTUwSfI/AAAAAAAATXg/NazWomHuJ0c/s2048/IMG_2814.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0BpavVpyvtg/VfwdTTUwSfI/AAAAAAAATXg/NazWomHuJ0c/s500/IMG_2814.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896540.1514" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I fill the barrel with short 15" lengths of cut Guava branches, trying to fit them as tightly as possible. Here's half full.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-InqrPKrXdv4/VfwdTU5UltI/AAAAAAAATXg/rpOvCA3oaGI/s2048/IMG_2815.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-InqrPKrXdv4/VfwdTU5UltI/AAAAAAAATXg/rpOvCA3oaGI/s500/IMG_2815.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896536.546" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><font color="#000000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"></font> </div><p> </p><p> </p><p>Now, as tightly as possible might not be the best choice, but being the curious sort that I am......... </p><p>See, the problem is that:</p><ul><li>The insulating grass/mud mix is wet as hell still, and will likely never dry completely, given that it rains here so frequently.</li><li>The sticks that I am coaling were cut 6 months ago, but have been sitting out in the elements. They are far from being dry.</li><li>By nature, I am sometimes perversely contrary (just ask my wife), so what the hell. Fill it to the brim! Bring it on!!!</li></ul><br><p> </p><p> </p><p>I've got two remnant circles of roof tin staring at me, so I trim one down to fit inside the barrel, forming a baffle. Notice that the corrugations run vertically and there is an air-gap at the top of the divider. I want about 2" of clearance between the baffle and the very front of the lid. Hopefully that will be doesn't restrict the airflow too much.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rVkxpIewg-4/VfwdTWHneLI/AAAAAAAATXg/0Wew-zhdmiQ/s2048/IMG_2816.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rVkxpIewg-4/VfwdTWHneLI/AAAAAAAATXg/0Wew-zhdmiQ/s500/IMG_2816.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896559.1455" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ISrxh7BFHss/VfwdTWWwx4I/AAAAAAAATXg/WoqPa1Fn0nU/s2048/IMG_2817.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ISrxh7BFHss/VfwdTWWwx4I/AAAAAAAATXg/WoqPa1Fn0nU/s500/IMG_2817.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896525.7153" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>I had cut an 8" square opening on the lid, three tabs that I bent over to give rigidity to the thin steel. </p><p> </p><p>I also built up a soil platform to get the firebox up where it belongs.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2K9OOK-XlCc/VfwdTZSIBJI/AAAAAAAATXg/dql81yqi9C4/s2048/IMG_2837.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2K9OOK-XlCc/VfwdTZSIBJI/AAAAAAAATXg/dql81yqi9C4/s500/IMG_2837.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896582.4814" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>I bent a small sheet of tin into a box-like shape that will serve as the firebox. I support the tin with dirt, rocks and bricks, whatever is close to hand. </p><p> </p><p>I forgot to take pics, but it's nothing special. This is an area that I want to improve some. V#2 will probably be a rocket stove variant. More on that to come....</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EPxgqwxK74w/VfwdTZRvPFI/AAAAAAAATXg/N0vC9sx5NYQ/s2048/IMG_2836.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EPxgqwxK74w/VfwdTZRvPFI/AAAAAAAATXg/N0vC9sx5NYQ/s500/IMG_2836.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896556.0386" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Grab a healthful breakfast of leftover seaweed salad, snag the fire extinguisher and the propane torch and......let's see what happens!</p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AT9OxMZlcZo/VfwdTQLqHeI/AAAAAAAATXg/iNlbSpe4xeU/s2048/IMG_2841.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AT9OxMZlcZo/VfwdTQLqHeI/AAAAAAAATXg/iNlbSpe4xeU/s500/IMG_2841.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896572.4207" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p>We've got smoke! The white smoke phase is relatively cold, and nearly all of the smoke produced is water vapor/steam. The guava that I'm burning smells nice, just perfect for smoking meat!</p><p> </p><p>You can see that I've got a chunk of broken CMU restricting the opening at the front of the firebox. You need to balance the amount of air that gets to the fire, enough air for combustion, but not so much that you lose the draft. It's tempting to build something fancy, but I'll think about that later.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>For a baseline measure, the firebox is at 200F.....</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qQCCYkk1pa4/VfwdTXJGyGI/AAAAAAAATXg/ufAZhlhl-r0/s2048/IMG_2849.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qQCCYkk1pa4/VfwdTXJGyGI/AAAAAAAATXg/ufAZhlhl-r0/s500/IMG_2849.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896572.3228" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>....and the lid temp is 236F.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pXl9QF4SIdc/VfwdTeefDtI/AAAAAAAATXg/20Ew57LpeOA/s2048/IMG_2848.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pXl9QF4SIdc/VfwdTeefDtI/AAAAAAAATXg/20Ew57LpeOA/s500/IMG_2848.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896532.4312" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The all important stack temp reads 134F.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e31vic_GPYk/VfwdTdkHgjI/AAAAAAAATXg/-Oan6XAtYPs/s2048/IMG_2842.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e31vic_GPYk/VfwdTdkHgjI/AAAAAAAATXg/-Oan6XAtYPs/s500/IMG_2842.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896509.9539" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>I'm psyched, the 134F means that hot air is being drawn through the tightly packed sticks, no problem. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The amount of time required to convert a drum full of wood into blacksmithing charcoal will vary. I started this burn rather late in the day and given that I packed the kiln full to the gills with only superficially dry wood, leaving little room for air to flow, this batch should take quite awhile. Between searching out dry twigs to get the fire established (you'd think I'd have a pile of already dry wood set aside, wouldn't you, haha) doing dishes/laundry/cooking dinner, changing the brakes on my car and ten other things......6 hours later it was getting dark, right when the kiln really started pumping out the smoke. Bad timing, because the nightime's cooling air will hold the smoke right at ground level. I capped the vent stack, blocked the air intake, then called it a night. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The next day the fire was much quicker to take, given that the wood in the kiln was now partially cooked. The stack was pumping white smoke for a good hour before the color of the smoke began to shift to the yellow. The yellow smoke phase is the nasty part of the process, as this is when the more interesting volatile compounds are being released from the wood. The yellow smoke stinks, plain and simple.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Your neighbors won't thank you for this.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P8CmKvkwF0I/VgatrZxuMFI/AAAAAAAATg0/OhR4n9k7SXo/s2048/IMG_2888.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P8CmKvkwF0I/VgatrZxuMFI/AAAAAAAATg0/OhR4n9k7SXo/s500/IMG_2888.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896559.2974" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p>Is it any wonder that I need to live in the country, haha?!</p><p> </p><p>As I mentioned before, the yellow smoke is volatile, and quite combustible. Clever people channel the smoke back to the burn chamber and harvest those otherwise wasted BTU'S, but this is right about the time where the process starts to speed up, so extra heat isn't what's needed. Still, my sense of economy is offended. </p><p> </p><p>People ask whether you can just burn straight wood in the forge instead of charcoal, and the answer is yes, BUT.......All of that white smoke we saw is water vapor that pulls huge numbers of BTU's from your forge, so a straight wood fire isn't very hot. Also, the yellow smoke is exactly what you get from a smoldering fire, virtually guaranteeing that everyone you meet will ask if you were recently at a bonfire party. Sure thing, the smoke goes right in your eyes and because the wood burns with a visible flame, you'll be doubly blind. In comparison, good charcoal burns with a nearly invisible flame, gives off almost no smoke and very little scent. Apples and oranges.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The yellow smoke phase sees elevating temperatures everywhere.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kMrtVkcFrvk/VgatrQ0iZeI/AAAAAAAATg0/Uet06IId2Jw/s2048/IMG_2896.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kMrtVkcFrvk/VgatrQ0iZeI/AAAAAAAATg0/Uet06IId2Jw/s500/IMG_2896.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896506.7898" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>I love the double wall vent pipe. Warm to the touch, that's all.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AE19n2XGy4E/VgatrVO8J2I/AAAAAAAATg0/bT8g4CqgHAg/s2048/IMG_2897.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AE19n2XGy4E/VgatrVO8J2I/AAAAAAAATg0/bT8g4CqgHAg/s500/IMG_2897.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896548.7888" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>And the vent gasses themselves.....nearly 400F.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JsN_gJprdlE/VgatrU6BNII/AAAAAAAATg0/f4hrDZc0rSo/s2048/IMG_2890.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JsN_gJprdlE/VgatrU6BNII/AAAAAAAATg0/f4hrDZc0rSo/s500/IMG_2890.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896556.1482" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So, things start to happen more quickly now and it's time to be attentive. From yellow smoke to finish took about 1.5 hours but again, this was wet wood, packed tight. A loose or cross stacked pile would produce only 1/2 the amount of charcoal, but might only take a few hours if you use dry wood.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>1 hour or so of billowing yellow clouds of smoke, but now the smoke is getting thinner, less yellow, more gray. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRq1maj5DDZ3rqUqH7QdlB5W6nx_j-0UygypMmzHGLLEHSuhM5ajDZmIf66z4PBPtgnzd_5Lqf2D8M5fYATTOrFJYzXeWLxBFsQUM0rd9tB88i4c6VorDFrJSpZePhNawYf6jxqe4f7wxb/s2048/IMG_2907.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRq1maj5DDZ3rqUqH7QdlB5W6nx_j-0UygypMmzHGLLEHSuhM5ajDZmIf66z4PBPtgnzd_5Lqf2D8M5fYATTOrFJYzXeWLxBFsQUM0rd9tB88i4c6VorDFrJSpZePhNawYf6jxqe4f7wxb/s500/IMG_2907.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896516.9404" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p>You see how the air is getting clear, right where the gasses exit the stack?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>462 degrees Fahrenheit.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoukitgo5gBWPmaENjipLBpVbAjq2rJ8os7c5cdDNeAsPsi_kP19o8qyqdwPOMOx0S_Rf4cOnsqG7DLyXsDT4SiQgzaVkTAGYZU-bVQO-z97l7ehLTkXJkYGKf5fE6wkT-_bK9gRIPVyxV/s2048/IMG_2904.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoukitgo5gBWPmaENjipLBpVbAjq2rJ8os7c5cdDNeAsPsi_kP19o8qyqdwPOMOx0S_Rf4cOnsqG7DLyXsDT4SiQgzaVkTAGYZU-bVQO-z97l7ehLTkXJkYGKf5fE6wkT-_bK9gRIPVyxV/s500/IMG_2904.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896496.5298" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Remember my clever grass and mud insulation? That's not just steam from it drying out, haha. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DsV9-7KR2Ic/Vgatregb53I/AAAAAAAATg0/3x9hzJSN3bo/s2048/IMG_2908.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DsV9-7KR2Ic/Vgatregb53I/AAAAAAAATg0/3x9hzJSN3bo/s500/IMG_2908.JPG" id="blogsy-1443279896562.7917" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>117F is great, but that's due to the insulative effects of the lava. The grass has turned into char, and the only reason that it didn't burst into flame is that the lava cinder kind of smothered it, deprived it of air. More clay might have helped, but the drum temperature gets extremely hot, so maybe straight dirt/rocks is just the way to go.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>You need to have *some* flame pics, right?</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kJi_e7fiWN0/VgatrX6x0SI/AAAAAAAATg0/nQS9yb9xR5A/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kJi_e7fiWN0/VgatrX6x0SI/AAAAAAAATg0/nQS9yb9xR5A/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443279896576.8447" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Once the draft is established, nearly all of the flames and smoke from the heat fire get drawn into the kiln. The flames hit the baffle then travel up and over. I assume that by that time there isn't enough oxygen to support true combustion, just what we want. You can also see how wet this wood is. I'm actually surprised that it burns this well!</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Another 15 minutes goes by, and the flue gasses are even more clear. Almost all the water and other stuff has been expelled from the wood.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fWSN3Ju5do4/VgatrZfj63I/AAAAAAAATg0/6iRiY1bdvMw/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fWSN3Ju5do4/VgatrZfj63I/AAAAAAAATg0/6iRiY1bdvMw/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443279896535.8845" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>Almost 500F.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4ZdVGuMTTg8/VgatrRU7aHI/AAAAAAAATg0/ejUGcmv8RCU/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4ZdVGuMTTg8/VgatrRU7aHI/AAAAAAAATg0/ejUGcmv8RCU/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443279896572.947" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>Another 10 minutes, gasses are clear at the exit, and the smoke is developing a distinct bluish cast. Almost done.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3H7S7IR7KRM/VgatrcnqMLI/AAAAAAAATg0/Gkc475DSJrw/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3H7S7IR7KRM/VgatrcnqMLI/AAAAAAAATg0/Gkc475DSJrw/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443279896585.2402" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>Almost 600F, a rise of 100 degrees in just a few minutes time.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HS45xbHL26s/VgatrS9O-zI/AAAAAAAATg0/6d6xVQN7lY4/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HS45xbHL26s/VgatrS9O-zI/AAAAAAAATg0/6d6xVQN7lY4/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443279896522.1953" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>5-7 minutes more and it's time to shut it down. There volume of smoke is drastically reduced and the smoke exiting the pipe is blue, not gray.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XS6V3rj3Wso/Vgamx6qBDEI/AAAAAAAATgM/YkanHjO5kvI/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XS6V3rj3Wso/Vgamx6qBDEI/AAAAAAAATgM/YkanHjO5kvI/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443279896513.0486" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>Almost 800F.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2l7EskF0r7c/VgamxzAB36I/AAAAAAAATgI/Irof5O_oVZM/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2l7EskF0r7c/VgamxzAB36I/AAAAAAAATgI/Irof5O_oVZM/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443279896581.0776" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>I pull the firebox away from the mouth....</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E-Zg9ngfj9M/VgatrU42xFI/AAAAAAAATg0/KKKvI4U6tlc/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E-Zg9ngfj9M/VgatrU42xFI/AAAAAAAATg0/KKKvI4U6tlc/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443279896522.0142" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>...and pile up some bricks and dirt to shut off the oxygen. I cap the vent using an old coffee can topped with a rock, should the breeze kick up. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xsNHelt40BQ/Vgamx9jO_wI/AAAAAAAATgM/Y_V-2ykhdfQ/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xsNHelt40BQ/Vgamx9jO_wI/AAAAAAAATgM/Y_V-2ykhdfQ/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1443279896531.9207" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p>Tomorrow I'll open it up. </p><p> </p><p>Fun, right?!</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-7809820177043225042015-09-25T09:47:00.001-07:002015-09-25T10:48:28.483-07:00Building a charcoal kiln #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AT9OxMZlcZo/VfwdTQLqHeI/AAAAAAAATXg/iNlbSpe4xeU/s2048/IMG_2841.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AT9OxMZlcZo/VfwdTQLqHeI/AAAAAAAATXg/iNlbSpe4xeU/s500/IMG_2841.JPG" id="blogsy-1443199697869.7888" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p>Yeah, pretty it's not. </p><p> </p><p>Charcoal making, be it for forge or the garden....it's a messy business and the kiln itself is no exception. Charcoal is made by cooking all of the moisture and -some- of the volatile organic compounds from wood, leaving behind the pure carbon. There are a variety of ways to go about this, but essentially there are two different means of driving the moisture out, <strong>direct</strong> fire and <strong>indirect</strong> fire.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Direct fire</strong> is the traditional and most familiar method. You make a big pile of wood, then bury it under a mound of soil. You leave various small opening to start the fire and allow in air for combustion, then as the pile begins to take, you gradually close off the holes until the entire mound is sealed. The fire buried in the mound will gently smolder for the next few days, leaving behind pure, carbonized wood. </p><p>Back in the day, charcoal makers would head off into the woods for the entire season, collecting the leftovers from timber harvest, then making mounds of charcoal and filling the sky with clouds of smoke. The direct fire process is the only efficient way that I know of to make huge amounts of charcoal, but this scale is far beyond my needs. And it's smoky. And messy.</p><p>Direct fire is viable on a small scale if you use a 55 gallon steel drum as a containment vessel. Take a drum with a lid, cut 6-8 1" holes around the perimeter at the bottom, then pack the drum full of *VERY DRY* wood. Try for as uniform a size as possible, nothing too big, and pack it clear to the top. Light a fire of small sticks and twigs right on the top of the pile, then keep feeding the fire until you can see that combustion has reached the very bottom of the barrel. When that happens, seal the top, then cover the holes at the bottom by shoveling dirt around the base, cutting off all oxygen to the fire. By the next day, the charcoal should've cooled and you can open up the barrel. It will probably be about 1/2 full of mostly overcooked charcoal, if your results are similar to mine. </p><p>This could be called a "top-down" burn, and the nice thing here is that by having the fire on top, much of the smoke of coaling gets consumed in the process. You need to mind the fire, and it's not smoke free (a smoke free burn is the Holy Grail for us charcoal makers, BTW). While not perfect, this is one of the simplest ways to make charcoal, and would be excellent for making basic blacksmithing charcoal. </p><p> </p><p>Here is a much better description of the process.......</p><p> </p><p><a dir="ltr" href="http://iron.wlu.edu/reports/CharcoalBarrel.htm" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2">http://iron.wlu.edu/reports/CharcoalBarrel.htm</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>You can do a "bottom up" burn too, but I find that it results in greater amounts of both waste and smoke. The bottom up method seems to generate higher heat, leading to more overcooked charcoal and lower yields, maybe >15% less than a top down burn, but the process is even easier. The burn requires less monitoring, just start a fire, then keep piling on the wood. When the fire is clear to the top and raging hot, cap it and give it a day to cool. Perfect for making biochar for the garden, super easy. Great fun on a cold fall day, bonfire in a can! Bring hotdogs!<br></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Indirect burn</strong> is where the wood that is being reduced to charcoal never actually touches the fire. This could be called the "retort" method of coaling. When I was making charcoal for the forge back in Oregon, that was the method I was using.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <a href="http://mypeculiarnature.blogspot.com/2014/08/charcoal-for-forge.html" target="_blank" title="">http://mypeculiarnature.blogspot.com/2014/08/charcoal-for-forge.html</a></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-av-01bjyvIE/U9ZspCqbd9I/AAAAAAAAHVw/0DLCJVGhM0A/s2048/IMG_20140727_104529.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-av-01bjyvIE/U9ZspCqbd9I/AAAAAAAAHVw/0DLCJVGhM0A/s500/IMG_20140727_104529.jpg" id="blogsy-1443199697885.1172" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Long story short.....Take a big can, punch some holes in the bottom, then fill it full of wood. The same parameters apply here, use dry wood of as small and consistent a size/diameter as possible. Seal the lid. This is your retort. Start a fire in a bigger can, then place the wood packed retort into the fire, placing more burning wood around the sides and top. As the wood in the retort give up its moisture, you will see jets of smoky water vapor coming from the little holes, then later when the wood gives off its volatile gasses, the jets turn into tiny flamethrowers. At this point the retort sounds a little like a jet engine, very fun stuff. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c6k_ACI5mcY/U9qhiy2-OEI/AAAAAAAAHao/FbHjgsqX6ew/s2048/IMG_20140731_130352.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c6k_ACI5mcY/U9qhiy2-OEI/AAAAAAAAHao/FbHjgsqX6ew/s500/IMG_20140731_130352.jpg" id="blogsy-1443199697899.9797" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>The retort method of coaling is easy, and most of the smoke gets consumed in the process, so this is a good option for those who have neighbors. The only complaints that I have are that in my case, the process didn't scale up very well, and it's difficult to know when to remove the retort from the fire. My forays into larger retorts resulted in larger batches of overcooked charcoal —perfect for biochar, but not so good for the forge. The retort method is just too darn hot.</p><p> </p><p>The seduction of the retort method is that it comes tantalizingly close to being efficient. The gasses that get expelled from the wood during the coaling process are very combustible, and the Internet is rife with excellent examples of retorts that channel this gas to good use, creating a self fueling charcoal kiln. You start a fire to get the process going, but by the halfway mark, the volatile gasses from coaling are doing all the work, a positive feedback loop. </p><p> </p><p>So....The retort method uses the least amount of fuel, and it's the least smoky, two strong positives in its favor. If I was making biochar for agriculture use, this is the method that I would use. The retort gets extremely hot, so if you are using a barrel as your containment vessel, it burns up pretty quickly. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There is another, lesser known method of indirect heat charcoal making, and that is the Iwasaki style barrel kiln. Based on traditional Japanese coaling methods, the Iwasaki kiln is an insulated horizontal chamber packed with the wood to be coaled, then a separate fire chamber with a baffle in between the two. The baffle serves to keep the flames of the heating fire isolated, but still allowing the hot gasses to pass into the coaling chamber. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p2LJew9UKdc/U9ubnE6assI/AAAAAAAAHbo/GgNqDaycqOM/s320/kaskamaset.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p2LJew9UKdc/U9ubnE6assI/AAAAAAAAHbo/GgNqDaycqOM/s320/kaskamaset.jpg" id="blogsy-1443199697865.356" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="320" height="240"></a></div><p> </p><p><a href="http://iwasaki-sumiyaki.com/esub2.htm" target="_blank" title="">http://iwasaki-sumiyaki.com/esub2.htm</a><br></p><p> </p><p>You fill the main chamber with wood, then start a small fire in the smaller burn chamber. As with the other charcoal methods, you watch the smoke to determine when to seal the kiln (or if you're feeling flush, a temperature probe). First you get the white steam of water vapor that is expelled from the wood. Next will be an acrid white/yellow plume, the volatile compounds. When most of the volatiles have been driven off, the smoke will turn blue-ish for a short period, then go nearly clear. That's your signal to seal off all openings. Let the kiln sit for a day to ensure that the coaling process is finished, then open it up. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Dave Friesen, the "Island Blacksmith" outside of Vancouver, BC has gone through the charcoal evolution process as well, and it was from his blog posting that I learned of the Iwasaki kilns. You can follow his charcoal journey <a href="http://islandblacksmith.ca/tag/charcoal/" target="_blank" title="">here</a> (and check out his work as well.....beautiful and extremely skilled. I LOVE his forging videos!)</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vJ09PEoHuZs/VgV6s3csvnI/AAAAAAAATbk/cZwoEXlEUQ4/s1170/Photo%25252020150925064743013.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vJ09PEoHuZs/VgV6s3csvnI/AAAAAAAATbk/cZwoEXlEUQ4/s500/Photo%25252020150925064743013.jpg" id="blogsy-1443199697893.039" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="375" alt=""></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://islandblacksmith.ca/2013/03/charcoal-kiln-v-3-0/<br><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>If your kiln was well insulated, you'll be left with some wonderful blacksmithing charcoal! The difference between using well made pine (the traditional blacksmithing charcoal, East and West, has always been made from pine) charcoal and overcooked mediocre char is notable. By all means, use what you got, but the nice stuff is clean burning, nearly smoke free, and produces very little ash. It also burns fast and hot, so if you leave your blower running in between heats, you're gonna burn up a lot of charcoal for no good reason. That's yet another reason to build a traditional fuigo Japanese box bellows. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The kiln that I am building is similar in spirit to the Iwasaki kilns, but more simple. I have seen a couple of YouTube videos of this basic design, but I have some ideas that I've been wanting to try out. I am building a side by side pair of kilns, but a single unit would be great too. I figure that if you need to be sitting there tending the small heat fires anyways, you might as well be tending two. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So.</p><p> </p><p>If you stuck with me this long, here are the pics.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I bought a couple of used barrels with <strong>removable lids, </strong>then traced and cut out two holes in a piece of old roofing tin. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SkO6w6Sbvoc/VeoOHOS7q3I/AAAAAAAASsg/cwyUZ4cSH2s/s2048/IMG_2650.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SkO6w6Sbvoc/VeoOHOS7q3I/AAAAAAAASsg/cwyUZ4cSH2s/s500/IMG_2650.JPG" id="blogsy-1443199697896.2478" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>How did I cut the holes in the steel, when we have no electricity? </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h-___fvyPf8/VeoOHE9UlhI/AAAAAAAASsg/yxPlRAtcOzg/s2048/IMG_2651.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h-___fvyPf8/VeoOHE9UlhI/AAAAAAAASsg/yxPlRAtcOzg/s500/IMG_2651.JPG" id="blogsy-1443199697905.1416" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>My hot cut chisel that I forged from a cheap wrecking bar worked great, slicing through the steel with little difficulty. MUCH faster (and easier) than using tin-snips, and resulted in a neater job, too. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>At the rear of the barrel I cut a 4" hole to receive a 90* elbow fitting for the smoke vent. For this kiln I am using a double wall vent pipe for both the ease of attachment –I slit the outer jacket to form tabs to attach the elbow to the barrel– and also to keep the stack temperature as high as possible. A double wall or insulated vent should contribute to forming a better draft, not so important here in balmy Hawaii, but might be a good idea in areas that see more cold weather. Single wall would be fine as well, cheaper too, but here in Hawaii the price was nearly the same, go figure.</p><p> </p><p>Two elbows, before slitting and after.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-37Zncwab-bg/VeoOHDLhNMI/AAAAAAAASsg/XILIofZsg5o/s2048/IMG_2652.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-37Zncwab-bg/VeoOHDLhNMI/AAAAAAAASsg/XILIofZsg5o/s500/IMG_2652.JPG" id="blogsy-1443199697845.0994" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>To seal the joint, I mix up a little clay paste, then fasten <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">the elbow in place with sheet metal screws.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4qug8hiwFnk/VeoOHDgqGZI/AAAAAAAASsg/WchulVvjzaw/s2048/IMG_2653.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4qug8hiwFnk/VeoOHDgqGZI/AAAAAAAASsg/WchulVvjzaw/s500/IMG_2653.JPG" id="blogsy-1443199697897.5166" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> <br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FCro6sneuAA/VeoOHHDVjhI/AAAAAAAASsg/l6XyWPFqX0k/s2048/IMG_2654.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FCro6sneuAA/VeoOHHDVjhI/AAAAAAAASsg/l6XyWPFqX0k/s500/IMG_2654.JPG" id="blogsy-1443199697874.7344" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a><br></div><p> </p><p>The 90 degree outlet will be at the bottom of the horizontal barrel.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So here is the enclosure itself, with two holes for side by side barrels. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hUxogsYmaSA/VeoOHPRxS0I/AAAAAAAASsg/s_6KbGCX9fY/s2048/IMG_2655.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hUxogsYmaSA/VeoOHPRxS0I/AAAAAAAASsg/s_6KbGCX9fY/s500/IMG_2655.JPG" id="blogsy-1443199697858.3289" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Four corner poles and some old roofing tin. All of the rock around here is lava, the most perfect insulating/refractory brick that you could hope for. Try to get good even support for the barrels, and lay a slight slope towards the front so that when you forget the stack cap off, the rain will drain out on its own. More importantly, the liquid that condenses inside the kiln will flow towards the front where the heat is most intense, and so get consumed. </p><p> </p><p>What's that? You don't have lava kicking around because don't live on a volcanic island? Sand would make an excellent bed, as would most anything really. A material that offers some insulative quality is preferred, but again......use what you got. Don't buy anything, just use dirt.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I want to insulate the barrels as much as possible, so I am going to try making a straw /mud slurry. Except I don't have any straw laying around. I've got lots of weeds though. Time to trim the driveway!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ThAroTQnwDE/VeoOHK5zwlI/AAAAAAAASsg/xtrp7HT4I4w/s2048/IMG_2656.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ThAroTQnwDE/VeoOHK5zwlI/AAAAAAAASsg/xtrp7HT4I4w/s500/IMG_2656.JPG" id="blogsy-1443199697891.18" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> I also don't have any clay –few areas in Hawaii do– but I found a bag of fire-brick mortar clay at Home Depot, in the torn/damaged pile....50% off.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I mix a slurry, then plunge handfuls of grass into the soup. My mix is much thinner than I would like. I would rather it coated thicker, more like thick cream than my skim milk.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SIMDhwFrLc0/VeoOHNgziQI/AAAAAAAASsg/WBl5RmajNKE/s2048/IMG_2659.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SIMDhwFrLc0/VeoOHNgziQI/AAAAAAAASsg/WBl5RmajNKE/s500/IMG_2659.JPG" id="blogsy-1443199697873.781" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>50# of powdered clay doesn't go very far, so if at all possible, find a local source for something that will work. You don't need sticky stuff, you just need something that will coat the grass and prevent it from catching fire. Soaking clumping, non scented cat litter in a bucket of water was my second option, something that I've wanted to try out but haven't yet. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>You can see here that I am once again killing two birds with one stone. When I weed the walkway, the weeds pull up little clumps of nice red lava cinder as well. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gn_GJBiZRmk/VeoOHGB_QVI/AAAAAAAASsg/pQQYCTTILv0/s2048/IMG_2660.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gn_GJBiZRmk/VeoOHGB_QVI/AAAAAAAASsg/pQQYCTTILv0/s500/IMG_2660.JPG" id="blogsy-1443199697913.6592" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>I first lay some gloppy grass/mud mix against the wall of the barrel, then bury it in lava rock and cinder. Since my mud mix was so thin, I'm half expecting the whole thing to catch fire on the first use, but hopefully the lava rock insulation keeps the blaze under control.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Flykk8tdPWo/VeoOHIQB0RI/AAAAAAAASsg/aj_qo-H59AM/s2048/IMG_2661.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Flykk8tdPWo/VeoOHIQB0RI/AAAAAAAASsg/aj_qo-H59AM/s500/IMG_2661.JPG" id="blogsy-1443199697845.2642" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a><br></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I add a 5' extension to the smoke pipe, also double wall stuff, then keep burying.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oE3paLiI4E0/VeoOHAxVs2I/AAAAAAAASsg/3D63GF-q7S0/s2048/IMG_2683.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oE3paLiI4E0/VeoOHAxVs2I/AAAAAAAASsg/3D63GF-q7S0/s500/IMG_2683.JPG" id="blogsy-1443199697921.6958" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uNHrKLy3u7c/VeoOHNBQM_I/AAAAAAAASsg/of47H6ZvsTY/s2048/IMG_2684.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uNHrKLy3u7c/VeoOHNBQM_I/AAAAAAAASsg/of47H6ZvsTY/s500/IMG_2684.JPG" id="blogsy-1443199697935.4553" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyCAK9Uk8dAjtSYgvE2V1z1oPslKWR38uw-rWbZ5zQjiSTRIVpYwN2WJNzcGwAXacvqSOf-85AYkZaKngl3L0htNBkiEHF5gfk1JwvyAEjUBdLWoLmSgTDtJGotQqCn0QtBsA1wo3qI2Q/s2048/IMG_2685.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyCAK9Uk8dAjtSYgvE2V1z1oPslKWR38uw-rWbZ5zQjiSTRIVpYwN2WJNzcGwAXacvqSOf-85AYkZaKngl3L0htNBkiEHF5gfk1JwvyAEjUBdLWoLmSgTDtJGotQqCn0QtBsA1wo3qI2Q/s500/IMG_2685.JPG" id="blogsy-1443199697933.8643" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><p>I'm just doing one side for now, so we'll stop here. There's more a comin'.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20">Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-6354001318557161122015-09-19T10:43:00.001-07:002015-09-19T10:44:44.425-07:00Japanese woodworking books....."Japanese Joinery"<p> </p><h1>"Japanese Joinery" by Yasuo Nakahara </h1><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-H9GaPU5jZ1w/VfwO9nzp6FI/AAAAAAAATQM/KdA0syNA9Nc/s2048/IMG_2698.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-H9GaPU5jZ1w/VfwO9nzp6FI/AAAAAAAATQM/KdA0syNA9Nc/s500/IMG_2698.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558428.5793" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As we know, there's not that many informational works on the actual practice of Japanese carpentry. Of the few commonly available and referenced books, this is the only one that I would recommend unreservedly. <a href="http://mypeculiarnature.blogspot.com/2015/08/japanese-woodworking-books-measure-and.html" target="_blank" title="">"The Japanese House"</a> by Engel (my other fav) is a fantastic scholarly exploration of old house construction, but it's not a book that I would recommend to a person who just wants to build in the Japanese style. If you want to actually practice carpentry in the Japanese tradition, this is your book....or a beginning at least. </p><p> </p><p>"Japanese Joinery" is was published in Japan in 1967 as an educational manual for carpenters (I believe), then translated and released for American audiences in 1983. The American edition has a humble (and humbling!) forward, written by the <a href="http://www.eastwindinc.com/about.html" target="_blank" title="">Eastwind company</a>'s Len Brackett. Mr Brackett writes a bit about his own apprenticeship that he served in Japan, saying that the five years of 70-80 hours per week were said to be adequate for a decent foundation of knowledge and skill. A foundation, mind you. When I take half the day, putzing around with one of our simple Project Mayhem joints, this is the type of thing that I keep in mind. </p><p> </p><p>I am attracted to this type of work for many reasons, but one of the things that most makes me ache is the intensity of the work, how fully involved these guys are while getting the job done. When laying out the joint, you plant the corner right where you need it to be, place the sashigane just-so, then dip the bamboo pen in the ink pot, get the angle of the pen, aim and....finally.....strike the line. Then swiftly on to marking the next line, about 10x faster than my awkward and wordy explanation can describe. This concentration and skill comes with practice, and that requires time. And knowledge. I'm talking myself in circles here, I know, but this book will give you a bit of the knowledge. The time part is on you.</p><p> </p><p>It's not perfect. Even with my limited knowledge, I've seen a number of errors ( errors of illustration, and some of the descriptions don't seem to match quite right) so you need to think as you are studying, work the process through in your mind.</p><p> </p><p>But.</p><p> </p><p>But!</p><p> </p><p>It's a great start. It's almost entirely descriptive illustrations, and the text blocks are important as well. I found little gems hidden all over. Here are a few.</p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbSbx4tdlR8W2d3Q6PpuNezyOF3wo6Xrr87Gq0SXgPDomz4QDEk93bxodOWJFPXEYmUOrqS1K8bl8-tMSRc8rg8mRSo4mAlC3MKR8DLMaAEtNBc5d5tot2NCu_lfD0JuOAZBZlYmn7PJb/s2048/IMG_2699.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbSbx4tdlR8W2d3Q6PpuNezyOF3wo6Xrr87Gq0SXgPDomz4QDEk93bxodOWJFPXEYmUOrqS1K8bl8-tMSRc8rg8mRSo4mAlC3MKR8DLMaAEtNBc5d5tot2NCu_lfD0JuOAZBZlYmn7PJb/s500/IMG_2699.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558410.1357" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We start out with the perennial favorite, the Kama tsugi half-lapped goose-neck joint.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3-mPi7eWNINGFYgqizkBKhNF4nS5QY-FUfaInCRkqV6Sqr7hQImzqsaksKIrFUBuWVwt2nlfja2nxa0qPpazlnwf0l9ejDjh0RJh-A1iGSX-gSq-8YvQK6ZAeBmvmKxRLkw6YoAW7UBw/s2048/IMG_2700.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3-mPi7eWNINGFYgqizkBKhNF4nS5QY-FUfaInCRkqV6Sqr7hQImzqsaksKIrFUBuWVwt2nlfja2nxa0qPpazlnwf0l9ejDjh0RJh-A1iGSX-gSq-8YvQK6ZAeBmvmKxRLkw6YoAW7UBw/s500/IMG_2700.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558429.375" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a><br></div><p> </p><p>This was our <a href="http://mypeculiarnature.blogspot.com/2015/06/project-mayhem-2koshikake-kamatsugi.html" target="_blank" title="">second Project Mayhem joint</a>, and all that thinking/staring/guessing that I invested.....it's all right here. Lines, proportions, tips on getting the angles correct. It also shows that the goose-neck is cut with a sloped shoulder, something that the other guys were aware of, but not me, haha. These few pages would've helped me cut a better joint in half the time. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A couple of pages later, we've got Shachi-tsugi (a type of wedged tenon joint) and Shachi-sen (the wedge itself).</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0QCAZ-Xmt3k/VfwO9kCxXPI/AAAAAAAATRI/vDBrYet-LeM/s2048/IMG_2701.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0QCAZ-Xmt3k/VfwO9kCxXPI/AAAAAAAATRI/vDBrYet-LeM/s500/IMG_2701.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558378.9517" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a><br></div><p> </p><p><a href="http://mypeculiarnature.blogspot.com/2015/07/project-mayhem-japanese-joinery-3i-don.html" target="_blank" title="">Project Mayhem #3</a> used both of these devices and if you read the comments on my blog back then, you might remember me getting all in a tizzy about some aspects of the shachi-sen, the wedge itself. It had been mysteriously alluded to elsewhere that the shachi-sen was to be tapered in two directions, but after some discussion we decided that was nonsense. The wedge can taper, as can the walls of the mortice. Combine both.....even better. But that's not the same thing as being a compound taper, you know? Well, we were correct! It's all right here.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>And at page 45 we have the exact joint in question, <a href="http://mypeculiarnature.blogspot.com/2015/07/cutting-it-called-project-mayhem.html" target="_blank" title="">Project Mayhem #3</a>, the Yatoi hozo mortice and tenon.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Sh-2n32kzas/VfwO9lET99I/AAAAAAAATQI/SCyFkkr1JY0/s2048/IMG_2702.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Sh-2n32kzas/VfwO9lET99I/AAAAAAAATQI/SCyFkkr1JY0/s500/IMG_2702.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558377.9897" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As was shown in this books sister publication <a href="http://mypeculiarnature.blogspot.com/2015/08/more-books-woodworking.html" target="_blank" title="">"Japanese Woodworking"</a>, the use of metal fasteners and reinforcements are now commonly used in modern construction.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AxEhElgwtCw/VfwO9lRT8XI/AAAAAAAATQQ/0j-tGg13TG8/s2048/IMG_2703.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AxEhElgwtCw/VfwO9lRT8XI/AAAAAAAATQQ/0j-tGg13TG8/s500/IMG_2703.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558368.491" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>This is not a book for the purist aesthete maybe, but it generally shows multiple ways of doing things, sort of a hierarchy of quality. This is good, this is better, this is for the finest work....that sort of thing. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Probably the most valuable part of the book is chapter 4, how to layout joinery that will fit together, even when using non-square timber.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-arvmTmr2pww/VfwO9o3EhYI/AAAAAAAATQo/NAjfOAjbmY4/s2048/IMG_2704.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-arvmTmr2pww/VfwO9o3EhYI/AAAAAAAATQo/NAjfOAjbmY4/s500/IMG_2704.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558349.4648" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>This chapter shows a handful of tips, simple stuff superficially, but this is how you get things to fit together as they should. </p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wZcFwSLSOxU/VfwO9kotoFI/AAAAAAAATQs/onuKXkfHt00/s2048/IMG_2705.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wZcFwSLSOxU/VfwO9kotoFI/AAAAAAAATQs/onuKXkfHt00/s500/IMG_2705.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558356.36" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-127FSNmUZ_4/VfwO9gfOdBI/AAAAAAAATQw/T2VZyyY69NU/s2048/IMG_2706.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-127FSNmUZ_4/VfwO9gfOdBI/AAAAAAAATQw/T2VZyyY69NU/s500/IMG_2706.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558362.0537" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a><br></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Diagonal bracing. It does exist.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3boQpuqSao8/VfwVxZbYhJI/AAAAAAAATSQ/_DIKdiHVrAM/s2048/IMG_2707.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3boQpuqSao8/VfwVxZbYhJI/AAAAAAAATSQ/_DIKdiHVrAM/s500/IMG_2707.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558387.6948" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Here is more diagonal bracing. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTX72EXIqm37Tt5RmhfFaVuwg9zQ8mByIzyUpG_fLSZYlb8MnI9pfMIY608EXctUO8KEIDUQ8azxGbBd4d3rqAyXMit0gp7q5ShUwX0aFEnOkSpPYgynAczqPXLc94sg5IudmZrWChLDml/s2048/IMG_2708.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTX72EXIqm37Tt5RmhfFaVuwg9zQ8mByIzyUpG_fLSZYlb8MnI9pfMIY608EXctUO8KEIDUQ8azxGbBd4d3rqAyXMit0gp7q5ShUwX0aFEnOkSpPYgynAczqPXLc94sg5IudmZrWChLDml/s500/IMG_2708.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558343.3657" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>What's interesting to me is that the joinery is so rudimentary. In "The Japanese House", Engel noted a distinct lack of diagonal bracing being used in traditional Japanese house construction. Now it is a commonplace standard, although you might not be able to find many elegant examples for inspiration. These are all tacked together using metal strap.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Mud wall construction! Great information on another obscure topic, one that I intend to use in some of my own work.</p><p> </p><p> <br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fINRsya11nY/VfwO9uot4CI/AAAAAAAATQ4/AA9bRd6aSnA/s2048/IMG_2709.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fINRsya11nY/VfwO9uot4CI/AAAAAAAATQ4/AA9bRd6aSnA/s500/IMG_2709.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558387.6274" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>There is very helpful info on spacing, keying the mud into the timber, and how to detail the timber boundary so that the division between earth and wood has the cleanest finish.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>And more diagonals. And more tie straps. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6AKkf0f616Q/VfwO9s_yVaI/AAAAAAAATQ8/aEDE6vVM430/s2048/IMG_2710.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6AKkf0f616Q/VfwO9s_yVaI/AAAAAAAATQ8/aEDE6vVM430/s500/IMG_2710.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558347.079" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Here's how that funky 4-way joint gets used in actual construction.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KTb-dboRto0/VfwO9jBfGaI/AAAAAAAATRA/aqBP_-SbQpg/s2048/IMG_2711.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KTb-dboRto0/VfwO9jBfGaI/AAAAAAAATRA/aqBP_-SbQpg/s500/IMG_2711.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558369.396" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Different versions too.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>And up to the roof structure.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-k-VgGnImSIw/VfwVxZGvOYI/AAAAAAAATSQ/_AF3pW0-4PQ/s2048/IMG_2712.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-k-VgGnImSIw/VfwVxZGvOYI/AAAAAAAATSQ/_AF3pW0-4PQ/s500/IMG_2712.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558349.4585" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Lots of non-square framing up here.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaO9JDXHDQI-5cZZdS6IKRVKt0sUia-dQkAijX7zhxwJB4b0mfSFQFTjt2k7wdxKepPfE5BGtimNB2mnHB-zo-F2JS93TWd0UmRIZQbmoCsHDXBTjsMYALoG7tCe0rVQjHWvbpodLNfzG/s2048/IMG_2713.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaO9JDXHDQI-5cZZdS6IKRVKt0sUia-dQkAijX7zhxwJB4b0mfSFQFTjt2k7wdxKepPfE5BGtimNB2mnHB-zo-F2JS93TWd0UmRIZQbmoCsHDXBTjsMYALoG7tCe0rVQjHWvbpodLNfzG/s500/IMG_2713.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558428.115" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-POTtIw2O6xk/VfwVxSSrqmI/AAAAAAAATTs/twyYMfa7BxA/s2048/IMG_2714.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-POTtIw2O6xk/VfwVxSSrqmI/AAAAAAAATTs/twyYMfa7BxA/s500/IMG_2714.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558413.3735" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hip roof framing.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PlxKS8HaRew/Vfwch7_APQI/AAAAAAAATWw/MZyJvLdUf_k/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PlxKS8HaRew/Vfwch7_APQI/AAAAAAAATWw/MZyJvLdUf_k/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1442684558383.6252" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>You can't avoid the hip roof if your studying this stuff, it's the iconic Japanese roof. Here in Hawaii, probably 80% of the roofs are hips and I don't think it's a coincidence. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The complex joinery at the corner, right where the hip rafter meets the uppermost wall beam/top plate. Nakahara offers a good, then a better option for joinery.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRoJE_AEa9tCZlnyeBlcuenh_sx1_qmsnTU36oNcIzUqzoRlltwig9-nqAnavrElv3OlWsVYmcSB21bAFd-Ls1JYAxblmxVgvLXNAkFoIi1iwRCAdKC-E7LUnFaMCpDEICgJuOmXYA7Un/s2048/001.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRoJE_AEa9tCZlnyeBlcuenh_sx1_qmsnTU36oNcIzUqzoRlltwig9-nqAnavrElv3OlWsVYmcSB21bAFd-Ls1JYAxblmxVgvLXNAkFoIi1iwRCAdKC-E7LUnFaMCpDEICgJuOmXYA7Un/s500/001.jpg" id="blogsy-1442684558434.6084" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>I want to try cutting this joint. Maybe Project Mayhem #10?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Here's a great jig for drawing proportional lines, followed by two options for using joinery at the gable roof ends.....</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rmV2mts6WO0/VfwVxdo9mkI/AAAAAAAATTw/3dxqQsG20X8/s2048/IMG_2717.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rmV2mts6WO0/VfwVxdo9mkI/AAAAAAAATTw/3dxqQsG20X8/s500/IMG_2717.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558430.928" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>......followed by the quick and dirty, modern expedient solution, a length of threaded rod, haha. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FYiFCuWLP3o/VfwVxeJnj_I/AAAAAAAATT0/hbZZg21GoNA/s2048/IMG_2718.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FYiFCuWLP3o/VfwVxeJnj_I/AAAAAAAATT0/hbZZg21GoNA/s500/IMG_2718.JPG" id="blogsy-1442684558411.0083" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Some classic and beautiful, some efficient and not so beautiful, but there is a lot here, over 200 pages of good stuff. There is much food for thought in this book.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Both "Japanese Joinery" and "Japanese Woodworking" are out of print, but they have been combined and re-released as "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Japanese-Joinery-Hideo-Sato/dp/0881791210" target="_blank" title="">The Complete Japanese Joinery</a>". Amazon has it, and I'd say it's a bargain. That said, if you are tight on space on your bookshelf, just get this one. It's good.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-23201663302421263412015-09-10T17:33:00.001-07:002015-09-10T17:45:41.662-07:00Japanese carpentry books....."The Genius of Japanese Carpentry"<p> </p><p> </p><p>More books to share.....and a note. </p><p> </p><p>These aren't meant to be reviews per se, but a brief glimpse of some content and photos. All books are good books, but it might be nice to have known which of these would've been most helpful to me as I am learning, particularly when dealing with a subject matter as obscure as Japanese carpentry. Support your library system and borrow first! The library system here in Hawaii isn't all that large, so I have only been able to borrow a few pertinent titles, but that has saved me a few buck right there. The other books I bought used through <a href="http://Amazon.com" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0">Amazon.com</a> for about $60 (shipping included), about the cost of two nights of take-out dinners.....not that we do that sort of thing, haha. I know where the true value lies. The only knowledge wasted, is that which isn't shared.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So. </p><p> </p><p>"The Genius of Japanese Carpentry ", by Azby Brown.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-28W3zR8UUMM/VeoNk3jvFeI/AAAAAAAASrs/s6CZ8mgN_bs/s2048/IMG_2719.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-28W3zR8UUMM/VeoNk3jvFeI/AAAAAAAASrs/s6CZ8mgN_bs/s500/IMG_2719.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785311.6245" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Courtesy of the Hawaiian state library system, this large format 2013 hardcover is a second edition color revision of Azby Brown's original 1995 work. The new edition has new material and revised text, as well as more pictures, color at that. I flipped through the original ages ago so I can't say for sure, but I suspect that this new printing would be an improvement. It's a very pretty book, very nice to look at. A coffee-table-y kind of book.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1z95HFv8jiA/VeoNkzlPWCI/AAAAAAAASro/FYntB7t0Kr0/s2048/IMG_2721.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1z95HFv8jiA/VeoNkzlPWCI/AAAAAAAASro/FYntB7t0Kr0/s500/IMG_2721.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785279.2908" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Interspersed throughout the book are little woodworking koans, quotes from the masters mouth, that are very good reading.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LNccq96oXu0/VeoNk9HjhhI/AAAAAAAASro/WFR2suVcL0s/s2048/IMG_2722.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LNccq96oXu0/VeoNk9HjhhI/AAAAAAAASro/WFR2suVcL0s/s500/IMG_2722.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785295.6013" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Really, this book is about a man who has dedicated his life to his craft, master carpenter Tsunekazu Nishimura. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mu_-zTlwGY8/VeoNkwzg_KI/AAAAAAAASrs/eebrWbLqDho/s2048/IMG_2723.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mu_-zTlwGY8/VeoNkwzg_KI/AAAAAAAASrs/eebrWbLqDho/s500/IMG_2723.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785253.5393" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Azby Brown was fortunate enough to spend much time over the course of numerous years observing and learning from this dedicated craftsman. This is a man who sees himself as an extension of a continual line of stewards, working to preserve these temples that are over a 1000 years old.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cFkn4Wftt5I/VeoNk1VmN2I/AAAAAAAASrs/zipGdwbNLfA/s2048/IMG_2724.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cFkn4Wftt5I/VeoNk1VmN2I/AAAAAAAASrs/zipGdwbNLfA/s500/IMG_2724.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785307.3953" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Yakushiji temple, was dedicated in 697 and finished in 698 (!!!), and then had to be dismantled and moved to a new location 20 years later. Just another benefit of joined timber construction, yes? Over the course of time, these structures get burned down during periods of civil unrest, or just fall out of favor. Buddhism loses it's once popular status and devotional money just isn't there anymore so buildings quickly degrade. I've read that small local temples were often completely disassembled and rebuilt every 20 years, but that would've been a local concern and responsibility. </p><p> </p><p>Yakushiji is the main temple for an entire sect of Buddhism, so it was of a national importance. Burned down, rebuilt, redesigned, then ignored, it was evidently ready for a face-lift. The principles couldn't aquire government funding or they just wanted to keep things pure, but in any event, the rebuild has been financed through prayer donations. Very cool. Nishioka was part of the rebuilding of the East pagoda, then took detailed measurements to use in building an identical West pagoda, which burned to the ground 1000 years ago. He helped build the Golden Hall in the 70's (burned 500 years ago), and designed an entirely new lecture hall, a structure that wasn't completed until after his death. Talk about dedication.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P4kU0H9CwU8/VeoNk208DXI/AAAAAAAASrs/wCrirAwqKXo/s2048/IMG_2725.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P4kU0H9CwU8/VeoNk208DXI/AAAAAAAASrs/wCrirAwqKXo/s500/IMG_2725.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785287.0525" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The temple grounds and the buildings within are built to a grid design. The columns are proportional. </p><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nPN29QmkJvk/VeoNk74d6aI/AAAAAAAASro/275G4cIXWTI/s2048/IMG_2726.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nPN29QmkJvk/VeoNk74d6aI/AAAAAAAASro/275G4cIXWTI/s500/IMG_2726.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785239.5461" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p><br></p><p> </p><p>So, lots of temple design, but where's the woodworking part of the book?</p><p> </p><p><br></p><p>Some rules of "proper" construction. Let's start with wood selection.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tPbK2EuIfco/VeoNk16tx5I/AAAAAAAASro/aMjKevJGnK8/s2048/IMG_2727.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tPbK2EuIfco/VeoNk16tx5I/AAAAAAAASro/aMjKevJGnK8/s500/IMG_2727.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785264.7756" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>Trees grow differently, based on climactic and local conditions. North facing slopes promote slower/stronger growth. Trees that grow in warm lush valleys make for attractive wood, but tend to be weak structurally.</p><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qrq1fJvVAag/VeoNkyTAAoI/AAAAAAAASrs/qDt2H1-tGws/s2048/IMG_2728.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qrq1fJvVAag/VeoNkyTAAoI/AAAAAAAASrs/qDt2H1-tGws/s500/IMG_2728.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785300.7554" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>We get this one page. It's a short section, piques your interest, but that's all you get.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Fabrication" shows some great shots of guys working.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GxDnjbgfGcs/VeoNkzZBV4I/AAAAAAAASrs/9Mc1sFpscpc/s2048/IMG_2729.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GxDnjbgfGcs/VeoNkzZBV4I/AAAAAAAASrs/9Mc1sFpscpc/s500/IMG_2729.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785246.6553" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Power tools are used, but are tucked away for pictures, haha. You can see the piles of shavings that you get from a power planer, everywhere. Hand tools are used for the finished surfaces.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-i0llKiOEIss/VeoNkzwXkaI/AAAAAAAASro/eEBBUvE7gv4/s2048/IMG_2730.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title=""><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-i0llKiOEIss/VeoNkzwXkaI/AAAAAAAASro/eEBBUvE7gv4/s500/IMG_2730.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785322.3484" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1SyrB0FMOhY/VeoNk1O5CKI/AAAAAAAASro/AzHkH6jvFBI/s2048/IMG_2731.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1SyrB0FMOhY/VeoNk1O5CKI/AAAAAAAASro/AzHkH6jvFBI/s500/IMG_2731.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785242.6943" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Some really nice working stock. Huge logs! And the guy on the right.....that's how I feel when I'm doing layout. I think of this guy, I want to be like him. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Some REALLY scary power tool use. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-77A3dLSJfZc/VeoNk7Pro6I/AAAAAAAASro/zXdMaATnqEU/s2048/IMG_2732.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-77A3dLSJfZc/VeoNk7Pro6I/AAAAAAAASro/zXdMaATnqEU/s500/IMG_2732.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785244.1753" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>And a guy showing just how fun it is to use a kanna. Really! When you get it figured out, it's a blast!</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>More carpentry knowledge.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G2Iy0NKByyE/VeoNk5zipZI/AAAAAAAASro/X3yBQD_yA_I/s2048/IMG_2733.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G2Iy0NKByyE/VeoNk5zipZI/AAAAAAAASro/X3yBQD_yA_I/s500/IMG_2733.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785278.5781" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Wood compresses as it ages, so you should allow for settling in the design phase. </p><p> </p><p>So much for that chapter. That was it. Not many secrets in this book.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There is a brief chapter detailing some of the different tools used by the temple carpenters. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PvxIH1hdmxo/VeoNk3ttHCI/AAAAAAAASrs/4jRKXQaFZjQ/s2048/IMG_2734.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PvxIH1hdmxo/VeoNk3ttHCI/AAAAAAAASrs/4jRKXQaFZjQ/s500/IMG_2734.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785250.7463" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>This was one of my favorites (not surprising, being the tool guy that I am) because we get a glimpse of the masters own tools, near as I can tell. I love the stacked tool boxes in the background.....this one for these chisels, that box has detail and moulding planes....this box is for yari-ganna.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--18lx-kGBcA/VeoNk6rxFbI/AAAAAAAASrs/Txt7-IORC_g/s2048/IMG_2735.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--18lx-kGBcA/VeoNk6rxFbI/AAAAAAAASrs/Txt7-IORC_g/s500/IMG_2735.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785251.5933" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>You know what gives me the fuzzies? Most of my tools look old and well cared for, just like his. You see the evidence of use everywhere, and you know that every blade is sharp. His saws have been used, repaired, tuned and sharpened. The similarity is mostly because I try to buy decent (although not fancy), well used tools, and most of what I've learned so far has been from examining the best of what I've got. </p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LzL-GZjFc10/VeoNk9Rv9sI/AAAAAAAASro/OZdwJM573XQ/s2048/IMG_2736.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LzL-GZjFc10/VeoNk9Rv9sI/AAAAAAAASro/OZdwJM573XQ/s500/IMG_2736.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785273.1545" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Finally, some meat. "Making a joint". </p><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EgKWcQX9fKs/VeoNkwNXHTI/AAAAAAAASro/tmuASv9Ybz8/s2048/IMG_2737.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EgKWcQX9fKs/VeoNkwNXHTI/AAAAAAAASro/tmuASv9Ybz8/s500/IMG_2737.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785249.9236" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>The ubiquitous Koshikake kamatsuge, the stepped goose-neck splice, start to finish.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I love to see this guy's layout, and this instruction would've helped me greatly during our Project Mayhem #2.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OLlHrw3rFic/VeoNk90UtqI/AAAAAAAASro/W3hIRSUkhkg/s2048/IMG_2738.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OLlHrw3rFic/VeoNk90UtqI/AAAAAAAASro/W3hIRSUkhkg/s500/IMG_2738.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785257.7886" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yJQMctoAr4g/VeoNk2-_lkI/AAAAAAAASro/Ydcfpf_zp2A/s2048/IMG_2739.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yJQMctoAr4g/VeoNk2-_lkI/AAAAAAAASro/Ydcfpf_zp2A/s500/IMG_2739.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785319.6692" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-u5Fg54ISrew/VeoNkz3AG0I/AAAAAAAASrs/XKvWxYTEVWg/s2048/IMG_2740.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-u5Fg54ISrew/VeoNkz3AG0I/AAAAAAAASrs/XKvWxYTEVWg/s500/IMG_2740.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785314.62" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>You'll notice that he uses a big drill and spiral bit to remove the bulk of the waste from the mortice. Smart man.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The remainder of the book deals with the design and erection of the new picture hall.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UQ37HdGx5P4/VeoNk9g8N8I/AAAAAAAASro/aO7OgjyixYY/s2048/IMG_2741.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UQ37HdGx5P4/VeoNk9g8N8I/AAAAAAAASro/aO7OgjyixYY/s500/IMG_2741.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785264.8164" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I like this image, showing how the spliced timber sits in relation to the round post, being just enough to the side that it gains support from the post, but not in direct compression from the timbers that will set atop. </p><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sfdoh38e07o/VeoNkxf_P6I/AAAAAAAASro/waXSzZ3dmao/s2048/IMG_2744.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sfdoh38e07o/VeoNkxf_P6I/AAAAAAAASro/waXSzZ3dmao/s500/IMG_2744.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785268.8545" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Also, we see that the rectangular beams are joined within the round posts, making round scribe work unnecessary. Practical.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There is some detail on the construction of the massive doors and sills. </p><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TSvy6vp_g5Y/VeoNk1-YYbI/AAAAAAAASro/2wcpHQHwIJk/s2048/IMG_2745.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TSvy6vp_g5Y/VeoNk1-YYbI/AAAAAAAASro/2wcpHQHwIJk/s500/IMG_2745.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785304.401" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Assuming that in time the 500 lb. door will sag, or that the sill will become worn, the parts and pieces have been made to be disassembled as reasonably as possible. I like that.</p><p> </p><p><br></p><p> </p><p>And the roof. Japanese temple roofs are incredibly complex, and this book goes into quite a bit of detail here.</p><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X1PC_mYnEK8/VeoNk5FTEeI/AAAAAAAASro/zCBy8ssO-94/s2048/IMG_2746.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X1PC_mYnEK8/VeoNk5FTEeI/AAAAAAAASro/zCBy8ssO-94/s500/IMG_2746.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785331.0266" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>The photo on right is one of my favorites, the long, graceful curve of the beam....so fine.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Another interesting detail pointed out here, is that the granite paving stones that surround the structure are layed on a levelled bed of primarily dry mortar mix. </p><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GmbB-dlyzl4/VeoNk-TRpfI/AAAAAAAASro/3ywc7oqbhBE/s2048/IMG_2747.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GmbB-dlyzl4/VeoNk-TRpfI/AAAAAAAASro/3ywc7oqbhBE/s500/IMG_2747.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785276.0115" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Evidently, a ladle full of water is poured in the center, the stone is carefully placed and leveled, then water would be gently applied after all of the stones are set. A gentle mist would seep through the joints, and any remaining dry mortar would soon cure by absorbing moisture from the subsoil and ambient humidity. Fast, clean, and easy, I love it! I've done the dry cement thing when setting fence posts, but it never occurred to me to try the same thing when setting pavers. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>After the ridge beam is placed, there is a traditional ceremony of honour and dedication.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hWZjSD6dxI0/VeoNk8JSUGI/AAAAAAAASro/XSZb2UehkRQ/s2048/IMG_2748.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hWZjSD6dxI0/VeoNk8JSUGI/AAAAAAAASro/XSZb2UehkRQ/s500/IMG_2748.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785304.0159" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This brief chapter describes the ceremony in some detail. The carpenters represent the more anamistic Shinto faith, dressing as priests to honour the forest spirits, then entreating them to leave the new temple peaceably and with great thanks. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0rUvEeTqKYs/VeoNk26OWUI/AAAAAAAASrs/zA73LNmxFd4/s2048/IMG_2749.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0rUvEeTqKYs/VeoNk26OWUI/AAAAAAAASrs/zA73LNmxFd4/s500/IMG_2749.JPG" id="blogsy-1441908785267.3796" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>After this, the true Buddhist priests enter to complete the dedication ceremony......then everyone involved goes off to a nice restaurant and have dinner and more than a few drinks. Carpenters are the same everywhere, haha. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I enjoyed reading this book, the pictures are beautiful and Azby Brown's writing is very enjoyable. That said, there is almost no practical carpentry here, under 10 pages in all. With this book, you are getting a glimpse into how an exclusive tradition has developed and been maintained for centuries, and there are certainly a few valuable pointers. It will give food for thought, but it's not going to help you build anything, cut the joinery or even use the tools. </p><p> </p><p>It will definitely foster humility. These guys are amazing.</p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20">Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-20450611698557805192015-09-09T13:21:00.001-07:002015-09-09T13:24:53.644-07:00Our Hawaiian home....day#3
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<p> </p>
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<p>Back to work. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Renee had lots of stuff on her mind, but what do you do, where do you start when you are beginning with nothing?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Do what is fun!</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>How about a bench, to rest your weary self?</p>
<p> </p>
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<p> </p>
<p>We've got the rocks. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>We chose this place for its quiet location, but also just....the place, you know? There are trees, there is stone.</p>
<p> </p>
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<p> </p>
<p>The idea is to see what is here, then allow that to guide us in what and how to build. Rather than bring in the heavy equipment to strip the ground bare, we want to keep our footprint human sized. Try not to buy, and to build in human time scale, if that makes sense. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Don't pour a foundation that will exist for an eternity, especially when the house itself is total junk within 20 years. I used to love cement, and reveled in the strength it gave to what was being built, but now I view it more as a crutch. A permanent, everlasting.....something, that will be difficult to reuse in any way. Dry laid stone can be repaired, then reused. Forever. Like reverse cement. Another nice bonus.....this lava rock is beautiful, perfectly shaped for easy stacking, and....it's kinda light, too.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>So, on day #3 we dug more rock, and piled more REALLY beautiful soil.</p>
<p> </p>
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<p> </p>
<p>This is better than anything that I've yet seen, anywhere, rich with silty loam, friable and full of good "dirt" smell. It will be interesting to test the pH. God knows we'll have plenty of biochar handy, if we need to buffer the soil in some way. Maybe I'll distill out the "Wood vinegar", see if there's anything to that miracle talk. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Also interesting is that we are finding some of it to be almost like clay. Is a Japanese mud infill wall to be in our future?</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ellie rescued a nest-fallen baby cardinal last week, and despite our fears, the little thing has managed to hang in there. He's looking at the camera, a little pissed off.</p>
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<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> I've been on bird duty while Ellie is in school, as the guy needs to be fed every 15-30 minutes. He started out nearly bald, but now has most of his juvenile feathers set, and is taking short flights. Mostly though, he rides around on your finger, and you get a lot of this....</p>
<p> <br></p>
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<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">"INSERT FOOD HERE!"</p>
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<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>So it was REALLY hot. I'm not really a "sweat-er", and I've never lived anywhere like this. To perspire, just standing there doing nothing and still get drenched.....it's very novel still. It reminds me of a sauna, 'cept all the time. It makes clothing very unpleasant, but I have no intention of subjecting our new neighbors to that sight, lucky them.</p>
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<p>So Renee and I are hot and tired from two days of pulling and digging, so Renee wants to do something else that's fun instead. Here's her bench, big enough for three. </p>
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<p>I love the way she creates such flowing sculpture. And it's in the shade.</p>
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<p>So what am I doing on this hot afternoon, while Renee is slaving away to make us a better life?</p>
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<p>I'm sitting in the woods, drinking a beer (or three, haha). Sunlight brings thick vegetative growth, but once you break through the thicket close to the road? It opens up in there, a bit at least. The sun is less intense, it's quiet and cool. The moss is deep and lush, and the ground is a compound of broken lava and detritus. And Guava.</p>
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<p>Lots of Guava. It's the thin whippy shoots that make navigating this environment challenging, as they will grow everywhichway trying to get to the sun. Some of the whips might be 1/4" thick, but 15' long and wound around the other growth. </p>
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<p>A perfect tripping hazard and the Aluhe ferns are even worse. So. What can we build that uses thin sticks as a material? Wattle and daub comes to mind, woven screens and dividers, trellis material for climbing fruits and plants --The passion fruit are going crazy right now, and will cover everything in sight if you give them half a chance. Pole beans might tolerate this area, with its lower rainfall, we'll see.--. </p>
<p>Anyone have any ideas? Comment!</p>
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<p>Just poisoning the invasive species seems like a wrong way of living, but that's an option, and evidently the only way that people have found of keeping the Guava in check. This stuff is seriously crazy, grows like mad and chokes out the other species. It's drops tasty fruit prolificly, filled with hard seeds that get eaten by people/pigs/pheasants and then passed through the GI tract. Planted and fertilized in one. Very efficient.</p>
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<p>I would prefer to treat the guava as a resource, it's fruit would make an interesting homebrew, and the wood is very tough, dense and resilient. The down side to the lumber is that the high sugar content in the wood makes it attractive to both bugs and rot. That needs to be considered in designing for its use. Ground contact would be foolish, but properly dried and seasoned, it's good stuff. Stripping the bark immediately after cutting would reduce the bug concerns some, but even after being chewed up by beetle larvae it still retains much of its strength. Here at the tool shed, we've got a hand rail on the stairs that is barely 1" thick, but it's saved me from numerous potential falls. Good stuff. I'm eager to see what kind of charcoal it provides.</p>
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<p>Because the trees here are rather thick, the guava has had to grow tall and straight to reach the top of the canopy. Many of these clumps are nicely developed. Here is just one of.....hundreds? I don't know yet, but there is never a shortage of Guava. Here is my size 10 shoe for scale.</p>
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<p>The larger ones are a solid 4", but there are many larger ones as well. These are just where I happened to be sitting at the time.</p>
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<p>The primary trees are the native Ohia, and the Guava are just filling in the gaps. My hand has a solid 9" span, so this old guy is maybe 12" diameter. 200 years old? These grow VERY slowly, but it's a guess. </p>
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<p>The general practice is to plow the land flat using a bulldozer, then trucking the debris to the solid waste station for mulching. Often the mulch eventually works it's way back to the land, to provide a barrier in gardens and landscaping. It's better than nothing, but seems awfully energy intensive. Boring, too. Who wants a flat chunk of land? A lawn, haha! Yeah, right. </p>
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<p>Guava, tall and straight, 6" butt, 20' clear. There are hundreds of these right here, millions if you look around.</p>
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<p> I'm getting some ideas. Pole barns don't get much easier than this. Mark Grable recently reminded me of a quick way to lash poles together, using a specific twisted wire wrap. I've got the poles and I've got the wire. I've got lots of salvaged steel roofing, too, perfect for throwing up a quick and dirty shelter, ugly though it is. The steel roof also allows you to capture the frequent rains. People hate this Guava and will pay you to remove it (if you poison or dig out the roots, no easy feat.). One of the adjacent properties is so thick with the stuff that you can barely see through it. </p>
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<p>Help me find a use for this stuff! As a society, we need to shift our thoughts from buying, to making. Therein lies true wealth and prosperity. Knowledge too. Share what you know. </p>
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<p>Don the "<a href="https://shinglemaker.wordpress.com/" target="_blank" title="">Shinglemaker</a>" (one of my favorite blogs, his pictures are so beautiful, showing his strength and understanding of the simple materials that he uses in his craft. He pays attention.) <a href="https://shinglemaker.wordpress.com/2015/09/08/know-wood/" target="_blank" title="">recently wrote</a> about how the work he does is not economically feasible as a business, you can't afford what his work will cost, he only does his best work for himself. Even though I have not 1/10th his skill, the work that I do is still beyond value. It's ironic that by consciously choosing a life of near poverty, we can learn and create such things that are not really available, at any price. I give away what I make, but you can't really buy it. That will probably change in the near future, but the idea remains.....what is our time/life worth? </p>
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<p>The idea of true cost and pricing is difficult, as good, solid construction, simple and built to last for generations is expensive, particularly in terms of the skilled labor involved. Fewer people every day are knowledgeable about these things and we are so far over the curve, that the days of once common sense and practical knowledge are distant beyond sight. We are over the horizon. Don writes of a frame for a window, built solid, yet with knowledge and understanding of how practice and time flows. You can build a window frame that will fit one window only, then when the window breaks, as they all will in time or better windows are now used and the old ones are obsolete, or out of style, or....whatever, you're screwed. It probably doesn't matter, because the house will probably be ready for the landfill by now anyways. </p>
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<p>Or.</p>
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<p>You can build solid, but with the understanding that times change, and buildings change as well. Don admires the traditional Dutch practice of framing an overly large opening so that it can accommodate differing standards. A larger window? No problem. Cut the opening bigger. Rotten wood? Cut and replace. His example was specific to massive construction like brick or stone building, but the concept is one that should be kept firmly in mind. How will the building evolve? Even if it just evolves into the ground as a decayed ruin......that is good, too. </p>
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<div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.com14