I really like these little machines. I started out in the trades building induction furnaces of every kind. Some were very large and used in the steel industry to melt steel, others were smaller for the precious metal industry. Even coils for heat treating coil springs, annealing ovens etc. I'm suprised to see bare coils being used. For the majority of applications they are cast in refractory. We soldered brass bolts onto the coils and used 4 square hardwood uprights drilled at the proper intervals to get the coil spacing perfect. The hardwood was isolated from the coil using high Temperature blanketing or transite (among other things). Only the inside of the coil was packed with refractory and the top or ends were shaped depending on the application. It seems like some version of this where the coil is isolated from being able to touch the steel would be beneficial so the coils lasted long term. It would make using one much easier and definitely less stressful, no accidents when the steel accidentally touches the coil. If thats too much work the red/pink laminated insulation board is great for really close coil spacing, it can be left in place is you want to capture the entire coil in cast refractory. Its available in every thickness imaginable. A coil would last years, possibly a lifetime depending on use done one of these ways. Just thought I'd pass that on in case its helpful.
Hi Jeff. Thanks for the excellent info. I have experimented with casting a coil in refractory. It works a treat on a flat coil. I will show that in my next video.
There's a little trick you can do to isolate the work piece from the coil, especially if it's a round pipe or bar. A glass tube! Saw a guy in India or perhaps it was China doing this.
I have one of these machines, and the first thing I made was an adapter for those 8mm flare fittings. I used the 8mm flare fittings (just cut the tube about 2" from the nut) from one of the coils that came with the induction heater, soldered a ball valve onto one end, and a 5/16 compression fitting on the other. This way, when I need to swap a coil, I use the ball valve to close the water (reduces dripping), and the 5/16 compression fitting adapts nicely to easily available 5/16 copper soft tubing, no flare tool required. It works great on my machine.
I got into induction forging because of you! I just ordered my unit-- I'm on a budget so I got the 110v because it's half the price of the 220v models. I will be using your pro tips to modify for 220v. If you do consulting/coaching calls that would be great :). Edit: This coil is freaking brilliant by the way.
Holy moly this would have so much potential for forging knives as well. I imagine I can heat just the bevel or just the spine if I want to, and it seems to heat up crazy fast, precise and convenient.
It is really convenient for certain types of heat treating. I made a draw knife that I hardened with a coil that only heated the cutting edge. In that case, the coil was just a U shape (i.e. basically a one-loop coil).
I just ordered Input voltage: 110V Model：ZDBT-6: Nominal power: 1400W; Maximum power: 1960W; Ultimate power:2450W; Input voltage: 220V Model：ZDBT-6: Nominal power: 2000W; Maximum power: 2800W; Ultimate power:3500W; I hope this will do what I need. I really love forging but with bad shoulders the quicker I can get a heat the better and if I don't need propane even better I was watching alec steele run in to one of these when he was shopping for a power hammer but your the best source for actually seeing someone use it for forgeing.
@@ReviewThisTestThat Fair enough. I couldn't quite tell from the ebay listing: does it require water cooling and does it come with that? Please let us know how well it works for you!
@@ejoftheanvil it comes with it I got it on Amazon www.amazon.com/dp/B08C5FPR5J/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_JTJ7FbVDYTP8F I will definitely do a review on it since I see 0 on here.
@@ReviewThisTestThat Ah. The Amazon details are a bit clearer than what I found on ebay. It does at least make it fairly clear that it is water cooled and includes a small water pump. Maybe the bowl is for cooling water?? The look of the coil suggests it's for casting.
I have a induction heater that I built it heats meter red hot in 7 to 15 seconds. My RF coil has no insulation if the metal being heated touches the 8 turn induction coil the mosfets explode. I think the reason my circuit self destructs is, I have a resonance circuit 70KHz loaded. I think factory circuits are pre set osculator circuits frequency never changes. My induction heater is very handy better than a torch for heating metal quick.
Rig your induction forge/heater as a mobile/cart and you can park it right next to the anvil or power hammer or whatever you're using at that phase of the making. No forge heat blast to interfere or account for when your working metal is out of the inductors.
This seems like a really even heat that doesn't begin from the ends but from the ends of the piece that are more away from the weld, so it would store it better for longer as well. Would love to see you work a sword/knife through a huge version but to each their own hammer.
That's a good thought. For a knife, I'd recommend a coil of rectangular loops. For a sword, this has some advantages since you don't have to run most of the sword thru the coil to get to your current working section. This coil is nearing max size for these induction units, tho, so there won't be one much bigger.
Yes. I must admit that I don't usually plan far enough ahead for this to be an option. I tend to make a coil mid-project when I get the inspiration(frustration?) to do it. As @AKAtheA mentions, sand is good as well. Overall, tho, I've never had a coil collapse enough that it caused a problem. So, I just stick with my empty bending (using my various jigs and tools).
Good trick to keep pipes from collapsing is to fill it with salt. Regular table salt will do. After you done with the bends you can pour the salt out, or if need be, flush it out with water should some get trapped.
7:00 all right look. YES it may be slower,BUUUT it's waaaay hotter. I feel like it is a good trade off. Also an okie and thinking of doing something like this any good electricity supply brand I should look into?
Next time, fill the line with sugar or salt, crimp off the ends, and then bend it into shape. Sugar and salt can easily be flushed out with water after completing your bends.
I don't think the coil would work well at all under water. A resistive heating element is a much better way to heat water. Or, if you want efficiency, use a heat pump.
Very nice. Wondering if it would be possible to use the toco coil to forge heat some heavy spring metal (1095 steel), quickly remove it and wind a new spring on a mandrel and lathe, while the work piece is still hot? This would be a very straight long piece of material, so probably have to heat a section, wind it and repeat?
@@waylonperry1982 It's on my to-do list. It'll definitely work for small billets, but getting an even, welding temp heat on a larger billet will take some experimentation and may just not be practical.
Hey I bought me a LH-15A from USSOLID because of your videos! I got the 220V model thanks to your advices and I'm loving it. Still trying to find a wear fitting that matches my machine however! Also how do you prevent fouling of your cooling setup? I got some white algae / bacterial growth in mine after a while.
I used distilled water and that seemed to pretty much avoid that. There are industrial additives for handling that and also providing anti-freeze. I don't really need that in my basement.
It's a little hard to explain but I will try. A picture would be easier. Would it work to make the toco with the tubing perpendicular to the work piece. The long part of yours is parallel to the work piece. It would be made by bending, for example, a 1.24" diameter "U" in the "Y" plane. Then at about 3" bend a "U" in the "X" plane. At three inches bend a third "U" in the "Y" plane etc.
I think I get the picture. Let's call my taco a "long" taco and yours a "wide" taco. Yes. it would work. Just to be clear on why I said "wide", you basically have two constraints: 1) too much total tubing and you get out of spec on the inductance of the coil and 2) you probably want a pretty even spacing. One good way to think of my coil is an oval flat coil bent in half on the long axis. Yours would be the same but bent on the short axis. Both are definitely useful. For what I was wanting to do, the longer coil is nicer. For other stock or other operations, your wide coil would be preferred.
Have you ever messed with multi-coil attachments? Like a 1 inch round coil and a 1.5 inch round coil on a single length of copper? I saw someone doing that and it seems very time efficient Always love your videos!!
Grant Sarver did that. It's not as practical for larger stock sizes, but it is a good tool for specific projects. Grant had a bit of a "production" metalwork mindset so he really optimized for his specific projects.
hi Eric! great content ! I am planning to do blacksmith shop in an underground garage, do you have any tips for ventilation underground and do you have the coal forge in your basement workshop? any pros and cons of working in the basement? thanks for your time ! keep up the great work !!
In some of my older videos, you can see my coal forge and my ducting solution that goes outside. My main tip for coal is switch to induction ;-) or propane. I have not used the coal forge in my basement for over 3 years because I can do it all with induction. That said, I also have the advantage of an exterior door and a window (traditional pier and beam house, so the top 1/4 to 1/3 of the basement is actually above ground). I would suggest a P100 half-face respirator even with induction. Forging is pretty dusty from scale particles. Grinding is VERY dusty which includes the rather more dangerous dust from the grinding discs and wheels. Your 80 year-old self agrees with me on this 🙂.
@@ejoftheanvil thanks a lot for the tips !!! in my garage I m gonna have 2 windows facing outside similar to yours , but no exterior door . So does this mean that you can access your forge from outside? since you have the exterior door , I am asking to now if it is safe enough to work underground
@@markgrech2328 You should be fine. I used the basement for several years before I put the door (back) in. I did have the window open for the ducting when I used the coal forge, but I don't open anything usually when I forge with the induction heater. I do open ventilation when I use propane to avoid CO issues (and definitely get a detector if you're gonna use propane semi-enclosed like that). The doorway had been covered over and the stairwell filled with rubbled for decades. Took a bunch of concreted and masonry work to get it viable again (and a little digging, of course).
Very cool -- THANKS! This is amazing. Question: How much would you guestimate this whole rig, ready to go, would cost to build if done by a pretty handy person already having all the tools needed? I'd really love to put this together and would use it a lot.
@@ejoftheanvil Thanks for your reply! Dang - too rich for my budget. My main use would be to quickly heat the inside-most tip of various scrolls for gates and other ornamental ironwork. I have a DIY Torsionator (as someone on youtube calls it) to cold form the scroll, and so ONLY need to heat the inner end of the piece.
Yeah, the induction heater is on max output. Glad you've found my videos helpful. It's all about giving back to the blacksmith community. I've found incredible inspiration from the community and this is just a way to do my bit.
Awesome coil EJ! Very clever forming tool with the swaged pipe cut in half! I can't believe you achieved that tight of a radius without kinking it. Are you using standard refrigerant coil? How much better does 1/4' coil work better for tighter bends compared with 5/16? My best method so far for me was: Flaring ends, pressurize H20 with pressure washer, freeze, bend, and flatten round to rectangle (this last part flattens the magnetic field) Great leg work by the way! I have done the same myself but found levering the two separate work pieces against the jaws whenever possible reduces the need to do so. Great no flux forge weld too! I was thinking of positioning an open end coil so that any excess flux would not get on the coil. But hey just blast some inert gas across it and catch it on the other side! Forge ON! ON!
I've only used refrigeration coil. I really like 6mm or 1/4" for coils. 5/16" or 8mm is good for larger ones, but I'm settling on 1/4" for all because of local affordability. I may switch to 5/16" for the stubs when I run out of 8mm, but even 5/16" is a mail-order proposition.
I fill the tube with fine sand, crimp both ends shut, then after shaping I cut the crimps off and blow the sand out with a blowgun. Never thought of doing it with frozen water, although I've heard of doing it with cerrobend eutectic alloys.
@@andrewtinker7537, I’ve read one can do good bending (without worry of kinking copper pipe) by melting candle wax into it. Afterwards, reclaim the wax. I’ve never done it before but am a student of TH-cam university! 🤣🤣🤣
Just a curious comment, why do you not pronounce the "L" in solder? It is pronounced in soldier, shoulder, older, colder, etc. Why is it "sodder" and not "solder" in the US, unlike the rest of the Anglosphere?
Apparently we're just purists ;-). Here what I found on the net: The word is from French "souder," but the L was put into the spelling on the basis of the Latin etymology (related to "solid"), and eventually a lot of people started pronouncing the L.
I would like to try metal working with induction furnace but I was checking the price of your equipment and unfortunately it mutch mutch too high for beginners... Do you have any recommendations for any cheaper alternatives because I know I shouldn't trust kind of machines you can buy from Wish?🤔 ( for axe and knife making)
Hi Eric I am a blacksmith in Australia and I am having trouble winding coils for my 15kw induction forge machine just won't start up with my coils started with 1.5 meters of pipe and then about 800mm . put supplied coil back and all good any advice regards Mark
Those are probably too long. Rule-of-thumb is to stay under 600mm. It's pretty dependent on geometry so that can vary quite a bit. You need to use fewer loops. You can find my email on the saltforkcraftsman.org web site it you want to send me pictures.
Yes, but... Reasonably thick copper would work. However, fiberglass sheath melts onto hot steel. And, hot steel would put a lot of heat into the copper. ...which is why a heater of this wattage pretty much always uses water cooled tubing.
Hi EJ, and many thanks for your videos. I tried making a taco-coil of my own, annnnd it didn't go well. I started with 2 feet of 1/4" copper tubing and barely completed half of the taco. Are you using more than 2 feet of tubing to make this coil? Thanks.
My taco emphasizes long parallel tubing. A folded coil would have more tubing in the "fold". My estimate is that tubing is not doing very effective heating.
I have helped repair one heater that originally worked well, but started heating very slowly. In that system, it was the board that drives the big high-power IGBT. That is, it wasn't the board with the big water-coolers on it. It was the board that is wired to it. We started by testing the driver board because the IGBT on the high-power board were high-quality, German products vs the inexpensive and often even recycled components on the other boards. We had the luxury of identical machines to swap boards with to confirm this hypothesis.
Slow heating is becasue of the power is not enough. You need a higher power induction heater. You can buy form us. We are manufacturer. whatsapp: +8615225195652
Howdy EJ, my name is Logan Morris and I live about an hour south of OKC. I have a small business where I do custom knives and I am curious if you think that this gets hot enough to forge weld carbon steel. Say 108-1095. I ask for Damascus purposes
It is not ideal for billets. You can easily work small ones, but look at the total volume of what I'm heating in this video. It's maybe 1/4 to 1/3 the volume of a typical billet. Getting a whole billet to even, forgewelding heat is not likely.
couldnt you just make a bunch of loops flat like a plate (oval plate shape) then just bend the whole thing over at once over the pipe to make the taco shape?
If you filled the tubing with sand / ice to keep it from collapsing, yes. Given that and the work of making the oval it would be about the same effort. If I were making many of these. I think that approach (with pre-made bending jigs for the oval curves) would be good.
Great videos .....i really appreciate your work. About forging a large rod i think you really need a medium frequency machine ? I think your machine is above the frequency for forging ?
@@ejoftheanvil Thats great .....it seems that the machine is running around 32khz to 40khz .....Do try parallel coils ...they work great for longer heating area.
@@hasanfarooq5923 Good suggestion. I've been wanting to try out a parallel coil for some time. And, yes it's a 30-80kHz machine so it'd be down around 30kHz on the largest stock.
Sir thats great ......i would suggest you to make 3 turn coil with 3 parallel coils ....inner diameter would be at 40mm for heating a rod of 25mm diameter. Make these coils on 8mm copper pipe or 10mm copper pipe.
Love your info on coils. Just got into induction forging as I moved and can't use my coal forge. Any information on making an open-ended coil for sword work? would be great if you could contact me.
This taco coil isn't bad, but I would think the rectangular cross-section coils would be better. However, I would make the spacing much larger so you can more easily heat several inches. You can find my contact info on the contact page of the Saltfork Craftsmen web site.
Hi, thanks for uploading! I know it has been discussed already, but perhaps you can clarify again: in my workshop there are 240v with max 32 amps available. Will it work or would you recommend not to buy?
That would work. In very rare circumstances you might have to turn the power output down very slightly. I ran mine on a 30A breaker for over a year before I accidentally managed the magic combination of metal and coil that actually tripped the breaker.
interesting video. Have you considered using Cerrobend or a similar low melting point alloy core in your coil builds as a way to improve the asymmetry of the bends?
I haven't. It would work really well. Better than sand or frozen water. It tend to use external bending forms (like my pipe thing) because I get good enough results in less overall time.
Yes. Depends on where you are. Most of the units advertised on eBay as 15kW units are this one (and they are 7.5kW units NOT 15kW - it's a lie based on the 15kVA spec). US Solid is the place I bought mine (before they started using the new name).
What is the capacity or power of the induction system? I want to harden gears the diameter is 40 cm. Can you help me please to have induction system. It is not available in my county.
This system is only 7.5kW (usually falsely advertised as 15kW). A gear that large could not be hardened all at once. There are 3-phase units from the same manufacturer that would do it.
No. It's low voltage and relatively safe. And, actually the heated metal is getting induced current / voltage. I've noticed that I can feel a tiny "bite" of electricity if I touch my anvil while holding the piece being heated with my other hand. In that case, the anvil is big enough to act as "ground". (Only, of course, if both hands are bare.)
My setup uses a LH-15a induction heater. This generates a powerful oscillating magnetic field in the coil which "induces" eddy currents in the steel which generate heat. If you want to know more about this, look at some of my other videos. The earliest ones are overview videos.
@@nkanagaraj6032 Any of the 7.5kW units (which are usually advertised as 15kW, which they are not). Mine is a Lihua LH-15a. The 15 is for 15kVA, which all the similar units support (not 15kW). More power would be nicer. There are 3-phase units with 25kW and more. I've used a 25kW unit. That's a big step up for, say, making hammers or other work from thick stock. For 1/2" (or 12mm), it doesn't help much.
I'm not entirely convinced the readout on the front accurately reflects amperage, but if it is true ... 800 amps. That's possible in a 7.5 kW heater because the voltage at the coil is quite low. I suspect, though, that the amperage is lower than that number, but it still is several hundred amps (probably more than the equivalent power welder).
I run distilled water because it never freezes in my basement shop. However, last time I changed it I noticed a tinge of copper oxide green in the water so I'm considering moving to a TIG cooler additive.
Ideally, the full 7.5kW. But, it's a compromise coil so probably not. I'd estimate from heating time vs a traditional coil that I'm getting half to 3/4 power. The nice thing about induction heating is that it's quite efficient. Generally, if you aren't getting much heat into the work, you aren't drawing much power from the electrical supply (and vice versa: when you consume a lot of power, you get a lot of heat).
Hey my forge is making a flickering beep noise. Is it cause of the tape on the coils that it is not heating? It doesnt look like a sleeve it's some type of tape wrapped around the whole coil which is 5 inch diameter with tape on it.
I think it's either a defective unit or the coil is out of range. My unit does beep-click-beep-click... when the coil is out of range. You can kinda hear that in this video: th-cam.com/video/XGGiGrkwXts/w-d-xo.html.
@@ejoftheanvil I was trying to heat it in a crucible but the amperage was too low. When I take everything out of it is makes the clicking noise and when I put everything back in it goes back to only 18 amps. The old coil works at 850 but the 1 loop doesnt melt enough material and it cools down in the middle of the metal and doesn't turn to liquid aluminum. I dont think the coil height is enough to thoroughly melt what's in the crucible with just 1 loop. The conductivity stops working well with 4 coils and a 5 inch diameter but 1 loops works fine it just doesn't completely melt the aluminum inside it.
would the machine you have be able to handle a coil with a 4 inch internal diameter? I make swords, bowie knives. my widest is 3.25 inches, and my thickest is 3/8ths
hi, recently I bought 15KW induction heater KIH-15A. I bought from aliexpress. I have not proper manual. I have some issues with proper electrical connect. I think you have lot of experieces with this kind of machine. If there is possibility to give me some advice. I can send you some video and info of the machine by e-mail....thanks
These heaters are 7.5kW (there are no 15kW heaters, that's a kW vs kVA mistake). That will draw a bit over 30 amps depending on your exact "220" voltage. Those max numbers are a bit rare. They require just the right coil and steel shape (and of course having the heating current set to max).
Ej do you have a fb page? Id like to msg you and discuss these machines at greater length, were considering one for our shop and you obviously have the experience to speak to our concerns about them.
Be careful near those magnetic fields Eric...pretty sure that it can cause harm to the body. What’s great about this coil is that (in my 100% non-expert opinion) the coil shape leads me to believe that the magnetic field is asymmetrical, and so....maybe you can stand at a certain distance away or in a position that isn’t near the field lines when inducting you’re metals, and that’s cause you less bodily harm?? Idk. Just know that if it were me I’d want my balls nowhere near that field 😂
I doubt this alternating magnetic field is going to cause your (or anyone else) body harm. At 40Khz, it’s just under the frequency of AM radio, which begins at 100Khz. Plus, the coil form is keeping the EM field contained. The people that have to take precautions are the ones working on Broadcast towers for Radio Stations, but those things put out in the many kilowatt if not megawatt ranges. Ones hands can get dielectric heating if in direct contact with the transmitting elements. Just FYI.
Is there a way to contact you so that you could help teach me? Or, pick your brain? I appreciate the videos you’ve made & would like to humbly ask how you could help me learn.
I have watched some of your other coil videos because I bought one of these machines last year. I have never been able to get results with any coil design like you get. No matter what I tried with flat stock it won’t heat up. Any thoughts about what my problem might be?
So far it is only the flat stock. the material I am using is 50x3mm. I have made a few coils to go around graphite crucibles (which work really well), and attempted one pancake and one coil wrapped around wood to better shape it to the material. I can’t give exact dimensions of these as they aren’t handy right now. I am thinking I have bad coil construction as larger material heats well in the stock coil from the manufacturer. Any tips or resources you might recommend would be really useful and appreciated
Induction heating is used in everything from stove tops to industrial processes. I hope we'd know by now of any significant effects. All I know personally is that my finger does not heat when I put it in the active coil. I don't do that often, so I can't comment on any long-term effects of repeated exposure.
Hello Ej, i found your videos when i was doing research for my own hobby of smithing my own knives. Does a induction forge use lots of electricity? is it expensive to run etc?
It uses about as much as a welder. It costs me less than $1 US for an hour of runtime (which is 2-3 hours of forging time since it uses very little electricity when idle). Also, tt does require a >35A 220v circuit.
@@ejoftheanvil thank you very much, that is actually amazing cause here in belgium the base net voltage is 220 volts just will have to take a look into the current draw when designing the workspace.
Love the videos and I plan to get an induction forge when I can. I have a few questions that I hope you have time to answer: 1) Would it damage the equipment to put antifreeze in the water if the unit is in an unheated shop to prevent freezing in the winter? 2: will a 120 volt unit get metal to forge welding temperatures or would I need a 240 volt unit? 3: is there any down side to having two coils of different sizes on the unit at once? See this video for what I mean: th-cam.com/video/k4xsqw463Hs/w-d-xo.html Thanks again for your videos!
You should add antifreeze. Ideally something designed for TIG. You should probably avoid automotive coolants because I hear they have additives designed to plug small leaks which might gum up your coils. You really need the 240v unit. A standard 120v outlet is only 15A. That's a mere 1800W. You'd need nearly 70A to get the full 7500W performance. With 240v, it's common to have 30A, 40A or 50A outlets. You need 35A. You can double up a small coil like that, but it's rather easy to end up with a coil that has too much inductance and won't work at all. With most of my coils, I push the number of loops right up to the limit (for a longer heat), so I don't really have the option for that. For some projects, tho, Grant's double coil would be very handy.
I really like these little machines. I started out in the trades building induction furnaces of every kind. Some were very large and used in the steel industry to melt steel, others were smaller for the precious metal industry. Even coils for heat treating coil springs, annealing ovens etc. I'm suprised to see bare coils being used. For the majority of applications they are cast in refractory. We soldered brass bolts onto the coils and used 4 square hardwood uprights drilled at the proper intervals to get the coil spacing perfect. The hardwood was isolated from the coil using high Temperature blanketing or transite (among other things). Only the inside of the coil was packed with refractory and the top or ends were shaped depending on the application. It seems like some version of this where the coil is isolated from being able to touch the steel would be beneficial so the coils lasted long term. It would make using one much easier and definitely less stressful, no accidents when the steel accidentally touches the coil. If thats too much work the red/pink laminated insulation board is great for really close coil spacing, it can be left in place is you want to capture the entire coil in cast refractory. Its available in every thickness imaginable. A coil would last years, possibly a lifetime depending on use done one of these ways. Just thought I'd pass that on in case its helpful.
Hi Jeff. Thanks for the excellent info. I have experimented with casting a coil in refractory. It works a treat on a flat coil. I will show that in my next video.
There's a little trick you can do to isolate the work piece from the coil, especially if it's a round pipe or bar. A glass tube! Saw a guy in India or perhaps it was China doing this.
Nice to watch ..good explanation of what he is doing.
I have one of these machines, and the first thing I made was an adapter for those 8mm flare fittings. I used the 8mm flare fittings (just cut the tube about 2" from the nut) from one of the coils that came with the induction heater, soldered a ball valve onto one end, and a 5/16 compression fitting on the other. This way, when I need to swap a coil, I use the ball valve to close the water (reduces dripping), and the 5/16 compression fitting adapts nicely to easily available 5/16 copper soft tubing, no flare tool required. It works great on my machine.
Sounds like another good way to "skin the cat".
I got into induction forging because of you! I just ordered my unit-- I'm on a budget so I got the 110v because it's half the price of the 220v models. I will be using your pro tips to modify for 220v. If you do consulting/coaching calls that would be great :).
Edit: This coil is freaking brilliant by the way.
If you get in a bind figuring out conversion, ping me.
Holy moly this would have so much potential for forging knives as well. I imagine I can heat just the bevel or just the spine if I want to, and it seems to heat up crazy fast, precise and convenient.
It is really convenient for certain types of heat treating. I made a draw knife that I hardened with a coil that only heated the cutting edge. In that case, the coil was just a U shape (i.e. basically a one-loop coil).
I just ordered Input voltage: 110V
Model：ZDBT-6:
Nominal power: 1400W; Maximum power: 1960W; Ultimate power:2450W;
Input voltage: 220V
Model：ZDBT-6:
Nominal power: 2000W; Maximum power: 2800W; Ultimate power:3500W;
I hope this will do what I need. I really love forging but with bad shoulders the quicker I can get a heat the better and if I don't need propane even better I was watching alec steele run in to one of these when he was shopping for a power hammer but your the best source for actually seeing someone use it for forgeing.
I've not worked with one of those. It will work for smaller stock. It's about 1/4 the power of the LH-15a.
@@ejoftheanvil the prices have jumped crazy I wanted to get one but this was more in my price range atm thank you for you time sir
@@ReviewThisTestThat Fair enough. I couldn't quite tell from the ebay listing: does it require water cooling and does it come with that? Please let us know how well it works for you!
@@ejoftheanvil it comes with it I got it on Amazon www.amazon.com/dp/B08C5FPR5J/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_JTJ7FbVDYTP8F I will definitely do a review on it since I see 0 on here.
@@ReviewThisTestThat Ah. The Amazon details are a bit clearer than what I found on ebay. It does at least make it fairly clear that it is water cooled and includes a small water pump. Maybe the bowl is for cooling water?? The look of the coil suggests it's for casting.
I have a induction heater that I built it heats meter red hot in 7 to 15 seconds. My RF coil has no insulation if the metal being heated touches the 8 turn induction coil the mosfets explode. I think the reason my circuit self destructs is, I have a resonance circuit 70KHz loaded. I think factory circuits are pre set osculator circuits frequency never changes. My induction heater is very handy better than a torch for heating metal quick.
Rig your induction forge/heater as a mobile/cart and you can park it right next to the anvil or power hammer or whatever you're using at that phase of the making. No forge heat blast to interfere or account for when your working metal is out of the inductors.
Yes, exactly!
I like that taco Shape coil It would perfectly work to heat treat knifes
Most interesting induction coil welding
for such welding, sprinkling with quartz sand or borax is used
This is how blacksmiths once repaired springs for cars and horse-drawn carriages
This seems like a really even heat that doesn't begin from the ends but from the ends of the piece that are more away from the weld, so it would store it better for longer as well. Would love to see you work a sword/knife through a huge version but to each their own hammer.
That's a good thought. For a knife, I'd recommend a coil of rectangular loops. For a sword, this has some advantages since you don't have to run most of the sword thru the coil to get to your current working section. This coil is nearing max size for these induction units, tho, so there won't be one much bigger.
I've heard that freezing some water in the coil before forming can help with preventing kinks.
fine sand is also an option...
@@AKAtheA Yup. Definitely. A bit harder to get in and out than water.
Yes. I must admit that I don't usually plan far enough ahead for this to be an option. I tend to make a coil mid-project when I get the inspiration(frustration?) to do it. As @AKAtheA mentions, sand is good as well. Overall, tho, I've never had a coil collapse enough that it caused a problem. So, I just stick with my empty bending (using my various jigs and tools).
Good trick to keep pipes from collapsing is to fill it with salt.
Regular table salt will do.
After you done with the bends you can pour the salt out, or if need be, flush it out with water should some get trapped.
Filling with water and freezing works well too and salt can be a bitch to get out
7:00 all right look. YES it may be slower,BUUUT it's waaaay hotter. I feel like it is a good trade off. Also an okie and thinking of doing something like this any good electricity supply brand I should look into?
If you are looking for a recommendation on an induction heater supply, look me up on the Saltfork Craftsmen web site and send me an email.
@@ejoftheanvil👌 thank you
Next time, fill the line with sugar or salt, crimp off the ends, and then bend it into shape. Sugar and salt can easily be flushed out with water after completing your bends.
Cool, nice taco, nice trick,...
This is really cool!
I can imagine this technology being used for domestic and industrial WATER HEATERS, but will the coil work underwater?
I don't think the coil would work well at all under water. A resistive heating element is a much better way to heat water. Or, if you want efficiency, use a heat pump.
You could have clamped you flaring bar on it to compress it down a bit. Cheers, Tom
Very nice. Wondering if it would be possible to use the toco coil to forge heat some heavy spring metal (1095 steel), quickly remove it and wind a new spring on a mandrel and lathe, while the work piece is still hot? This would be a very straight long piece of material, so probably have to heat a section, wind it and repeat?
Yes, you'd have to do it in sections. Keep it tight as you go. Once cold it's a real pain to reheat the winding.
@@ejoftheanvil Thanks!
nice job
Husband here, this is just fantastic, ima gunna have some fun tryin 2 make some Damascus
Let us know how it goes. I haven't done damascus with mine.
Same here, I'm looking about getting one and I want to know if it can be used for damascus
@@waylonperry1982 It's on my to-do list. It'll definitely work for small billets, but getting an even, welding temp heat on a larger billet will take some experimentation and may just not be practical.
@@ejoftheanvil please make a video on it when you try it!
Hey I bought me a LH-15A from USSOLID because of your videos! I got the 220V model thanks to your advices and I'm loving it. Still trying to find a wear fitting that matches my machine however! Also how do you prevent fouling of your cooling setup? I got some white algae / bacterial growth in mine after a while.
I used distilled water and that seemed to pretty much avoid that. There are industrial additives for handling that and also providing anti-freeze. I don't really need that in my basement.
Excellente vidéo bravo
I love the idea of induction heating in a forge. Are you able to actually melt steel it get it hotter than needed?
I have melted stock accidentally and have one end fall off. Mostly with smaller diameters like 1/4" or 3/8" (6mm to 8mm).
i used to work at American Foundry Group in muskogee ok and they use induction furnuses to heat metal up to 3000 degrees for drop forged products
To bend copper pipe more easily just heat the pipe and drop it into water. you will be amazed at the result
It's a little hard to explain but I will try. A picture would be easier.
Would it work to make the toco with the tubing perpendicular to the work piece. The long part of yours is parallel to the work piece.
It would be made by bending, for example, a 1.24" diameter "U" in the "Y" plane. Then at about 3" bend a "U" in the "X" plane. At three inches bend a third "U" in the "Y" plane etc.
I think I get the picture. Let's call my taco a "long" taco and yours a "wide" taco. Yes. it would work.
Just to be clear on why I said "wide", you basically have two constraints: 1) too much total tubing and you get out of spec on the inductance of the coil and 2) you probably want a pretty even spacing. One good way to think of my coil is an oval flat coil bent in half on the long axis. Yours would be the same but bent on the short axis. Both are definitely useful. For what I was wanting to do, the longer coil is nicer. For other stock or other operations, your wide coil would be preferred.
@@ejoftheanvilThanks, I may try it.
would it have worked if you expanded the smaller tube to fit the over expanded tube???
Nice setup.....I guess not a bad idea for a Basement shop.........Just don't let your Homeowner's insurance co. find out about it .....Trust me
hi congratulations for share of tutorial can you help me can you say me thad material use at welding in the conection pipes please
That is solder
i need an electric forge. this is bad ass.
Have you ever messed with multi-coil attachments? Like a 1 inch round coil and a 1.5 inch round coil on a single length of copper? I saw someone doing that and it seems very time efficient
Always love your videos!!
Grant Sarver did that. It's not as practical for larger stock sizes, but it is a good tool for specific projects. Grant had a bit of a "production" metalwork mindset so he really optimized for his specific projects.
hi Eric! great content ! I am planning to do blacksmith shop in an underground garage, do you have any tips for ventilation underground and do you have the coal forge in your basement workshop? any pros and cons of working in the basement?
thanks for your time !
keep up the great work !!
In some of my older videos, you can see my coal forge and my ducting solution that goes outside. My main tip for coal is switch to induction ;-) or propane. I have not used the coal forge in my basement for over 3 years because I can do it all with induction. That said, I also have the advantage of an exterior door and a window (traditional pier and beam house, so the top 1/4 to 1/3 of the basement is actually above ground). I would suggest a P100 half-face respirator even with induction. Forging is pretty dusty from scale particles. Grinding is VERY dusty which includes the rather more dangerous dust from the grinding discs and wheels. Your 80 year-old self agrees with me on this 🙂.
@@ejoftheanvil thanks a lot for the tips !!! in my garage I m gonna have 2 windows facing outside similar to yours , but no exterior door . So does this mean that you can access your forge from outside? since you have the exterior door , I am asking to now if it is safe enough to work underground
@@markgrech2328 You should be fine. I used the basement for several years before I put the door (back) in. I did have the window open for the ducting when I used the coal forge, but I don't open anything usually when I forge with the induction heater. I do open ventilation when I use propane to avoid CO issues (and definitely get a detector if you're gonna use propane semi-enclosed like that).
The doorway had been covered over and the stairwell filled with rubbled for decades. Took a bunch of concreted and masonry work to get it viable again (and a little digging, of course).
@@ejoftheanvil Thanks a lot !! keep up the great work !
Very cool -- THANKS! This is amazing.
Question: How much would you guestimate this whole rig, ready to go, would cost to build if done by a pretty handy person already having all the tools needed? I'd really love to put this together and would use it a lot.
It would cost about the same or more than buying one pre-built 😕
@@ejoftheanvil Thanks for your reply! Dang - too rich for my budget. My main use would be to quickly heat the inside-most tip of various scrolls for gates and other ornamental ironwork. I have a DIY Torsionator (as someone on youtube calls it) to cold form the scroll, and so ONLY need to heat the inner end of the piece.
👍 Danke für's Hochladen!
👍 Thanks for uploading!
Bitte
Hi Eric is your induction heater turned up for this coil to reach welding temperature, thanks for your videos you’ve been an inspiration
Yeah, the induction heater is on max output.
Glad you've found my videos helpful. It's all about giving back to the blacksmith community. I've found incredible inspiration from the community and this is just a way to do my bit.
Awesome coil EJ! Very clever forming tool with the swaged pipe cut in half! I can't believe you achieved that tight of a radius without kinking it. Are you using standard refrigerant coil? How much better does 1/4' coil work better for tighter bends compared with 5/16? My best method so far for me was: Flaring ends, pressurize H20 with pressure washer, freeze, bend, and flatten round to rectangle (this last part flattens the magnetic field) Great leg work by the way! I have done the same myself but found levering the two separate work pieces against the jaws whenever possible reduces the need to do so. Great no flux forge weld too! I was thinking of positioning an open end coil so that any excess flux would not get on the coil. But hey just blast some inert gas across it and catch it on the other side! Forge ON! ON!
I've only used refrigeration coil. I really like 6mm or 1/4" for coils. 5/16" or 8mm is good for larger ones, but I'm settling on 1/4" for all because of local affordability. I may switch to 5/16" for the stubs when I run out of 8mm, but even 5/16" is a mail-order proposition.
I fill the tube with fine sand, crimp both ends shut, then after shaping I cut the crimps off and blow the sand out with a blowgun. Never thought of doing it with frozen water, although I've heard of doing it with cerrobend eutectic alloys.
@@andrewtinker7537, I’ve read one can do good bending (without worry of kinking copper pipe) by melting candle wax into it. Afterwards, reclaim the wax. I’ve never done it before but am a student of TH-cam university! 🤣🤣🤣
Pls sir hw can I get dis heater mechine in nigeria. Cos am doing BLASKMEAT work
Just a curious comment, why do you not pronounce the "L" in solder? It is pronounced in soldier, shoulder, older, colder, etc. Why is it "sodder" and not "solder" in the US, unlike the rest of the Anglosphere?
Apparently we're just purists ;-). Here what I found on the net: The word is from French "souder," but the L was put into the spelling on the basis of the Latin etymology (related to "solid"), and eventually a lot of people started pronouncing the L.
I would like to try metal working with induction furnace but I was checking the price of your equipment and unfortunately it mutch mutch too high for beginners... Do you have any recommendations for any cheaper alternatives because I know I shouldn't trust kind of machines you can buy from Wish?🤔 ( for axe and knife making)
Unfortunately, I haven't seen anything cheaper with enough power to be useful.
Damn bro...that is crazy, just want to know how many kilowatts that induction heater is, if you don't mind me asking😂
7.5kW (these units are advertised as 15kW, but that's not true)
Hi Eric I am a blacksmith in Australia and I am having trouble winding coils for my 15kw induction forge machine just won't start up with my coils started with 1.5 meters of pipe and then about 800mm . put supplied coil back and all good any advice regards Mark
Those are probably too long. Rule-of-thumb is to stay under 600mm. It's pretty dependent on geometry so that can vary quite a bit. You need to use fewer loops. You can find my email on the saltforkcraftsman.org web site it you want to send me pictures.
Couldn't you use a copper cable? Insulate it with fiberglass sheath? And, do you really have to run water through it?
Yes, but... Reasonably thick copper would work. However, fiberglass sheath melts onto hot steel. And, hot steel would put a lot of heat into the copper. ...which is why a heater of this wattage pretty much always uses water cooled tubing.
Hi EJ, and many thanks for your videos. I tried making a taco-coil of my own, annnnd it didn't go well. I started with 2 feet of 1/4" copper tubing and barely completed half of the taco. Are you using more than 2 feet of tubing to make this coil? Thanks.
Mine is about 58" including the leads. This is one of those geometries that doesn't follow the "rule of thumb" length.
@@ejoftheanvil Thanks so much for the reply. I'm going to try again with a bit more tubing this time 🙂
I needed this induction what is price please tell me and who are from
In the USA, people often buy it from US Solid. I bought mine from them years ago, but they sold it under a different name then.
You should try a tight pancake coil, folded into a taco.
My taco emphasizes long parallel tubing. A folded coil would have more tubing in the "fold". My estimate is that tubing is not doing very effective heating.
Hello sir ,, can u solve slow heating problem ? My two heater slow heating ptoblem.
I have helped repair one heater that originally worked well, but started heating very slowly. In that system, it was the board that drives the big high-power IGBT. That is, it wasn't the board with the big water-coolers on it. It was the board that is wired to it.
We started by testing the driver board because the IGBT on the high-power board were high-quality, German products vs the inexpensive and often even recycled components on the other boards. We had the luxury of identical machines to swap boards with to confirm this hypothesis.
Slow heating is becasue of the power is not enough. You need a higher power induction heater. You can buy form us. We are manufacturer. whatsapp: +8615225195652
Good stuff
Thanks for the video and the inspiration. Can you tell me what size the flare nuts have?
@Honkytonk: I think they're M14x1.5mm but I'm not 100%. You can get them from Mettleworks or US Solid (not on their site, just email them).
Meu sonho de consumo...
Sonho!
Howdy EJ, my name is Logan Morris and I live about an hour south of OKC. I have a small business where I do custom knives and I am curious if you think that this gets hot enough to forge weld carbon steel. Say 108-1095. I ask for Damascus purposes
It is not ideal for billets. You can easily work small ones, but look at the total volume of what I'm heating in this video. It's maybe 1/4 to 1/3 the volume of a typical billet. Getting a whole billet to even, forgewelding heat is not likely.
couldnt you just make a bunch of loops flat like a plate (oval plate shape) then just bend the whole thing over at once over the pipe to make the taco shape?
If you filled the tubing with sand / ice to keep it from collapsing, yes. Given that and the work of making the oval it would be about the same effort. If I were making many of these. I think that approach (with pre-made bending jigs for the oval curves) would be good.
Great work. Now sell me a coil.
Great videos .....i really appreciate your work.
About forging a large rod i think you really need a medium frequency machine ? I think your machine is above the frequency for forging ?
This unit is excellent up to about 1" / 25cm diameter. It's tolerable for up to about 1.5" / 3.8cm diameter.
@@ejoftheanvil Thats great .....it seems that the machine is running around 32khz to 40khz .....Do try parallel coils ...they work great for longer heating area.
@@hasanfarooq5923 Good suggestion. I've been wanting to try out a parallel coil for some time. And, yes it's a 30-80kHz machine so it'd be down around 30kHz on the largest stock.
Sir thats great ......i would suggest you to make 3 turn coil with 3 parallel coils ....inner diameter would be at 40mm for heating a rod of 25mm diameter.
Make these coils on 8mm copper pipe or 10mm copper pipe.
Love your info on coils. Just got into induction forging as I moved and can't use my coal forge. Any information on making an open-ended coil for sword work? would be great if you could contact me.
This taco coil isn't bad, but I would think the rectangular cross-section coils would be better. However, I would make the spacing much larger so you can more easily heat several inches.
You can find my contact info on the contact page of the Saltfork Craftsmen web site.
@@ejoftheanvil Thanks, I sent you an email. I appreciate it.
Hi, thanks for uploading! I know it has been discussed already, but perhaps you can clarify again: in my workshop there are 240v with max 32 amps available. Will it work or would you recommend not to buy?
That would work. In very rare circumstances you might have to turn the power output down very slightly. I ran mine on a 30A breaker for over a year before I accidentally managed the magic combination of metal and coil that actually tripped the breaker.
interesting video. Have you considered using Cerrobend or a similar low melting point alloy core in your coil builds as a way to improve the asymmetry of the bends?
I haven't. It would work really well. Better than sand or frozen water. It tend to use external bending forms (like my pipe thing) because I get good enough results in less overall time.
What is the device the coil is plugged into? Is is a welder?
It's called an induction forge. It uses pulsed electrical waves to induce current (and heat) into any conductive object placed inside the coil.
you talk about pancake style coil. what is that shape?
A flat spiral, much like some stove-top burners.
Where can i get this induction machine ?
it is available online ?
Yes. Depends on where you are. Most of the units advertised on eBay as 15kW units are this one (and they are 7.5kW units NOT 15kW - it's a lie based on the 15kVA spec). US Solid is the place I bought mine (before they started using the new name).
What is the capacity or power of the induction system?
I want to harden gears the diameter is 40 cm. Can you help me please to have induction system. It is not available in my county.
This system is only 7.5kW (usually falsely advertised as 15kW). A gear that large could not be hardened all at once. There are 3-phase units from the same manufacturer that would do it.
Have you ever tried parallel coils ? They work very well for longer pieces.
no i have not. any examples so I could see how they are built.
Will you get electrocuted if you touch the copper wire?
No. It's low voltage and relatively safe. And, actually the heated metal is getting induced current / voltage. I've noticed that I can feel a tiny "bite" of electricity if I touch my anvil while holding the piece being heated with my other hand. In that case, the anvil is big enough to act as "ground". (Only, of course, if both hands are bare.)
What is that coil attached to? I am unfamiliar with your setup. Are you saying you can heat steel without a furnace? Can you explain?
Thanks,
Paul
My setup uses a LH-15a induction heater. This generates a powerful oscillating magnetic field in the coil which "induces" eddy currents in the steel which generate heat. If you want to know more about this, look at some of my other videos. The earliest ones are overview videos.
How much unit of power average power consumption per Day?
It's 7.5kW at max and nearly 0kW at idle. With my usage, I probably wouldn't exceed 2kWh of energy consumption per hour.
@@ejoftheanvilThank you.
which capacity machine is suitable for blacksmith work.
@@nkanagaraj6032 Any of the 7.5kW units (which are usually advertised as 15kW, which they are not). Mine is a Lihua LH-15a. The 15 is for 15kVA, which all the similar units support (not 15kW).
More power would be nicer. There are 3-phase units with 25kW and more. I've used a 25kW unit. That's a big step up for, say, making hammers or other work from thick stock. For 1/2" (or 12mm), it doesn't help much.
Hi, Is it possible to melt the metal in the crucible using this induction heater. I am planing to get one very soon. Thanks
Yes. Only small quantities and you will need an appropriate crucible and coil(s) made to fit it.
@@ejoftheanvil Thanks a lot.
what is the maximum current(A) that this coil can handle? dumb question but i need the answer please any one
I'm not entirely convinced the readout on the front accurately reflects amperage, but if it is true ... 800 amps. That's possible in a 7.5 kW heater because the voltage at the coil is quite low. I suspect, though, that the amperage is lower than that number, but it still is several hundred amps (probably more than the equivalent power welder).
Hi Eric, do you run distilled water or TIG cooler fluid through your induction forge
I run distilled water because it never freezes in my basement shop. However, last time I changed it I noticed a tinge of copper oxide green in the water so I'm considering moving to a TIG cooler additive.
need a better view so i can cop[y the coil
how much power does it consume though?
Ideally, the full 7.5kW. But, it's a compromise coil so probably not. I'd estimate from heating time vs a traditional coil that I'm getting half to 3/4 power.
The nice thing about induction heating is that it's quite efficient. Generally, if you aren't getting much heat into the work, you aren't drawing much power from the electrical supply (and vice versa: when you consume a lot of power, you get a lot of heat).
Nur zusammen verstehen wir unsere Produktion
Hey my forge is making a flickering beep noise. Is it cause of the tape on the coils that it is not heating? It doesnt look like a sleeve it's some type of tape wrapped around the whole coil which is 5 inch diameter with tape on it.
I think it's either a defective unit or the coil is out of range. My unit does beep-click-beep-click... when the coil is out of range. You can kinda hear that in this video: th-cam.com/video/XGGiGrkwXts/w-d-xo.html.
@@ejoftheanvil my old coil works fine the solders just fell off it's taken well over 20 minutes to melt this 7075 aluminum and it's just a pound
@@ejoftheanvil the conductivity isnt high enough I'm getting a reading of 18 amp
@@ejoftheanvil I was trying to heat it in a crucible but the amperage was too low. When I take everything out of it is makes the clicking noise and when I put everything back in it goes back to only 18 amps. The old coil works at 850 but the 1 loop doesnt melt enough material and it cools down in the middle of the metal and doesn't turn to liquid aluminum. I dont think the coil height is enough to thoroughly melt what's in the crucible with just 1 loop. The conductivity stops working well with 4 coils and a 5 inch diameter but 1 loops works fine it just doesn't completely melt the aluminum inside it.
@@ejoftheanvil do you think you could experiment and find a length that works well with your forge that I could purchase please?
would the machine you have be able to handle a coil with a 4 inch internal diameter? I make swords, bowie knives. my widest is 3.25 inches, and my thickest is 3/8ths
hi, recently I bought 15KW induction heater KIH-15A. I bought from aliexpress. I have not proper manual. I have some issues with proper electrical connect. I think you have lot of experieces with this kind of machine. If there is possibility to give me some advice. I can send you some video and info of the machine by e-mail....thanks
Okay. Look me up on the saltforkcraftsmen.org web site. You can find my email address on the Contacts page.
what is the maximum power of your heater, how much does id draw while heating?
These heaters are 7.5kW (there are no 15kW heaters, that's a kW vs kVA mistake). That will draw a bit over 30 amps depending on your exact "220" voltage. Those max numbers are a bit rare. They require just the right coil and steel shape (and of course having the heating current set to max).
Ej do you have a fb page? Id like to msg you and discuss these machines at greater length, were considering one for our shop and you obviously have the experience to speak to our concerns about them.
OK time und Mega
Have you tried this coil with the flexible lead?
@Skinner Innovations - not yet. It should work and would give some nice options for heating things that can't be brought to the coil.
Tell me nobody believes you can make a steam engine out of that you can
Be careful near those magnetic fields Eric...pretty sure that it can cause harm to the body.
What’s great about this coil is that (in my 100% non-expert opinion) the coil shape leads me to believe that the magnetic field is asymmetrical, and so....maybe you can stand at a certain distance away or in a position that isn’t near the field lines when inducting you’re metals, and that’s cause you less bodily harm??
Idk. Just know that if it were me I’d want my balls nowhere near that field 😂
I really only worry about the magnetic fields when I have my wedding ring on or something else metal (bracelet or something) on or near my hands.
I doubt this alternating magnetic field is going to cause your (or anyone else) body harm.
At 40Khz, it’s just under the frequency of AM radio, which begins at 100Khz.
Plus, the coil form is keeping the EM field contained.
The people that have to take precautions are the ones working on Broadcast towers for Radio Stations, but those things put out in the many kilowatt if not megawatt ranges. Ones hands can get dielectric heating if in direct contact with the transmitting elements.
Just FYI.
Great idea!
Is there a way to contact you so that you could help teach me?
Or, pick your brain?
I appreciate the videos you’ve made & would like to humbly ask how you could help me learn.
I have watched some of your other coil videos because I bought one of these machines last year. I have never been able to get results with any coil design like you get. No matter what I tried with flat stock it won’t heat up. Any thoughts about what my problem might be?
Is flat stock the only thing that gives you trouble? What are your stock dimensions? What about the coil?
So far it is only the flat stock. the material I am using is 50x3mm. I have made a few coils to go around graphite crucibles (which work really well), and attempted one pancake and one coil wrapped around wood to better shape it to the material. I can’t give exact dimensions of these as they aren’t handy right now. I am thinking I have bad coil construction as larger material heats well in the stock coil from the manufacturer. Any tips or resources you might recommend would be really useful and appreciated
How can you be sure this is not unhealthy ? I mean, the human body conducts electricity, just less efficiently than metal does, but still...
Induction heating is used in everything from stove tops to industrial processes. I hope we'd know by now of any significant effects. All I know personally is that my finger does not heat when I put it in the active coil. I don't do that often, so I can't comment on any long-term effects of repeated exposure.
Hello Ej, i found your videos when i was doing research for my own hobby of smithing my own knives. Does a induction forge use lots of electricity? is it expensive to run etc?
It uses about as much as a welder. It costs me less than $1 US for an hour of runtime (which is 2-3 hours of forging time since it uses very little electricity when idle). Also, tt does require a >35A 220v circuit.
@@ejoftheanvil thank you very much, that is actually amazing cause here in belgium the base net voltage is 220 volts just will have to take a look into the current draw when designing the workspace.
next time anneal copper first
Good point, but this tubing comes annealed
Love the videos and I plan to get an induction forge when I can. I have a few questions that I hope you have time to answer: 1) Would it damage the equipment to put antifreeze in the water if the unit is in an unheated shop to prevent freezing in the winter? 2: will a 120 volt unit get metal to forge welding temperatures or would I need a 240 volt unit? 3: is there any down side to having two coils of different sizes on the unit at once? See this video for what I mean: th-cam.com/video/k4xsqw463Hs/w-d-xo.html Thanks again for your videos!
You should add antifreeze. Ideally something designed for TIG. You should probably avoid automotive coolants because I hear they have additives designed to plug small leaks which might gum up your coils.
You really need the 240v unit. A standard 120v outlet is only 15A. That's a mere 1800W. You'd need nearly 70A to get the full 7500W performance. With 240v, it's common to have 30A, 40A or 50A outlets. You need 35A.
You can double up a small coil like that, but it's rather easy to end up with a coil that has too much inductance and won't work at all. With most of my coils, I push the number of loops right up to the limit (for a longer heat), so I don't really have the option for that. For some projects, tho, Grant's double coil would be very handy.
@@ejoftheanvil Thank you
Show parabéns
obrigado
Great idea, thanks!