Zoeller Forge - Forge making supplies

C

coldsteelburns

Joined
Aug 2, 2010
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Hey everybody, I been ready to make a new forge now and arlieady have everything priced and know the rest of the stuff I need, which will (hopefully) be from Zoeller forge. I know he was not doing buisness fro quite some time due to, health reasons I believe but I decided to give the site a look a week or so ago and it said as of May 9, 2013 they are open to buisness. Well I emailed him on Tuesday of last week, as well as Thursday annd Saturday just to triple check everything was correct, like his email address etc and I still havn't got a reply back from him.

I was wondering is anybody here has done buisness with this place and if so, is this normal? His page says to send him an email with the parts that you want to order so he can quote you a price with shipping... and then order, which is what I did in all th emails. Any thoughts anybody?

I am really wanting to go with Zoeller forge for my parts cause I searched and researched quite a bit and I found his site to have everything I need, and want all at the same site.

Any suggestions? I already bought a mailbox from lowes which will be the body and wanted his Z-burner -and Plistix 900 F and other refractory and burner parts to make my forge, that I can use for forging, forge welding, and Heat Treating by being able to switch or firebrickshelvefloor so I don't contaminate other projects with flux, and I'm on a tight budget. Also I'm not goin to bother making a burner again, the one I made over a year ago from pipe pparts from lowes is still working good but is crudly put together and I just wanna start fresh and get what I need so I can get up and running and start forge welding!!!! My legs are kickin'! lol
Thanks for any help!
Paul
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www.youtube.com/Lsubslimed <---------some of my knives, etc. vids
 
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I also emailed Larry last week, didn't get a reply.

edit: I also use a hf 5 gal air tank. Now just try to get a burner + holder + regulator. I tried to build but tired of missing parts.
 
I got a reply from Larry last week. It took a few days. He may not be the most "timely" communicator... but Larry is a stand up guy. Call him.
 
I would recommend looking at seattle pottery supply for your refractory needs. They will ship the stuff over to ya pretty cheaply and you will save a decent amount of money vs ordering from the online guys (nothing against them).

There pint of itc 100 is a little cheaper and comes packaged very nicely to prevent the spillage I have experienced before.
 
Thanks for the replys. haha, I made sure the mail box wasn't glavanized. I was acually goin to use that exact 5 gallonn air tank from HF but I just settled on the mail box, its made from thick enough steel and just the right size. I'll olnly be using one burner so I didn't want to by the air tank cut it apart and put every thing together just ta realize I need another burner.

I'm glasd ta hear I'm not the only one this has happened to when emailing Larry. I'll just give it another couple days or so.. I just really want that Z-burner, I just wonder how much more efficient it is than the regular "modified side arm burner" that can also be found at hight temp tools.

Quint, I actually live pretty close to clay art center in tacoma (which is a good amout closer than seattle to where I live) where I actually bought all my supplie to make my forge I'm using now. They sell ITC-100 but it's just to much for my to spend right now. I wanted ta use the plistix 900 f because it's a lot cheaper and appearantly it's comparable to ITC-100. I have a bunch of "Green Patch" left from clay art center when I use for my hamons as well but I'm not sure I want to use that on my new forge, it pre mixed and very thick, although can easily thin it down.

Maybe I can save money by using the green patch as the base then ordering a small amount of ITC-100 to go on top as opposed to using satinite. Larrys' page makes it sound as it all you need is to put some Plistix 900 f on then you're set..

But anyway, anybody thing I should just go with the modified side arm burner that I can get from high temp tools instead of trying ta get the z- burner, which would be about the most I could spend on a burner ..($75) I know about the JF #1 burner that sells for like $85 but I am not sure how One goes about installing it on the forge. I was just going to use a 1- 1/2" pipe nipple like Larry uses on his simple gas forge" plans with the conduit ring and washers, then tap that to hold the burner so I don't have to welt anything. The size and shape of the JF #1 has a different size and shape flare that's welded onto the burner making it one... blah .. anyway,, any thought, tips, suggestions??? I appreciate it guys, thanks for your help :) Paul
 
Given that Larry's been one of the go-to guys for burners and forge parts and the health issues he's had to deal with (I'm not sure of details, just know that they kept him away from the burner business for long stretches), it's not surprising that it will take a while for him to catch up. I've had good dealings in the past.
 
I cant remember all the details I have read about all the different burners but did a bunch of research a while back on them. I will say that if you are tempted you can save some money and put one together yourself much like the z type. The only special thing on these guys is the shroud on the end which if I remember correctly is 12degree angle for optimum performance. Or it was 12-14 degrees. You would have to try a few map tips to figure out which ones are the right size for the gas. They are smaller on these guys but for the life of me I cant remember which size they use.

As for the ITC-100 it only takes a little bit. Ya thin it enough to wipe on with a paint brush. Its just a thin coating or two which is all ya need. When I do my forge I have in the past used the satanite or similar refractory over the kaowool. Once that is good and dry I brush on a thin coat of itc and it works great. The plistex I have not used but sounds like it is very similar.

Well thats about all my limited knowledge in this area. Good luck.
 
I e mailed him a couple times several months ago (he had just updated his site) and never heard word one. Seems like a lot of people were/are having the same experience.
 
Rick Marchand said:
I got a reply from Larry last week. It took a few days. He may not be the most "timely" communicator... but Larry is a stand up guy. Call him.
Click to expand...

Hey Rick :) I have checked all over his site and don't see any other contact info other than his email address, do you know how I can find his number, or is it not posted because he'd rather not have people calling him up and buggin him? I don't wanna invade any privacy or anything like that. Thanks :)
Paul
 
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Perhaps, he has removed it from his site.

..... nope.... here it is... from the bottom of his forge parts page.

(502) 439-0812
 
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