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burn box

overview

The burn box is a place to burn small papers safely indoors. It’s a small open-topped steel box, four panels welded to a base plate, and the base is drilled with vent holes so the fire can pull fresh air in from underneath while it’s going.

The panels are stamped a word to a face: LIFE EXISTS AND IDENTITY. (Whitman, ofc)

build

The panels are thin sheet steel, tacked at the corners first and then welded out, with the vent holes drilled through the base after the box was closed up.

Thin metal difficult. It’s far less forgiving on flux core MIG than thick metal is. On heavy stock you have plenty of latitude in both time and power: you can dwell, you can run hot, and the mass around the puddle carries the heat off. None of that is true on thin material. Dwell a half second too long or run a touch too hot and you’re not welding anymore, you’re cutting a hole and then trying to fill it back in.

the first panel tacked to the base plate, letters stamped into the face
three panels tacked up, the box starting to take shape
all four panels welded up, heat color around the joints
drilling the vent holes through the base, box clamped in the drill press vise
the finished burn box, vent hole visible at the base

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