With the cut strips of steel, I then had to form them into a cylindrical shape, which I did using the slip roller in the PRL. The stove is slightly conical - the top has a larger radius than the bottom to better mimic the shape of fire - so I attempted to achieve different radii during slip roll, which was a bit challenging. However, since the steel was so thin it was relatively easy to correct any imperfections with hand bending. 

After forming, I then moved on to acetylene welding, which was incredibly challenging with steel of such a small thickness. The torch frequently just burned right through the metal and the circular shape made workholding a delicate craft. Eventually with a lot of filler rod, I welded all pieces together and cleaned up the seams so they would fit together well.

For the final touches, I used high-heat resistant spray paint to coat the metal and paint on Calcifer's silly, mischievous face :).

The next step was making the cast aluminum pan through sand casting. This was my first time ever sand casting, and I was really excited to try it. To start, I designed the pan on Solidworks and 3d printed a plastic pattern (positive mold) for the sand to form around. When creating the pattern, I also added a gate and runner, which is just extra cavities that allow the molten metal to flow smoothly into the pan cavity when the aluminum is poured.

My first iteration of the pan pattern did not cast as I expected, as shown on the left, and I attributed this to 1) an insufficient draft angle and 2) not coating the pattern with shellac (a finish that helps it pull from the sand). After creating a new pattern and correcting these two errors, I tried again and was able to successfully mold and cast my pan! The second cast is shown on the right.