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I Forge Iron

Belz

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    QLD Terra Australis
  1. It actually looks like the jet is before the air intakes. From what I have read, isn't the jet meant to be almost past the last air intake hole? That's how T-Rex's are made... and that's all I have had experience with. I would have thought you would want the air/fuel mix to be after the intake holes. It can only ignite if the air/fuel mix is the correct ratio, and if it can't possibly mix before the last intake hole then there wouldn't be a problem.
  2. Yep, that was what I was thinking would happen with the softbrick. Again, back to the "consumable" material thing huh. That being estimations of course, based on approximations. Real data would be great to have, although, time/money consuming I know. One day I will compare the two. Your idea with the two castables and glass middle sounds interesting. I wonder how thick the interstitial glass layer actually needs to be, given the thermal expansion/contraction of the two wouldn't be more than 10mm at maximum surely? I'll have to do some more research. Yeah, small cracks can be repaired once they become more of an issue. Always good to get into the nitty gritty details of this stuff. D.
  3. Thank you all for the replies, it is much appreciated. As for the 10mm walled pipe, yes, definitely heavy and definitely overkill. From that I have learnt not to force buy pipe, especially after using a metal hole saw to painstakingly cut out the burner inlet hole (10 minutes later). It is one of the reasons for contemplating another build to be honest (I would say its about 20kg). That, and to save fuel. Stainless sounds like the way to go, given the pipe I have stays quite hot a LONG time after shutdown (again, likely due to the wall thickness retaining heat). What wall thickness would you recommend for the stainless? A kiln shelf would help, as at the moment I have the piece laying mid air in the forge, which does give even heating, but once I get to forge welding (eventually) I will need some floor protection. Luckily in QLD there are plenty of pottery supply stores, and that isn't a problem. I'm starting to think this current build will be reserved for larger pieces, not needing to be forge welded. Again, beginners big eyes got the better of me. I didn't wet the surface before applying the hardener, which I will do next time. The explanation was great too, people say that you should wet the surface prior, but not why. Give people the details, let them learn. You said that the kiln shelf can sit on the inner liner. Should this be pushed down flat against the inner liner to form it somewhat, then remove it, wet and use the hardener on the flattened inner liner, then put the kiln shelf back in and flatten it again to form fit it, while it dries? After the hardener has completely dried, should the Blakite be used thinly, as a kiln wash? Do I need to re-wet the surface prior to applying it? Also, prior to applying the ITC-100, do I need to re-wet the surface? The Castable Refractory sounds interesting, but if not dried correctly that could also crack, yes? Does a monolithic castable refractory, when dried correctly, have thermal checking as well, seeing as it would only be a single material with the same thermal expansion/contraction properties? I understand that hobby forges are put under a lot more thermal stress than commercial, due to the ability for them to reduce the temperature gradually. Unfortunately a downfall of these forges huh. Okay, now for a left hand turn. What do people think of soft firebrick lined forges, such as the design attached? Soft firebricks cut at the correct angles, blakite mortar and IR coating? I've seen the whole, "brick pile forge" thing, but I understand that circular forges heat better than square due to the vortex effect. Just wondering about the lifespan of such a forge, and the heating qualities when compared to blanket lined forges. Has there been any comparison of maximum heat capacity/heating times between two forges of same internal volume, lined with brick vs kaowool?It would be interesting to do such an experiment (Sorry, scientist coming out in me there). I'm glad I posted in this forum, you guys are very helpful. Thank you, D.
  4. I will follow up with pictures later, but as you said, the cracks which have formed are also only hairline as well. So, it is inevitable for hairline cracks to form, and just to apply coats over them? This is the first I have made, so I didn't/don't know what to expect from the shell.
  5. Hi All, After trawling through many a post on these forums, I came to the conclusion that what I would like to know may be so deep, that I may not find it. Hence, my first post. A little background on the forge I created. Much of which, I took from these forums. It is made from 10mm thick steel pipe, 10" I.D. I used a refractory glue to adhere the 1400oC fibre blanket to the inside of the pipe, and a second layer of insulation bonded to the first. Following this, I washed the blanket with Kaowool hardener (I used quite a bit to get some strength into the blanket), and once it was fully dried, I applied a Blakite (http://www.morganthermalceramics.com/sites/default/files/datasheets/1_jm2600blakiteblakitevjm3300.pdf) wash over this, and gradually built up the thickness, layer by layer once each previous one had dried. I left the final coat to dry for a good few weeks (in Aus weather at that). I have some ITC-100 analogue material to wash over the top of that, but, as it always seems to happen... I fired up the forge prior to applying it, to get an idea of the improvement in heating times once I actually did apply it. After the first firing, I noticed some cracking in my blakite layer, very straight, running perpendicular to the curvature of the blanket. Second firing, it has worsened. Not significantly, but nonetheless, I want to reduce/eliminate it. My question for anyone with the knowledge (I know some of you will have the knowledge), is firstly, how should I address the cracking in this current forge? What material and how should I apply it, to eliminate it? I am always wary of those nasty fibre blanket fibres, and want to reduce the possibility of them being airborne as much as possible. (I know that the hardener should have done that, but I tend to be over careful when my lungs are concerned) Also, this current forge heats well even without the ITC-100 equivalent, admittedly. However, I believe it is likely on the higher volume side of a 3/4" T-Rex burner, at ~500 cubic In. for forge welding (I haven't cranked the PSI above 10 yet, mostly running at about 5, with an idle circuit dropping to who knows what -> pressure gauge post idle needed). As such, I will be gathering some more pipe and likely be making a smaller volume forge, at about 300 cubic In. (designed in Sketchup). Given this, can anyone suggest / help me out with a similar layering to that which I did previously, with tips to eliminate the cracking etc? I can follow up with pictures if necessary. Thank you, D.
  6. I bought something similar to itc100 from hybridburners in the US. Shipped with the t-Rex I bought. Iv lined my steel shell with 2" wool, used kaowool hardener over the lot and am currently waiting for that to set before laying on some Blakite (then the itc100). All of which came from pottery supplies Brisbane.
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