Thanks for all the help guys. its working far better already and im sure that after i can find better parts and work the peices out all will fall into place and this little guy will roast like a tiny dragon.
I'm not 100% on the type of brick but the hey are much lighter than they look, easy to cut and they guy at the fireplace shop did say they are 2700 degree ceramic firebrick he didn't say k-26. They do also retain heat for probably an hour or more after i shut off.and longest run time so far has been about 20 min.
i am considering rounding the brick joinings inside the forge with castable refactory then wraping the entire unit in kaowool then another metal case around that to hold more heat in. would that be a total waste of time or worth the effort? I'm making this little unit more for portability for demonstrations than anything else but i think I'm finding love the on/off firepower vs my usual method of coal and forced air so probably will upscale a bigger unit for maybe sword length in the future.
Frosty, thanks for the reply, and i hope all is well for you there with the rocking and a rolling in the area. My sister still lives in Anchorage and i heard of all the quakes. scary stuff stay safe!
edit: By the way My general location is Portland, Or.