77katz77

Thanks everyone who commented. I have a MUCH better idea for how I'm going to build my forge and I've learned a lot.

I have ordered what totals to be 12” x 86” of kaowool. The length of the forge is going to be 12” (I don’t think I’ll need it any longer). How would you suggest I wrap the wool? Disregarding what’s going to be on the outside of the wool. If I have a smaller ID for the forge I could get more layers but less volume , and vise versa.

So does regular fiberglass insulation work as well as/along with kaowool? I’m ordering what amounts to 12” 86” of kaowool (1” thick). This is enough for at least two layers of wool on the inside of my 13” bucket. I’m primarily going to be using the forge for knives and am curious if a forge with an ID of 9” , 12” length would be too big? Meaning that it would require a hotter flame/lose heat faster than a smaller forge. This is the reason I’m wanting to reduce the diameter in the first place.

I currently have a Speedy Melt vertical propane forge I’ve been using for melting aluminum and am wanting to build a horizontal propane forge for blacksmithing. My plan is to use kaowool as an insulator. However, the steel bucket I have that I want to use as the outer “frame” is 13” ID I only want to use one 24” x 12” sheet of kaowool. For a 12” long forge I’ve determined that I need about a 7.5” diameter hole for the wool. Would I be able to use a homemade refractory (plaster of Paris, perlite, sodium silicate) as a way of filling space so the kaowool will fit nicely? I know homemade refractories certainly aren’t ideal but I’m thinking this might be ok because the kaowool is a main insulator.