hbmasa

After using plistex more intensively there are updates. Plistex is like drying mud until it's all the way cooked dry. It is easy to pop off chunks of plistex on the entrance and exit of the forge. Plistex is very good and cheap, but it's no matrikote. The matrikote reflects the heat better off the floor. It's way hotter to be near the forge openings. You could probably use plistex for sides, tops and cracks. It is the perfect thing to fill the gap between the forge ends and that deadly kaowool blanket. I'm figuring out how to make a plenty hot propane tank flame. Part of the secret is collapsing what will be the bottom of the tank. It is so far getting obvious that good ir doesn't allow so much heat to get through. Heat doesn't go through soft brick enough to use the deadly blanket. It's not worth it. Hbmasa " I love it when a plan comes together" Tank honestly is getting very hot at this point. No hands in or on forge when it's over 1800. Haven't got the last 300 degrees yet. Silver tank will glow orange. Is it a grumpy one or no tips like liberty?

OK, I can now tell you most of this. Coal (not charcoal) gets plenty hot in a grill with a fan on it. I could not figure a way to lower it into the heat and hold it there but it felt peeling skin hot. Killed the grill. I found out the brick Forges can be moved but if you knock them loose they could collapse when fires on so it was not recommended, it actually was recommended to not do it. He said if is stationary and really safe, it should work. Plistex dries hard. Should be near as strong as kastolite. A slow roast with bricks up on each side will cook in the plistex.(That's what I guessed) up high with bricks in the way flame is all over the entrance I think that's all, plistex is really good and so much cheaper than matrikote. I got 4.5 lbs on jungle for $25 dlvd. Matrikote was about 46 for a pint i didn't have to touch kaowool or hear old bellyaching yet. If you ignore someone why do they still get to post on your post. If they were talking we could take their teeth, does that mean fingers if typing for attention?

I got some posts all of the sudden and this wasn't a joke. It was an actualifi member who told me perlitte to begin with. It doesn't mKe sense after sealing something from exposure to not be worried about an 1/8" of visibly opem gap running through kastolite. Then again, im state educated. I am no longer posting on this so don't spend hours anyone on my malady. To those who did help and not try to sell for kaowool, I'm very appreciative and sorry if the kitty litter offended anyone. I very seriously read about it on internet yesterday related to perlite Iron dragon don't know how you found that but that's really good reading. I've not seen it laid so simply. Good reading Tx all

Hello all. Happy Saturday. Due to this site iI have no welders or torches. (I listened). I need to recover the ends of my forge in plistex where kol got knocked off. Is there a good schedule to burn this in? my only heat (the burners) can come from softbricks at both entrances or let it go. Does plistex dry hard, or will blanket push in. Is it more durable than kol? Tx I've got a full box of wood matches or could put whole thing in my grill (not burner) on charcoal with a strong fan blowing coal height. Tx Last one, can you carry a 4 brick angle iron forge oris that something that needs its own permanent space. Can you use brick weight to seal heat or does it really need angle iron( I know to carry) State educated bur sincere tx

I couldn't remember what I was buying and got inches away from ordering vermiculite when I bought it but the rare flash of brilliance told me to go reread. Thanks for the head up on both. Now I'm thinking lava rock and kitty litter( a joke) Tx

I think I'll just hold until I get a better idea of whats going on. Thanks alot for your time and effort everyone. Somebody speaking up earlier could have saved my 2nd tank but hey. Tx

Is insowool OK this month?

I used food coloring in the rigidizer to make sure I got everywhere, I got it with a sprayer til well coated in color, then the blanket burned white. It started its kol life white. Sorry, I'm such a poor typist. State schools...

Sorry, I mistook perlite w vermiculite. We always used on the crops mixed with nutrients but always together. My blanket went white after burn in. And seeing special burn. It was very stiff when I covered it well with col. Kept it wet... the forge I did that to is a little sun. Plenty of welding heat. I was putting an 18" 2" cable in it, missed the entrance a little and it stripped off nicely scuplted kol of one hole side. I've got a ton of this cheap plistex ..... That is too much effort and concern over blanket. Coke is no better to breath. My new going idea is to cover soft bricks in kol to keep it up. Use about 2 horizontally on sides and a solid floor of soft bricks. I'm hoping to not have to have bricks on ceiling. I just realized using the perlite as a spacefiller meant mixing it in the wet kol Sorry so long winded When I say cheap plistex it was 25 for 4.5 lbs. No put down of plistex

That is exactly how I burned it in. Then I did matrikote in 3 burns. I didn't actually use quarts, but I had changed the color to solid dark. Maybe cup and a half. ThNks to your input I won't be half done by 6. How sealed does firebrick need to be over vermiculite, sides etc. Is it really sealed because it's wrapped in tight brick or can they just be close?( no angle cut pieces. And thanks again for your input. You got my questions picked out of ramblings. It's very appreciated, course now I got nothing going on 4-6 today. Thank you

Wasn't perlite used with kastolite before blankets came out? Mail arrives at about 4 so anyone around please safe me a 5th lining. And with a tank forge, isn't the distance to open air gonna keep heat in.

The one I have now was built per specs to be safe but got cracked around the opening from knocking into it and might be polluting. I know it wouldn't be in the 2700 club. But couldnt I get steel white with only kastolite insulating. No perlite. As close to 2" as I can, provided the tank will let me go 360 degrees Tx Due to density of homes and our wind, non cooking fires are not permitted on entire island and I admit to liking only doing a few runs at a time to keep craftsmanship up.. With those two, it seems like to much too try to hide smoke from the cruising backyard policeman 5-6 times daily and more for some friend of fire department all day.i was told to put out a propane chimney one day. It was homemade It doesn't need to be perfect just blanket free. I could leave out the perlite Tx I could put whole1.5" blocks of brick in corners and around forge to absorb and hold heat if that works I was gonna block doors off too.

I've got the plistex coming in should I use it instead of kol? I guess they're about the same $$. Yeah, I want my daughter outside but with the effects being so severe. It bothers me. I used qts of rigidizer on kaowool first installation. But I've knocked the entrance of the forge down to bare with cable inserts. Still bothered this stuff can be so deadly but it's OK to have the innards of forge dry and shrink an 1/8"and leave a gap outlining perimeter of whole entrance. What about smashed g3 brick mashed to powder and added to kol smeared on the tank interior? I could recoat in kol or plistex but want to make a blanket free tank forge If it's so dangerous I'd like to know if it's sealed or just pumping straight out bad fumes through cracks or exposed blanket like a dry sponge but it is still white from being kol ed

I've got a nice forge now, but it has kaowool. It got a few cracks and I'm scared. Id like to be able for my daughter to see what all the rackets about outside. Dlvd is delivered shortened. ( though it does look like blvd). I thought that price seemed cheap by at least $50. I was gonna cover the perlite and castolite with some straight castolite( to protect perlite maybe, its castable refractory if thick enough right?) Will straight castolite stick to the metal if I butter it. It's obviously a big mistake to do this but I ordered the stuff and destroyed my backup tank already . Plus, those silvery tanks look so cool all shined up

And is there a right way to apply the first layer around the metal inside of the forge. I've done my little rectangle ones in about 2 steps but it was on kaowool. Just realized. I bought 4.5 lbs of plistex on jungle for 25dlvd. Any thoughts? Thanks

Hello all. I'm starting my fourth kiln insulation stuffing in about 15 months and it's getting old(heavy stuff in Lil box). Tomorrow I've got more arriving for my first propane tank bodied forge. Perlite and kastolite were suggested as a base layer used 50/50. Does anyone know how to determine the amount the halves? Use by weight, volume or scoops, wet or dry etc. If any tips on using as a base layer for tank forge please help. This is to keep kaowool out of my life for good

I thought id read that folding cable diminishes the figure. (But draw out length of billet, fold it with hammer, flux the middle and beat it flat?)This billet was really weird, becsuse due to migged ends, i only twisted it about 1/2 turn. I have 0 clue what this figure will even look like. So it looks like angle grinder is causing the dark spot as opposed to it being an ugly burned end just mashed in hot metal. i think im getting speed better. How long on average should i hammer each heat forging ( i weld in 15 seconds a little hotter)how long to resoak in forge if its a storebought vevor running good. (Resoaks are blazing at 2 minutes nonrmal round.) Shouldnt i be able to psi. control 50 degrees below burning, never go higher, shouldnt i be able to full soak without bjurning? Welding has to continue with each forging as long as i start yellow right? Tx

The groove on the right, about 2/3 towards top I was leaning on it to take time and do it well vs freehand

Is the black square in the groove (at knifetip) a burn mark from angle grinder or is that part of the ugly from welding the ends cable is there any chance this will just end. I think th 2nd grinder channel looks clear. If its angle grinder, how can i prevent im future grindings. I wouldnt be surprised if ìts burned. I was full body weight on the grinder Are these cracjks? K

Hey Les, you were a lot of help in this. Thanks. I've got photos I'm gonna post to ask about color and cracking but don't know who's posting to put it under. Tx again I can remember red is dead. I hadn't even been down in the orange. Everything says be ready to go and stage hammer so I just assumed. Orange/red got to be 3-4 minutes working time. That would be 3-4 more time than it gets now. I thought I thought I was spending more time cooking than necessary.

Thanks Goods.(my hammer will always be available if you need one and I appreciate your info. Wow, that felt nice) I posted this on swage page because that's where it started and swage people have been much less grumpy. It will be nice to be able to ask 12 quick answers question all at once but sometimes one answer gets two so it seems like people posting their hundreds (or tens)of of ideas by year end from each person . I admit to combining a lot, thought that was favored. Truth be told these ladies and gents in the swage category have really good hammer knowledge too never could have made it without you dear folks of swage (picture of my metal)

What is the right answer when asked to describe my straight pein . Short?

Its hard to tell real info in 101. Some "official", non covidian posters ( or those with a poor state education) write things not in 101 or changed their thoughts after several years of covid. There is no way to tell whats new without writing dates, topics and authors down to compare.Its like an old school library as opposed to a forum. The questions i have are for people who have it and would like to help. Not asking anybody specific for anything. Sometimes its fun to share knowledge if you have it. Nobody reads love and war to find out it was tolstoy. I try to post newest questions because after a few hours i try my guess on the old questions. Im about 60% accurate. Just trying to be a recreational metal monkey, not run the large stuff everybody apparently runs or is ready to run.

The pein only sticks out about 1 " its a fiskars. All the cross peins have a tail3-4" with a square frame. Can i have any type of fire that would make the metal hard to work once its welded? It might just bea matter of needing to hit it harder. I weighted it down with wrapped big chain Tx

Hey guys, ready yo draw out lengthwise. Any ideas. I posted this here because i didnt get yelled at first time. Nobody respects the swage