thecelloronin

Sorry to resurrect an older thread, but I can’t quite understand what this section is saying. What does a half oval look like in this case? I’m envisioning like a canoe turned over, is this correct? I was otherwise planning on molding sacrificial plates/bricks out of kastolite in lieu of high alumina kiln shelving.

Hi fellas, I’m putting in the last orders for what I need to get started on this build. I found an 24 x 48 x 1 sheet of 8# ceramic fiber on Amazon which is quite a bit cheaper than elsewhere online. The seller is “Simond”, which just seems like a reseller of Chinese products. Is there any practical difference between something like this and branded Kaowool/Inswool? Assuming I’m rigidizing with fumed silica, costing with a 1/2” layer of kastolite, then finishing with plistix as is recommended. That said, before I buy anything online, I’m going to call a few places locally first. Still, thought I’d ask since a google site search wasn’t conclusive.

If you're asking me to play the part of the uninitiated rube, I'm way ahead of you!

Hey Frosty, I did actually click on the Gas Forge Supplies tab like you said prior to posting, but all I see is an empty forum. I'm guessing you see something I don't? Re Google: Sometimes, knowing the right keyword makes all the difference. I now see several options near(ish) to me. Thanks for that.

Hey folks, just wanted to say Happy New Year and drop in to show I didn't ghost. I'm still assembling everything I need to get started. I'm currently looking around for sources on ceramic blanket, kastolite, and plistix/matrikote. I'd rather avoid big-box online retailers and give my money to an actual person. Does Wayne Coe still sell such things? His website seems defunct. Alternatively, is there another IFI endorsed human who sells forge-building supplies?

Thank you guys, great information right off the bat! Few followups... Mikey98118: So if we're using a 5 gal propane tank, what orientation are you talking about here? From the way you describe, it almost sounds like 8:00 or 4:00? Anyway, the rest of this section was very illustrative as to just WHY you angle it in the first place. Okay, so the forge itself won't be D shaped in this scenario, but the interior chamber will be since we're essentially raising the floor somewhere near the halfway point of the circle, correct? So, my merchant coupling is not necessary inside the forge, but is it even desirable? (I doubt I'll be using this as a hand torch.) I already ordered it, but I'll discard it if it will make things worse somehow (nothing I've read so far leads me to believe so, but I might as well ask now). Latticino: I like this idea. Would the kiln shelf still be the more durable solution, or is it a tossup? I guess since I'd already have the kast-o-lite, K26 bricks or kiln shelves are an unnecessary added expense. I'm almost ashamed to ask this, but do you have a specific one in mind that you could link to? I've looked through a few builds here, but never really settled on one.

Hello IFI, I've been lurking these forums for a couple of months now and feel fortunate to have been admitted! While I have not read the entirety of the Forges 101 thread, I have put a mighty dent in it. As such, I have a fair idea of what kind of forge I'd like to build, but there are still some room for some guidance if any of y'all are feeling generous with your time. First, the burner. I plan to use Frosty's T Burner build. I'd intended to obtain a flare from Larry Zoeller, but it a) doesn't seem like he's in business for those parts anymore and b) seems Frosty himself doesn't use them, but instead uses thread protectors obtained freely from local plumbers. Rank newby that I am, I wasn't sure about trying to sweet talk free stuff, so I bought [a 3/4” merchant coupling] from Supply House. Will it work okay? Second, the 3/4" burner brings an interior volume of 350 cu inches to forge welding temps. Moreover, y'all seem to really like the oval or D shaped forges for their flat floors and rounded design facilitating the "swirl". I don't pretend to understand fully why that's important yet, but if y'all say it's good I'm listenin. It seems a forge of this shape wants the burner placed at the midpoint of the chamber, than tilted maybe around 11 or 1 oclock so that it doesn't point straight down at the floor. Do I have this correct? Third, I'm not sure what dimensions make the most sense. I hate to admit I asked the nearest AI bot what it thought, (perplexity.ai, a good alternative to the SEO ridden cesspool that is modern day Google), and it recommended 12" long, 6" wide, and 5", which is a tad over 350 cu in. Conventional wisdom here seems to say "well, we don't know if that's good for you, because we don't know what your goals are", and fair enough, neither do I. Aside: I'm a rank beginner to both smithing and metalworking, but due to serendipitous circumstances, I was laid off a few months back and picked up work at my buddy's metalworking shop. The minute I was given some basic tasks on the anvil and forge, I was hooked. At this point, I just want a small setup at home to practice basic techniques on, mostly hooks and small decorative items like leaves that I can sell at my wife's booth in the Charleston market. Figure if I need anything larger than a single burner, I have my buddy's three burner forge available; plus a single burner will always be useful even after I do build bigger and better–not to mention forgiving on fuel while I practice. So, following up on third, is a D-shaped 12x6x5 chamber a reasonable size (I'm of course planning on building the forge larger than this to accommodate the refractory encapsulating this working volume) for general piddling around with hooks, nails, leaves, and small tools? Fourth, reading Forges 101 might have actually made me a little more confused on refractory than I probably need to be. There's so much good information, but my lack of experience makes it difficult to parse effectively. I know I'll need two 1" layers of kaowool to line the inside of my forge, then some food-coloring tinted colloidal silica rigidizer, then something like satanite or kast-o-lite 30 to coat the outside of the kaowool. This is where my understanding starts to break down; is it either/or with the satanite/kast-o-lite, or do they work in concert with one another? Fifth, and related to fourth, is the floor of the forge. Much of Forges 101 mentions high-alumina kiln shelf as the ideal solution, but as the thread goes on mention is increasingly made of K26 fire brick. I'm sure this has been answered directly before, but which is preferable for my application? Again, I am 100% certain all of the answers are somewhere in the annals of this forum, and trust me I've been doing plenty of site searches (site:iforgeiron.com + keywords). But, I figured I'd get a gut check to break out of analysis paralysis and start making stuff. I humbly thank y'all for your consideration. I hope to be a productive member of this community in time.