2700 or 2400 deg forge liner

[LouieIV]

I'm working on building my first forge. It will be essentially the 'simple gas forge' on Larry Zoeller's site.

my question is will the inswool HTZ 2700 deg liner provide significantly better efficiency over the standard 2400 deg inswool? In other words is it worth almost double the cost in propane savings down the road.

I will be coating it with I will be coating it with satanite and/or bubble alumina and ITC-100.

Any input, opinions, or questions are welcome.

Thanks,
LouieIV

Edited April 22, 2010 by LouieIV

[don't tread on me]

I have a gas forge lined with 2300F durablanket and it just eats propane like a monster, better go with the higher stuff.

[ThomasPowers]

I feel that your post is mis-information: The temp rating of the insulation should have little to do with how much gas your forge uses. It's the design of forge and burner that does that! In particular your forge seems to have only a thin layer of insulation and a large interior space and large doors. Do you block them with insulative material or just plain heat hogging fire brick? Do you have a layer of insulation under the floor block?

If I was going to use that forge I would 1: wrap the entire interior with a layer of insulation and then place the floor block with some standoffs to prevent insulation crush under it and then place a second layer of insulation that actually touches the side of the floor block so there are no gaps.

I would also use light (soft) firebrick to close up the ends and keep them closed save for the minimal area needed to get the work in and out.

[origami roofs]

If you plan on forge welding with your forge, then I would get the 2700 degree inswool.

[LouieIV]

I don't know if I'll be doing forge welding or not. From what I've read if you use ITC-100 then there should be no problem forge welding with the 2400 deg. stuff.

Maybe a better way to phrase my question would be; Does the 2700 deg Inswool have any better insulating properties than the 2400 deg. Inswool? Or is it just more temp resistant?

Thanks,
-LouieIV

[jcornell]

I don't know if I'll be doing forge welding or not. From what I've read if you use ITC-100 then there should be no problem forge welding with the 2400 deg. stuff.

Maybe a better way to phrase my question would be; Does the 2700 deg Inswool have any better insulating properties than the 2400 deg. Inswool? Or is it just more temp resistant?

Thanks,
-LouieIV

The issue is the density of the Inswool, not the temperature rating - if you're using two inches of 8 pound wool, the insulating value should be pretty much the same.

[reefera4m]

Insulation does have an effect on propane use. The better insulated the forge the more heat it retains, the faster the metal heats up, reducing the time needed to use the propane. The higher temp wool is similiar to higher 'R' rated home insulation - in addition to being less likely to degrade at higher temperatures.

To gain a better insulation 'bang for the buck', add a coating of furnace cement (or Satanite) and ITC100 over the ceramic wool. The ITC100 has a reflective capability that will further increase the interior heat and reduce the fuel consumption. At least it works on my propane forges.