Phil Patrick Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 Hello all. I have been doing some research on possibly constructing my own gas fired forge. It seems that alot of folks have enjoyed alot of success with them. The question that I need help with is this. I noticed that that most homemade and "factory" built gassers use Kaowool or the like as a liner. And of course, I have seen a fair hand full made with good old fire brick. What is the advantage of the Kaowool? Or, is a firebrick construction type just as serviceable? As usual,, thank you in advance for all the help. Phil PS,, the blueprints on here have been a great help so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J W Bennett Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 Phil, The kaowool of course is lighter but also it does not absorb as much heat so it heats up quicker. It does not transfer the heat like fire brick does either. I have a forge made from an old 40# propane tank. I am currently using kaowool on the sides and top and the firebrick for the floor because it holds up better. I need to coat the sides with ITC100 but have not got around to it yet. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 There's also insulating firebrick, which is almost as good as Kaowool at insulating. It's much lighter than hard firebrick, much more durable than Kaowool, but not as much as hard brick. Another material is insulating castable refractory. You mix it up like cement and then form it where you want it. It's about the same as insulating firebrick in insulation and durability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solvarr Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 Please remember that Kaowool is dissolved by borax fluxing. A good layer of fireclay tends to take care of that. I tent to really like satanite brand fire clay but will use vulcanite brand castable if I have to. -Solvarr I am working on getting the last photos for a blueprint on how to make a forge out of an ammo can. The issue I have with many designs is that you need a full shop to build the forge. I kinda boiled it down to basics We have had great results with this Ammo Can Forge ConstructionAmmo Can Forge Construction - a photoset on Flickr Ammo Can Forge Decontruction (we tore apart the first one after 2.5 years of abuse to see how it was holding up)Ammo Can Forge Deconstruction - a photoset on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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