I've built 3 forges .2 aspirations and 1 with a fan to force air into. The fan seems to use less fuel and gets hotter.
After a year or so the kaowool is starting to droop and the itc-100 is gone ,partly because I have bumped the kaowool when putting work into heat.
My question is the folks who make the chile forges for example seem to use a ceramic board that seems to be durable and last a long time?
I priced some ceramic board and it is 2/3 the price of a new chile forge .
Is that why the chile forge is priced that high because there is no maintenance with them and they have the indestructible ceramic board in them?
Is this just the life of a kaowool built forge to keep applying itc-100 whenever needed?
Thanks for help.
Keith

I consider the kaowool in my forges to be "consumables"  and I generally rate one class of teaching new students equal to about a year of my own use on the liner.

 

A "no maintenance" forge is one that is never run!

Kiln shelving works well for a hard surface to protect forge insulation. I use it as a furnace floor as well, replacing it as it wears out. As said, not zero maintenance, but can help reduce the cost.

ITC-100 is not intended to be a top coat, but is used s a finish coat to increase the IR reflectivity of the surface.  You need a thin coat of a refractory mortar, like Satanite, Mizzou, or Kastolite, on top of the Kaowool, and then wash that with ITC-100 for he best performance.

 

Hard surface forges burn more gas (in my experience), they take longer to come to heat, and take more input to keep them at heat.  They do have the advantage of wearing better, and, in a production (rather than a hobby shop) environment, are lower maintenance.  While I don't think of myself as a "hobby" smith, I only forge a couple of days a month (unless I'm making Damascus billets).  So for me, a forge that heats fast is the biggest thing.  My welding forge has a brick floor, and I just live with the fact that it burns more fuel.

 

Just my .02

 

Geoff

Thank you for educating me on forges.

I like that statement a no maintenance forge is an unused forge.

Kiln shelving , that is what I m going to try next.

The itc-100 is supposed to go on after the refractory , I will try this next. The hard surface may be ok with me ,I'm still slow at the forge ,not always sure what I'm gonna do when it heats up to fast.

Keith

I'm no expert for sure but I applied Matrikote over my 2" blanket and it seems to be fine. Its cracked but I don't think it matters much. After screwing around casting forge floors, I purchased a kiln shelf and cut it to size with a diamond masonry blade in a skill saw, it worked perfect. A tip perhaps many of you already know is using an electric carving knife "turkey carver" to cut and trim blanket. Really works slick I purchased 2" blanket and was able to slice off a clean "3/4 to wind up with a nice uniform "1 1/4 section to go below my floor. 

This may be an ignorant question but do you need to coat  ceramic board that is not on the floor of a  forge? What i am wondering is if the board has the same issue with breaking down and giver off fibers like the wood has. I like the idea of a kiln shelving has a floor over the insulation, that sounds like a good way to go. 

 

thanks 

Ernest.

Ceramic board works well on the ceiling and walls of the box without coating but flux and forge scale will eat up the floor in short order. Best to use a rammable ceramic or kiln tile for protection on the bottom.

HW, 

 

Good to know, I have seen how flux eats, well, everything. I did not know if you needed to seal it like the wool. Would the rammable ceramic but the wool or something else? 

I used to buy an AP Green product that was a heavy grey rammable that I hammered into a 1/2" tile which was then allowed to air dry and fired.  Worked a treat for many years until it eventually started coming apart.  Unfortunately, I cannot recall the product part number - but it was premixed and only had to be pounded into shape.

You might want to read my tutorial on the Forge Supplies page of my web-site.

 

 

Let me know if I can help you.

You might want to read my tutorial on the Forge Supplies page of my web-site.

 

 

Let me know if I can help you.

 

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Mr. Coe, 

 

I will take a look at your tutorial today, thank you Sir.