Dac4552 Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 I am building a don Fogg design forge . I have my instalation in and now I am going to start applying the itc100 but I am wondering how thick should it be i have heard everything from just a light coat . to 1/4 . Any help.would be appreciated. Dean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Welcome aboard Dean, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many IFI gang members live within visiting distance. ITC or other IR reflective materials aren't insulation. Zirconium is an IR re-radiating material, it gets hot and efficiently re radiates it back. Ask MIkey, I don't have a good handle on that one either. Until the recent discussions of lining and kiln washing forges I was of the opinion a light coat did the trick. I've recently come to the conclusion a thicker coat is worth trying. If you're using Don's plans I assume your forge is lined with Kaowool or equivalent ceramic fiber refractory. Yes? Have you applied a rigidizer to each layer? Have you kiln washed the fire contact layer? Wait, no that's what you're asking. Once rigidized apply your kiln wash in whatever thickness you have the material for. Within reason of course, 1/2" is pretty good, 1" is excessive but not out of bounds. Wet the fiber blanket first and spread it evenly, let it dry thoroughly. Hanging a light bulb in it works a treat. I have used IT-100 and it worked well enough but it's price has gone completely out of reach for me. I'm a hobbyist and it's just too rich for my blood. However we did a little shopping, we being the Alaska club, and found Zirco Pax zirconium silicate flour at Seattle Ceramics Supply for very reasonable, they flat rated it to us for IIRC $3.76 / LB. and we're experimenting with different things to use as a matrix. ITC uses kaolin clay. I've been experimenting with high alumina water set refractory I sift the aggregate out of. Search out the current forge lining and kiln washing threads there's some good info and construction details laid out. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Like Frosty said, ITC has gone completely out of sight at about $75.00 per pint. Plistix or Metrikote are more reasonable alternatives. ITC, Metrikote nor Plistix have any strength. I always recommend against just using them to coat the ceramic blanket because every time any of them are poked with metal a hole will be poked through, however, with this style forge that risk is minimized. You might want to look at the attachments on the Forge Supplies page at www.WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.com for more information on building gas forges. Let me know if I can help you. waynecoe@highland.net. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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