Jim Keel Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 I am total beginner who is just starting off on my blacksmith journey and while I have decided to go with a propane gas forge, and have even narrowed it down to 3 I like best, I am a little confused when they talk about the relining kits and replacing the brick floor. Can anyone give me an idea of how often that needs to be done and how extensive of a job it is? To clarify I am talking about pre-made gas forges and not one I built myself. While I know I can build it cheaper for my first forge I would just prefer to put out the money and get one new. Thanks for your time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 Welcome aboard Jim, glad to have you. I'll have to let someone who's relined a factory built forge answer you but you'll get a lot more useful replies if you're more specific. Narrowed it down to what 3? How long does the company website say relining the model forge you're at takes and costs? Were it me I'd make a floor rather than use fire brick, they don't like welding fluxes. You may not plan on welding but you can never tell what might catch your fancy. I've never relined a factory made forge but I've made a few of my own. If you make your own don't do what just about everybody does and get carried away. Just large enough is about as good as it gets. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 The floor is made of fire brick!?! A hefty price tag doesn't prevent the merchandise from being JUNK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Keel Posted September 16, 2016 Author Share Posted September 16, 2016 1 hour ago, Mikey98118 said: The floor is made of fire brick!?! A hefty price tag doesn't prevent the merchandise from being JUNK. That was my mistake when typing the out. It's actually a dense ceramic floor. Sorry. 2 hours ago, Frosty said: Welcome aboard Jim, glad to have you. I'll have to let someone who's relined a factory built forge answer you but you'll get a lot more useful replies if you're more specific. Narrowed it down to what 3? How long does the company website say relining the model forge you're at takes and costs? Were it me I'd make a floor rather than use fire brick, they don't like welding fluxes. You may not plan on welding but you can never tell what might catch your fancy. I've never relined a factory made forge but I've made a few of my own. If you make your own don't do what just about everybody does and get carried away. Just large enough is about as good as it gets. Frosty The Lucky. The main 2 I am most intrigued by are the NC Whisper Momma with the open end ports and the Diamondback 2 burner blacksmith forge. Both are dual burners, around the same dimensions and have mostly positive reviews. Both look to be between $100 and $150 for the relining kit. Which if that is something that needs to be done regularly might impact my budget I layed out. The diamondback is the one with the dense ceramic floor. Tough decision and sometimes after researching so much I end up more confused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFT Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 18 hours ago, Jim Keel said: Tough decision and sometimes after researching so much I end up more confused. Yep thats where im at with my forge/burners... pretty common from what i understand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Country Forger Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Hi Jim and welcome. I recently purchased a used Forgemaster Blacksmith model and had to reline it as it was in really bad shape. The kit came with all the parts including the ceramic floor lining. After running it without replacing the liner and after forking out the $150 bucks I still think it was well worth it as it stopped the heat from eating away at the forge body (which was still solid but starting to disappear at the door and side ports) and allowed me to get to welding heat and turn down my propane consumption by half. As for the work itself I just used the tools they listed (a rasp, a keyhole saw, drill, and a hammer and piece of 2x4 to disperse the blows while fitting it among others). It probably took me 2 hours from the time I started loosening bolts to when I fired it back up. Things I would watch out for: -Wear a respirator! not just the mask they send, the liner is nasty stuff. -You want the liner to fit tight since it will shrink a little but don't force it. the roof was the last piece I installed and due to the warping and being more comfortable with fitting the pieces I managed to put in minor cracks in two places (nothing that cant be fixed or result in a loss of performance but annoying). -There was a lot of waste; I think I filled a whole trash barrel with all the old liner, packaging, various consumables, etc. Be ready. -Have a notepad ready to write down any bolts and screws that need replacing so you can pick them up on the next hardware store run. -When you fire it up the first time a lot of nasty fumes get released from the new liner. So again, respirator or just fire it up, walk away, and then turn it off and let it cool (as the liner shrinks from cooling more fumes get released it seems). Of course all this in a really well ventilated area. As for frequency it depends on use and care. Flux eats at the floor quickly, and the insulating brick is soft, so if you hit it with metal you will wear it out pretty quickly. All in all its not a hard job and worth it. once you've settled on the model and parts set aside a day and go for it. And of course have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzonoqua Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 how often you need to reline will depend on how much you use your forge and 'how' you use your forge. Its a fairly straightforward job but care must be taken with proper health and safety precautions. Dust from the ceramic fibreboard is a carcinogen and you don't want to be breathing it in. I wet it down before handling and also wear a respirator. I have a diamondback metal artist forge and relining is a simple proceedure of opening it up, taking out the old and cutting the new fibreboard to size and installing it. As I'm overseas i've never bought the relining kit, i've just bought the raw materials and was supplied with a 'cutting list' and instructions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 I LOVE seeing this kind of specific information about purchased forges; good going guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 I have listened to grumbling about the whisper forges not getting hot enough for years. Owners of Diamondback forges make no such complaint... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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