Help! Kaowool Info

[Vendetta Tactical]

Quick question about ceramic insulation. Is it a bad idea to compress kaowool as to put more layers in your forge. 

[Frosty]

Depends on how much. It's ability to insulate is directly related to the amount of dead air space and lack of contact surface in the blanket. The more you compress it the more fibers are in direct contact so it conducts heat more easily.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Mikey98118]

Folding squares of Kaowool in half and deliberately compressing them in layers around curved surfaces in heating equipment has been a standard construction technique for decades. The pros and cons may be debated, but some pretty smart people have been doing it for quite a while.

[timgunn1962]

13 hours ago, Frosty said:

Depends on how much. It's ability to insulate is directly related to the amount of dead air space and lack of contact surface in the blanket. The more you compress it the more fibers are in direct contact so it conducts heat more easily.

Frosty The Lucky.

I get the impression from the spec sheets that something quite unusual is going on with ceramic fibre blanket. For some reason, the higher-density varieties seem to have reduced thermal conductivity (i.e. they are better insulators).

http://www.unifrax.eu.com/web/Audit.nsf/ByUNID/D0B83D7C069DC6DB85258220006F5398/$File/Fiberfrax Durablanket S EN.pdf

This is exactly opposite to the vast majority of insulating materials. I am pretty sure that compressing the blanket will not significantly reduce its insulating ability on a per-inch-installed basis and will most probably increase it.

[Frosty]

I've wondered about that myself and admit I could be completely off base. Looking at what I wrote I see I implied it wan't a good idea. I agree it's not significant, at least not what a mere human can do to it. Heck, the lid in my main shop forge is made up of folded sections It looks pleated but is stacked strips bent in half and pinned. 

I don't know what stuffing 3" of ceramic blanket into 2" worth of space would do to thermal conductivity. What I don't need to experiment or call the company to know or accurately surmise is, it'd be a lot tougher physically. 

New forge thoughts flooding my mind. Hmmmmmm.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Mikey98118]

It doesn't increase it in proportion to the same amount of fiber product in a lower density (in other words in proportion to the same amount in a much greater area). The bargain is actually more fiber traded for more toughness in the finish product; not more insulation.

[Vendetta Tactical]

Hey Guys, I appreciate all the info!  I don't know why I didn't get into this trade earlier. Its been a blast so far, but you know how it goes when you're learning something new and begin having these "brilliant ideas" then realize down the road theres a good reason why professionals don't do it. Thats half the fun though while you're learning. However, just because redneck engineering runs in my veins doesn't mean I want to make a costly mistake. 

Frosty I know what you mean after I finished this last forge I learned alot so naturally I see things I would've liked to change. Plus my brother-in-law works for Penhall and brought be a huge concrete hole saw (14" diameter x 18"-20" deep) Oh well though once I wear this one out I'll eventually get to put it to use.

[Howling dog forge]

some of the Duraboard 16# boards have a .8BTU/HR/Square foot heat transfer, this stuff just does not transfer heat.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

On 1/26/2018 at 12:43 PM, Vendetta Tactical said:

Oh well though once I wear this one out I'll eventually get to put it to use.

Can't tell from the picture but you ridgidized the blanket didn't you.

[Howling dog forge]

20 hours ago, Howling dog forge said:

some of the Duraboard 16# boards have a .8BTU/HR/Square foot heat transfer, this stuff just does not transfer heat.

that should read .8 BTU/Hr/ft²/deg.

[Vendetta Tactical]

I hadn't yet in that in that photo, but now it has a coat of satanite which now I wish I had used kast-o-lite 30 after learning satanite absorbs heat. Which brings me to my next question will ITC-100 cut down on the amount of heat absorbed by the satanite?