Teddy5246 Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 I'm currently planning on building a forge made entirely out of refractory cement by using 2 different sized concrete post tubes to create a hollowed out tube so that it will have roughly a 4inch thick wall all the way around. And be 1' 6" long so that I can cover the outside with sheet metal and insert 3 propane torches for the heating. My questions about this setup may be rather simple for more experienced people. Will this setup work on its own and with firebrick placed inside to create a flat surface or will I need to use a insulator like kao wool to finish this off. From my understandings as long as I cast this and heat treat the cement it should be good to go however I may be unaware of anything else I should to to this forge other then cast and heat treat it to complete. Would I be better off adding a layer of insulation inside the walls or wrapped on the inside and use a sealer? Should I perhaps use walls made out of firebrick and then add a thick layer of refractory cement around it? So far I have made my forges from firebrick and kao wool but have yet to use refractory cement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 Okay, when you say "Torches" we need for you to explain your terms. We use air and gas fuel burners in our forges; some newbies attempt to use air/propane torches, instead of burners, for very small forges, and they have their problems--lots of them. Three burners usually cause bigtime backpressure in most funnel forges; enough to choke off at least the middle burner... Insulating castable refractory will work; refractory cement will certainly NOT work. No, not even close; a complete waste of time and money. Forget the firebrick; replace it with a high alumina kiln shelf of about 5/8" thick. the whys and hows of my answers can all be found ins the thread called Forges 101. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 Check out the Build a Gas Forge at the Forge Supplies page at my web-site. This is a good, economic way to build a forge. What you suggest will be very expensive both to build and run. At least until you have more experience try to follow methods that have proven to be good. Let me know if I can help you. You can find my contact info on my Profiles page. I prefer e-mail. Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 Welcome aboard Teddy, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the gang live within visiting distance. Any number of which may have build a propane forge and are willing to help you NOT make the mistakes we have. BAD plan Teddy! First, "refractory CEMENT" is used in a THIN layer to stick bricks, tiles, etc. together in a furnace. It is NOT suitable for direct flame contact. Secondly, 4" thick will fail relatively quickly, possibly on first firing. Third, Solid refractories have the same insulating properties as an equal thickness of limestone. You'll be burning a LOT of gas just to warm it up and keep it hot. IF it holds together long enough to get hot. Before you start designing your forge try reading SOME of the hundreds of posts archived on Iforge regarding gas forge design. Forges 101 is is the most recent thread. It goes into some depth regarding the whys and why nots of different types of refractory liner. We're not trying to discourage you, we just don't like seeing folk make near guaranteed failure tools if we can help it. Just follow one set of PROVEN plans like you'll find on Wayne's site. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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