mpc Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 So... I was going to build a forge and had the stuff to make some t-burners but a deal popped up on a classified page that got me a working forge, 2 propane tanks, & the reg for less than the sum of the parts. Suggestions for evaluation and tuning of a new forge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 Good looking find! I'm no forge expert, but my first concern would be making sure that there are no leaks in the gas lines, that the hoses are in good shape, and that there is no exposed unrigidized ceramic fiber (particles of that stuff can get into your lungs and make you very, very sick). If there's no IR reflecting coating on the inside, you might also want to think about adding that to improve the forge's efficiency. People who know a lot more about this than I do should be along shortly. Also, welcome to IFI! If you haven't yet, please READ THIS FIRST! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 Looks like a very well constructed forge to me. What make is it? BTW: What did you decide on the anvil you were looking at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John in Oly, WA Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 Suggestions? More pictures - showing the inside when it's not lit, and the burner flames when it is lit. Then we could see what you have and if it needs anything done. From just looking at the one pic, I'd say get a couple of bricks to put on that front porch (maybe extend the sides of the porch or add angle iron to help hold the bricks) to slide side to side to cover that big opening. If that's ceramic blanket I'm seeing inside, make sure it's rigidized. Then I'd add another 1" of ceramic blanket, rigidize that, slather a 1/2" of kastolite 30 over that, then paint on some matrikote. But that's just guessing from the view of the one pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 Firebricks can be used near the exhaust opening to raise forge tmeperatures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpc Posted March 16, 2018 Author Share Posted March 16, 2018 18 hours ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said: Looks like a very well constructed forge to me. What make is it? BTW: What did you decide on the anvil you were looking at? It was a DIY by a guy in Utah. I didn’t buy the anvil. I’ve got a chunk of RR track for now. 16 hours ago, John in Oly, WA said: Suggestions? More pictures - showing the inside when it's not lit, and the burner flames when it is lit. Then we could see what you have and if it needs anything done. From just looking at the one pic, I'd say get a couple of bricks to put on that front porch (maybe extend the sides of the porch or add angle iron to help hold the bricks) to slide side to side to cover that big opening. If that's ceramic blanket I'm seeing inside, make sure it's rigidized. Then I'd add another 1" of ceramic blanket, rigidize that, slather a 1/2" of kastolite 30 over that, then paint on some matrikote. But that's just guessing from the view of the one pic. This is gonna’ sound dumb but, how can you tell if it’s rigidized? How “rigid” will it be? I’ll post more photos later. I’ve been too busy keeping the criminals out of jail (day job) to have time to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John in Oly, WA Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 It would be pretty crispy rigid. If it's not rigidized, you can push your finger into it like stiff cotton and it gives and flexes back a bit. Rigidized, ya poke it, the fibers are gonna break and not bounce back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 Kaowool will get stiff from the fire so it can be hard to tell unless you've seen examples of both that have been in the fire. Without being sure just apply a good coat of rigidizer, it won't hurt especially if the flame face is uncoated blanket. If it feels like concrete it probably has a hard refractory flame face. If it looks unerroded and isn't friable, (crumbs rub off / crumbly surface) when you rub or push on it it's probably fine. Giving it a coat of kiln wash won't hurt a thing. Check Wayne Coe's site, you don't want to have to pay for a large quantity or through the nose at a "REAL blacksmith site." If the chamber is uncoated ceramic blanket or the hard liner is degraded I'd be seriously tempted to wet it down, rip it out and re-line it. If you wet ceramic blanket it doesn't shed fibers at a dangerous rate, a basic dust mask will be icing on the safety cake. You also want to spritz it well before you apply rigidizers. This is known as buttering in mason jargon. It makes things like mortar bond to a surface where applying it dry causes the mortar to flash dry on the surface NOT bond. In many ways rigidizer acts like mortar buttering blanket allows it to flow deeper and bond to the fibers properly. It also makes blanket safer to handle and work with. I recommend buttering the existing layer before laying the next from the shell in. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpc Posted March 16, 2018 Author Share Posted March 16, 2018 I emailed the guy who sold it to me. It is not rigidized. I’ll have to buy some and get on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 Great to be able to get that feedback rather than to guess. Lots of good info here on IFI about how to rigidize. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 Rather than buy "Rigidizer" as such buy colloidal or fumed silica and mix up your own. Mikey has it laid out with sources in the Forges 101 thread it's pretty common stuff a fraction the price and has a long LONG shelf life. Premixed rigidizers have a pretty limited shelf life. Mike also likes to ad food coloring to the mix to show where and how much you've spritzed. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 Yup; Fumed silica is pretty cheap on eBay and mostly comes with "fast and free" shipping. When added to water, fumed silica becomes colloidal silica. During firing the food coloring burns into such a minor amount of carbon that the rigidized ceramic fiber looks white as snow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 BTW: Welcome to IFI @mpc Here is a thread I always recommend to someone new to the forum. It helps with navigation and a lot of tips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpc Posted March 17, 2018 Author Share Posted March 17, 2018 7 hours ago, Frosty said: Rather than buy "Rigidizer" as such buy colloidal or fumed silica and mix up your own. Mikey has it laid out with sources in the Forges 101 thread it's pretty common stuff a fraction the price and has a long LONG shelf life. Premixed rigidizers have a pretty limited shelf life. Mike also likes to ad food coloring to the mix to show where and how much you've spritzed. Frosty The Lucky. You people are awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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