Hello,

Looking for some advice. Building my first gas forge and have some questions about how to insulate the interior. Here is a list of products I have for the job. Looking for a mix ratio. Or suggestions

Inslwool, fire clay, clean silica sand, perlite, alumina calcined, and water glass.

I left out the Portland cement because I hear it will break down?

Thanks, John

 

 

 

 

John, how will you be using this forge?  Rather an important datum wrt how it should be constructed.

Hi Thomas,

I'm just starting my adventure in forging. I will be doing minimal at first but would like it to hold up to forge welding eventually. It's built out of a old 40 lb. Propane tank. 14" interior diameter. Planning on 2" of inslwool to start. Forge will have two Z burners aprox 4-4-1/2 inches apart center to center. I have read the inswool fibers are very bad and I would like to cover with some home made refactory.

Don't skimp on safety. 

Have you read Wayne Coe's web page(s) on building a propane forge out of a tank? He also sells  real refractories in reasonable amounts and at reasonable rates.

BTW "minimal" does not tell us ANYTHING. (what size work pieces, how often will it be fired up and for how long, etc?) Minimal could be heating sewing pins with a lighter and hammering them with a powerhammer mounted on a hard hat---I've seen it done!

38 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

John, how will you be using this forge?  Rather an important datum wrt how it should be constructed.

I have visited Wayne Coe's Web site's. And found them informing. Nothing bigger than a camp knife and I would think lass than 6 hours a week.

So, I'd suggest: 8 to 10" diameter tube, 2 inches kaowool, face properly covered, not longer than 12" to 14" with a back pass through/door

One thing in construction kaowool I have bought came in 2' wide x length purchased so we generally use the 2' as the circumference and the length purchased as the depth of the forge. Also buy two layers worth of 1" thick wool so you can just replace the inner layer when it gets messed up. This should do an 8" ID tube: The excess from the inner layer can be used to fill the gap in the outer layer.  Outer layer 25", inner  layer  22"   Do the gap on the bottom coat the surface and cover the join with a firebrick split.   

Have you studied the Build a Gas Forge attachment on the Forge Supplies page of my web-site?  You can find the url and other contact information on my profile.  I prefer e-mails.

Let me know if I can help you.

Wayne

Frosty posted an excellent step by step on lining a forge that I thought was made a sticky not too long ago but I can’t find it right now.  It would serve you well to hunt through Frosty’s posts in the gas forge section until you find it.

While you are reading I suggest these two threads as well.

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/53239-ceramic-wool-insulation-safety-alert/

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/53873-read-this-first/

 

Just buy a water set high alumina castable refractory and save yourself, time money and the need to rebuild it so quickly and often. Home made refractories aren't something you just wing, guys here have been tinkering with them for years and buy instead. Wayne sells small quantities of products that work for reasonable.

Frosty The Lucky.