Rdavi76 Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 I've been doing a lot of research and about to build my first forge, I am new to Blade smithing but very interested. I have a few questions from those that are experienced. Wondering what is preferable hard firebrick or the soft insulated fire bricks for building a brick forge? Also looking for some guidance in terms of one burner or two I intend to build my own propane burners using three-quarter inch pipe following the frosty T burner Style, how many cubic inches per burner is the guidance? My current thought on design would be 3 fire bricks laying width wise as the floor platform with the soft insulated bricks lengthwise as sides one brick on each side and then the top so I'm looking at a proximately a 9 inch length with an opening of approximately 4 to 4 and 1/2 in wide and 4 and 1/2 in tall Recommendations and or guidance would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 Hard firebrick are extreme heat sinks and so take a lot longer to come up to forge temps---or cool down to "safe put away" temps and use a lot more propane in general. (We often get people here saying they can't afford to spend US$20 for kaowool but are willing to spend $200 more in propane to use a badly engineered forge---its a puzzlement.) Soft firebrick are much more insulative but do degrade with temperature cycling. We generally advise lining a forge with kaowool and then coating the face with a refractory coating to prevent it from shedding fibers in use. Know which of the 100+ countries that participate here you are in might help us make suggestions for materials you can source more easily... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 Welcome to IFI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 Why don't you save yourself a lot of trouble and use K26 firebricks from eBay? There is the Forges 101 thread to show you basic information about how to build them, and the Burners 101 thread to tell you how to build them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rdavi76 Posted July 26, 2018 Author Share Posted July 26, 2018 Thanks for the warm welcome and advice, I updated my profile, So not familiar with Kaowool but know what it is in general, aprox how many inches in terms of depth of it would you recommend, would you suggest using say 1.25 insulated firebrick for the framework then the Kaowool or just build a sheet metal frame or box? (unless I can find an old propane tank or similar) Sorry this may be a dumb question Mikey Yes, my first choice I assumed would be the K26 firebrick as you mentioned wasn't sure if that was my best option and also wasn't sure if that was the best for the "floor" of the forge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 You are jumping around from one subject to another because you lack the most rudimentary information. If you had looked up K26 firebrick, then you would have discovered that it is a light insulating brick that is capable of withstanding the extreme thermal cycling forges are subjected to, and is way cheaper than ceramic fiber insulation. Your opening statement was that you wanted to build a brick forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rdavi76 Posted July 26, 2018 Author Share Posted July 26, 2018 Mikey Sorry if I wasn't clear, my opening was trying to ask the specific question Wondering what is preferable hard firebrick or the soft insulated fire bricks for building a brick forge? I just didnt ust the terminology "k26" firebrick instead referencing insulated firebrick... That cleared up would you mind recommending the width parameters of the bricks? I'm searching for the thread you mentioned in forges 101 but have not found it as of yet. If my knowledge so far is to elementary/or rudimentary for this forum I apologize, I thought this would be the best place to learn proper best practices and gain the best learning Thanks for your assistance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 I recommend going to eBay, and inputting K26 brick. The reason is that they quickly dispel al manner of worries about using this product. For instance, they offer a number of widths. As to what I would recommend, the largest bricks will allow you to well insulate you forge with single brick walls, made with the least trouble, sense steel angle and thread stock construction make the most successful brick forges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rdavi76 Posted July 26, 2018 Author Share Posted July 26, 2018 Thank you! And just as I am unfamiliar with the product they will work fine for the floor or bottom of the forge as well (where I will be laying the steel I'm working with)? In terms of durability? (I am unfamiliar with there density but read they are a bit brittle so want to protect my investment... So to speak) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 Welcome aboard, glad to have you. I know the Forges 101 and Burners 101 threads answer all your questions so far and you can search them by using your regular search engine and including Iforge and Burners or ? 101 in the terms. I don't count pages but I guess both threads are getting pretty long so treat them like a text book, skim thread titles, open a likely thread and skim post titles. No need to spend weeks reading the whole site but doing a little reading first will do us all good. You'll have a handle on the jargon (language specific to a craft, lots of terms have specific meanings unique to current discussions.) It'll help you ask good questions, save us the trouble of having to decipher them and let you understand our answers. A good example of how important proper terms are is the common mistake of buying "refractory cement" to line a gas forge. Even if it's rated to 3,000 f. it's not suitable at the flame face, it's cement to stick bricks, etc. together and just won't survive long directly in the fire. Recently K-26 has become available on the shelf at the commercial HVAC supply and service company I buy from. It's rated at 2,600 f. max working temperature so it's failure temp is higher. As the main armor l apply a: 3,000 f. water setting high alumina castable refractory, currently KastOLite 30 though I'm sure better will be along shortly, it's a competitive market. We're going to experiment with different "Kiln Wash" products for the inner liner, (flame face) soon. Kiln washes are used as the final flame face in a thin layer. It doesn't really need to survive deflection like the insulating outer liner layers K-26 but it needs to resist abrasion and high temp chemistry. All that aside, the basic order is from the outside in: Shell, (whatever holds your forge, usually a steel something propane tank, ammo can, etc. Outer, insulating layer, Hard refractory armor layer, optional kiln wash. (depends on what you have for hard refractory flame face. though I'm pretty sure a kiln wash IS the flame face. IF we lived by strict definitions and technicalities. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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