FoxRidge Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 Hello all, I’m in the process of making a gas forge from a refrigerant bottle. My original plan was 2 layers of 1 inch ceramic fiber blanket, rigidizer, 1/2 inch of kast-o-lite 30, and a final layer of a zirconium silicate wash. But after reading the posts from D.Rotblatt, the idea of rigidizing followed by a thin coat of zirconium/silica and having a forge with a much lower thermal mass is appealing. What’s bothering me about this is that my 8# ceramic blanket is only rated at 2300’F and I don’t know if the thin layer will insulate/protect the ceramic blanket from degradation like the hot face of kast-o-lite. I don’t want to save on propane at the expense of having to rip down the forge and rebuild. My burner is a 1/2 inch Mikey burner. Any thoughts, suggestions? I'll cut access and vent holes in 'covers' once I know where my floor is. .023 mig tip, 3 intakes, filed square and beveled on inside lower edge. Flame at 5psi, choke almost closed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 Stick with your original plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoxRidge Posted January 23, 2019 Author Share Posted January 23, 2019 Thanks Mikey, I really appreciate your advice. I'd be a fool not to take it. I'm picking up a bag of last-o-lite 30 this Friday. Can't wait to fire it up. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 Don't forget the Zirconium silicate wash; you need both to protect the insulation from being overheated by that burner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoxRidge Posted January 24, 2019 Author Share Posted January 24, 2019 Will Do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Rotblatt Posted April 20, 2019 Share Posted April 20, 2019 On 1/23/2019 at 12:45 PM, FoxRidge said: What’s bothering me about this is that my 8# ceramic blanket is only rated at 2300’F and I don’t know if the thin layer will insulate/protect the ceramic blanket from degradation like the hot face of kast-o-lite I'm sure you've built it by now, but for others and future reference I have used the coating on 2300 ceramic blanket in a furnace. It does hold up pretty well, did many pours out of that furnace and I think it still has the same lining after years of use. Still, this is less use then a forge, as a melt takes under an hour, so 50-60 pours is only that many hours. Never-the-less, in a furnace the flame is pointed directly on the wall of the blanket and it works fine. Every few years I would add another coat or two of the zircon shell coating. Only takes 30 minutes or so, and then just fire it up. Heals the cracks from tong abuse. Dan R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted April 21, 2019 Share Posted April 21, 2019 I like your choice of re-emissive & sealing hot-face coat, and realize that--by far--the greatest expense is always fuel use. Best heat reflection versus armoring and heat reflection is a personal choice; not a matter of right or wrong. He laid out his priorities, and knowing how hot that burner is, I only tried to help him reach his stated goal. However, everyone else needs to decide what direction they wish to choose best on their goals; not his The last thing I would like, is to see your coating being dissed in any way. I plan to use it myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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