Im not familiar with inswool moldable. Any updates on it's performance? I wonder how it would work for lining an entire forge interior. Since it makes a hard flame face and requires less fuss than a blanket I'm extremely curious about it. Seems like it could be very useful.

Pnut

Thanks this was great information. 

Thank you Lou, I was scouring the forum for info on making a propane forge and stumbled on this page. Extremely detailed and helpful without getting too technical!

On 2/2/2019 at 12:22 AM, Lou L said:

Wayne suggests using scrap ceramic wool and shaping it to create a “half oval (per Mikey) and then layering last-o-lite and kiln wash to avoid a flat floor and allow flame to flow.  This seems superior to a flat kiln shelf.

Sorry to resurrect an older thread, but I can’t quite understand what this section is saying. What does a half oval look like in this case? I’m envisioning like a canoe turned over, is this correct?

 

I was otherwise planning on molding sacrificial plates/bricks out of kastolite in lieu of high alumina kiln shelving.

Don't apologize, Lou started this thread so folk could find the basic info without having to search through the hundreds or thousands of posts in the propane forge section.

One of the things I was unable to do was establish a common term for a "D" shaped forge, an oval shape forge is simply that though laying on it's side. 

I make cylindrical forges into a D by laying a layer of ceramic refractory blanket on the floor and feathering the edges where the floor meets the walls. Feathering means to gently strip blanket from the contacting edges thinning it so it doesn't form an abrupt change in thickness. 

Draw a circle then draw a straight horizontal line across the bottom. The straight line and curved line represents how you want to feather the refractory blanket to make the forge floor.

The shape of the chamber isn't a "D" and calling it that can be confusing but I was unable to convince folk of that so "D" shape it is. <sigh>

Frosty The Lucky. 

I suggested kiln shelves for forge floors for years. However, the prices of high alumina kiln shelves have become ridiculous...

Circumstances alters cases, one more time.