Inswool insulating blanket

[Glenn]

Inswool insulating blanket

1 inch thick, 24 inches wide. Price $8.50 per running foot (12 inches long x 24 inches wide x 1 inches thick). This material can be cut with shears.

Coverage depends on the size of your forge.

Shipping will be calculated on your entire order of materials.

SAFETY: Wear eye protection, a mask, and gloves when handling this product.  Ceramic Wool Insulation, Safety Alert

 

Contact me PM for your order.

 

[Glenn]

You will need 2 layers of 1" 8lb. ceramic wool refractory (a high temperature insulating layer made from ceramic fibers) such as  Inswool insulating blanket. It is best to use two layers of 1 inch material rather than one 2” layer.

Measure the circumference of your forge subtracting 1/2 “ from the diameter (half the thickness of your wool) and cut ever so slightly large. This will create a fit that is tight enough to keep the wool rigid in place. Before adding the second layer, rigidized the first layer and burned off the water with the burner.  The color of the dye faded to white as the wool heated up. When it was basically gone stop the burner. It can take about five minutes, maybe a bit more. The second layer is added using the same math measuring from the new, smaller diameter created by the wool.

[Utahusker]

If applying two layers of 1", is it good practice to apply rigidizer to the first layer before putting in 2nd layer?

[Frosty]

It isn't NECESSARY but it doesn't hurt. It will stiffen the insulating outer refractory a little more and so make a more stable surface to support the hard refractory inner liner / flame face. 

This is discussed in depth in the Forges 101 thread. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[M.J.Lampert]

what is the temperature rating on this stuff?

[Glenn]

 Inswool Ceramic Fiber Blanket  2300°F

Kast-O-Lite 30 Refractory 3000°F

[vikingbornthorn]

if I make my own water glass, can I , without worry use it as my Ridgidizer. and if so do i still need to butter the wool refractory befor applying. Thanks so much for your help.

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard, glad to have you. You CAN make your own sodium silicate but there is a better rigidizer that has withstands higher temperature and is MUCH safer to make and use. Fumed / colloidal silica is commonly available at plastics and fiberglass suppliers, it's used as a thickener in resins where necessary. It's silly cheap even in Alaska. Mixed with clean fresh water, a little food coloring so you can see the coverage and sprayed on the Buttered refractory blanket with a spritzer works a treat. Once applied you cure it with a torch or the forge burner, red heat is plenty.

I bought a pint can, approx 3oz. of fumed silica for IIRC $8.00 and have used maybe 1/4 cup on two forges. 

When I checked the HAZ MAT fees on the shipping for a few, 8 maybe oz of sodium silicate were prohibitive before you considered the price. Maybe EPA doesn't have everything in your state in the strangle hold it does here but sodium silicate was out of the question. 

I don't know about buttering before using sodium silicate, I don't think sodium and water play nicely but being compounded with silica may change the chemistry. Check before applying it to anything wet.

Rigidizing with fumed silica does indeed work much better buttered first.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Jay Petrilla]

Noob here.  Just curious since I have some leftover refractory cement from a fireplace remodel.  I have 2 layers of 1" ceramic wool and wondering if I can put a layer of cement over my wool instead of rigidizer?

[Irondragon ForgeClay Works]

You can put cement over wool but it is not very good as a refractory, it's made to stick brick's together, so I wouldn't. Rigidizer locks the fibers together so they don't become air borne and get into your lunges, which is very bad. Then a layer of castable refractory.

BTW Welcome aboard... Have you read this yet? Read This First

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Jay, glad to have you. 

Besides refractory cements and mortars not being formulated for flame contact and short lived in a propane forge. No they won't serve as a rigidizer, they're an adhesive. If applied to ceramic blanket it's only a surface bond, the remainder of the blanket will remain soft and flexible.

Forges 101 section has the most current discussions of forge building, I'd skim before getting provisions for a cover to cover read. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Glenn]

I did finally get my kaowool into the forge and have it drying from rigidizer application

Irondragon:

To speed up the drying, put an incandescent light bulb inside (preferably lighted).

 

[Glenn]

  Frosty:  Stale pound cake is as good a description of how rigidized blanket should turn out.

[Glenn]

If you need insurance or special packaging on anything we ship, please let us know at the time of the order.