Reviving a dead proforge.

[Charles R. Stevens]

[Mikey98118]

I used Satanite on the outer facing surface of ceramic board used as the exhaust opening on  my very first forge; it was quite satisfactory. However, everyone seems to agree with Frosty that it won't due as a flame face. Remember that if it works out that way for you too, that you can jump back and punt, be adding a coat of Plistix 900 over the Satanite. It's always nice to have a fallback position

[Charles R. Stevens]

Mike, how well dose ITC-100 hood up as a flame face? In the pro forge the floor plate takes the abuse from the burners. 

I coated it with ITC-100 in hopes that it would help with borax erosion. 

[Frosty]

After reading a little on the ITC site IC-100 may set up hard, it sure didn't when I bought some but that was more than 25 years ago. 

If it doesn't fire hard maybe put a layer of kiln wash over it? I'm no fan of Satanite, even the maker, "HWI" says it doesn't work for flame contact, it's for cementing things together. But if it's what you have it MIGHT work to protect ITC-100 iderneath it.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Charles R. Stevens]

Well the satanite is providing mechanical protection for the liner and the ITC is coating the whole thing, floor plate included. The burners are directly overhead so the floor plate or the work .takes the flame. 
the ITC came the consistency of corse grogged clay, with directions to cut with 1 part water to two parts ITC. 
the directions for the Satanite made a thick pancake  batter wash. 
 

at this point everything is green ware hard baked at 550f. After I clean up and remount the burners (mud dobbers) I will fire it up for an hour or two to try and vitrify the coatings. Then we will see if I wasted my money. 

[Mikey98118]

3 hours ago, Charles R. Stevens said:

Mike, how well dose ITC-100 hood up as a flame face? In the pro forge the floor plate takes the abuse from the burners. 

To begin with, I'm not sure that the present owners of this product, are still using the same formula. But, the original formula held up just fine against my hot burner flames, and only needed repair when internal surfaces were gouged or scraped by parts being heated in the forge. Since additional coating goes just fine over the original coating, this should be no bother.

Others have complained over the years that their ITC-100 coating left off or pealed away in places. I think I can safely put that down to sloppy insulation work. Considering what you plan to paint it on, I don't expect any problems of that kind. Why? Because the original formula has an acid for a binder. This acid creates a sticky surface until it polymerizes at heat (around 900 F, if I remember correctly); this makes a permanent change in the binder, so that it is tar-like at room temperature, and turns glassy at heat, going through this change endlessly without wearing out. You couldn't ask for a better plan, so far as keeping the zirconia particles in place is concerned.

Furthermore, the original product lived up to their brags, once I started placing a little bit of it at a time, in a glass partially filled with water.  What happened then, was that  the coarse zirconia particles fell out of the solution, and  settled to the bottom of the glass. The remaining particles, which were most of them, were by definition colloidal. What is important about that is that, only tiny particles of heavy metal oxides (like zirconia) are colloidal. You can paint the thin solution on the forges internal surfaces with much less effort than the thicker paste calls for.

Zirconia particles can rang from 70% to over 90% "heat reflective"; the difference is in how small the particles sizes are. By sacrificing a small amount of crude particles, you will greatly increase efficiency, and greatly lower heat stress on the forge. What a nice exchange

Hope this helps you Charles,

Mikey

[Charles R. Stevens]

This product isn’t sticky dry, but it helps. Thanks to you and Jerry. 

[Mikey98118]

I got one thing backwards. After it polymerizes at 900 F, it become glass like at room temperatures and sticky when heated up in the forge.

[Charles R. Stevens]

Sounds like the molten flux puddle on the old bottom plate.

We will see what it dose in the next few days, lol. 
 

 

[Mikey98118]

Just one thing to remember; once you coat with ITC-100, you probably won't be able to plaster over it with Plistix, etc., without scraping it off first. ITC-100 probably won't support anything else, but more  ITC-100  on top of it. Not that I think you'll change your mind, but others will be reading this too; they may not have a clear idea what they want to do.

[Jimw3326]

I'll be trying to put a layer of kastolite over it.

[Mikey98118]

Good; it's always nice to have a theory proven or shot down. Either way, we're better off

[Frosty]

The first ITC-100 I bought remained chalky for years and the forge got hot enough to melt steel. Jump forward 30 years and today ITC says ITC-100 overlain with ITC-690 is the ideal but either fires ceramic hard.

My only conclusion has to be that my experience is too dated to be good.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Mikey98118]

I get the feeling that the ITC-100 you are describing is a completely different formula than the product I used nineteen years ago.

[Frosty]

WAY different. A fellow I don't regret not hearing from or about in 30+ years discovered doing something like you describe. He did a hydraulically fractioned ITC-100 in a 2,000ml graduated cylinder. When it all settled out he had  approx 70% kaolin clay and 30% zirconium from fine sand to passing a 200 seive. 

I have part of the 50lbs of kaolin clay I bought to do some experimenting and I do not know why it won't fire in my forge. It gets more than hot enough but kaolin remains chalky, just like the ITC-100 I applied according to the package directions. My thought for buying the kaolin was to wash the rest of my forge and protect it from flux erosion. The ITC-100 is still clinging to the roof on the forge because it doesn't get rubbed on very often.

So yes, it was a very different formula maybe a short term failed line, I don't know. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Mikey98118]

I just bought another half-pint jar of ITC-100 through Amazon.com, becuase Mr Volcano brand is selling them for $15!!! I can afford to see how much it has changed for that low, low, price

[Charles R. Stevens]

Yep, volcano is who I got mine from. 

[Mikey98118]

Everyone else is selling that same half-pint jar for close to fifty bucks

[Charles R. Stevens]

Yep. “What the market will bear” is the American way!

[Mikey98118]

Just so NO, and find something else is always Mikey's reply to ripoffs

[Charles R. Stevens]

Thus the “no” to $350 for the liner! Lol

[Mikey98118]

Exactly; still, it is a very nice liner, but much better at the price you paid 

[Charles R. Stevens]

To true. 
our cold weather this week has put the build on hold. I hoped to finish painting it but the wife had other ideas.

[Mikey98118]

We are getting weird weather in Seattle these days. I just put insulating caps on all the outdoor faucets, and will be running a little water in the sink throughout the night for the next three days, just to protect my pipes.

[Frosty]

Wives always seem to have other ideas for our time don't they?

"Don't let your pipes freeze," is something we used to tell each other when someone was headed outside in winter. Many jokes were made that'd get you banned here. 

Mind your pipes everybody!

Frosty The Lucky.