IronFist Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 I just built a coal forge and have a couple of questions. 1- Is the firepot lined with refractory or kept bare metal with refractory supporting it? 2- My hearth pan is 30" x 24"x 3" deep. Would I line all of this with refractory sloping towards the cutout under the firepot? Anyones help would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinD Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Lets see some pics! How thick is the material you made the pan out of? What about the fire pot? How thick is it? As if I have a clue what I'm talking about... :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip in china Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Some people use a slope towards the firepot which could be clayed- but why? There will be no eat in there. The slope is sometimes just designed into the metal but again I have to ask why? I have never felt the need on a steel tray. On a large brick forge it can be useful to give you a bed at a good slope to get to the correct part of the fire but again it would be unnecessary. On claying the firepot- if it is heavy enough to start with it is probably not necessary. It will slightly insulate the pot which is a plus point but wil reduce the size of your fire which might be a bad point. I do not clay my steel made portable forges when I make them for my project here nor do any of the recipients as far as I know but the pot is fairy small. The answer is see how it works both ways and do what works for your forge on the work you are doing. BTW if you want to insulate try a mix of clay and chainsaw sawdust. The dust burns away and leaves a porous clay which insulates well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racer3j Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Clay and sawdust!!! Verrry Interesting(deutsche accent required)mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip in china Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Actually clay plus any small, rough vegetable matter. Rice or oats would probably work but rough sawdust is probably easiest for most of us. Put a bit of ground firebrick in there as wel to act as grog and hold the whole thing together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
civilwarblacksmith Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 In most cases depending on what material and the thickness of the firepot and the amount of time forging usually will decide whether you need to line it or not. If you are using a brick fire pot, such as the one I had at the homestead; line it with clay or some refractory material. It keeps the brick insulated and stops them from cracking due to heating and cooling. If you are using a fire pot of 12 gauge mat. (3/32 in) It need to be lined. 1/4" in thickness for a fire pot I would say doesn't need to be lined if you are just a hobby smith and it is not run 8 hours a day all week. Once you get to 1/2'' plate and up no lining should be required. As for the pan area surrounding the fire pot. Doesn't need to be lined. The insulating factor of the pot should protect it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unkle spike Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 I didn't line my portable forge, I left enough room around the firepot for expansion. I use a brake drum which is made to take heat, and after 5 years of Saturday and weekend forging, it has yet to crack. My shop forge I firebricked the table around the pot. I agree with CivilWar, heavy material does not need to be clayed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blksmth Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 IronFist, you can look at a portable forge at My Portable Forge The fire pot was made of 1/4" plate and it is not lined with any refractory or clay. I will say that a forge table that is made of just metal, does get hot to the touch. If you want to try to keep the forge table cool, then it should be topped with 1" thick brick, regular brick, cement, or something similar. The metal part of the table can be thin metal such as 12 gauge, particularly if covered with brick ( unless you are forging very heavy items). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFist Posted July 18, 2008 Author Share Posted July 18, 2008 Thanks you guys for help. Many answers I was looking for. This will not be a portable forge though. I forgot to mention that. The flue/ hood will be piped up and through the wall of my shop. Material used: Firepot- 1/4" plate; 12"x 14" overall Pan and table - 1/8" sheet- 24"x30"x3" deep Hood/ flue- 1/8" sheet I 've a fellow blacksmith that I work with and he provided the firebrick to me for the hearth and back lining. And I'm currently seeking a blower/ motor assymbly if anyones looking to sell. The tuyere iron will be a pipe fitting that I have to hunt down. Its hard to find people in Charleston that know what the xxxx I'm talking about. I've yet to come across more than 5 folks who actually know what smithing means. Thanks again for the help and if anyones else has comments, please share! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnr Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 a junk clothes dryer should set you up just fine with a blower. Wander around a scrap yard and see what has a blower set up or can be adapted to a blower set up. Cheap is GOOD!!!! Finnr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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