February 8, 20215 yr Hey guys, new to the site, and the craft. Been lurking in the forums picking up info. Firstly I want to say thank you for sharing your experience with us noobs. To get to the point, I’m building my first proper forge, using standard process as explained in these forums.... However I’m a tinkerer, so I tried using flexible graphite foil in place of Castable, for the top half anyway. Applied kiln wash the same on both surfaces. So far so good, gets a good yellow glow inside. Noticed after turning it off the graphite side seemed to be radiating more heat than the bottom. Any thoughts or something I’m overlooking?
February 9, 20215 yr Looking at a data sheet it is rated at 850 degrees C that's 1562 degrees F in steam. Not sure it will hold up in the temperature range of most propane forges. It is an interesting innovation though. Keep us in the loop on how it does. How about some pictures?
February 9, 20215 yr Author Thank you for bringing that to my attention. So I looked at the Manufacturers Site, and so long as it’s not in an oxidizing environment it can withstand 5000F. Which as long as I’m running neutral or slightly fat it should be good. Down side is if I do end up running lean and oxidizing the temp threshold goes down to 950F. I will post some pictures soon, she’s mid construction and pretty sad looking at the moment.
February 10, 20215 yr I read the data sheets as 5000C in a vacuum, which definitely isn't achievable in your average forge. I'm assuming you're still lining everything with ceramic blanket, and this is the inner-most layer?
February 10, 20215 yr Author Yes I still lined with ceramic, rigidized. It is taking the place of Castable, I used Kast o lite for the bottom, graphite on top. Matrikote for a kiln wash.
February 11, 20215 yr Author Okay, here’s the report. The temp was lower on the graphite surface by around 100°F. Also the temp of the liner or outermost layer, was around 100°F hotter than the area with Castable and no graphite. I assume this is because the graphite is so thermally conductive. To add to that the kiln wash didn’t want to stick to the smooth surface of the graphite and would flake off in areas. Conclusion: It’s comin out!
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