DennisCA Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 On 4/15/2021 at 4:49 AM, Frosty said: And the same burner easily brings these to welding heat in about 3 minutes. A number of our club members are bladesmiths and have stopped wanting larger. Frosty The Lucky. Sorry for the old thread, but do you happen to have some more photos of this? I think I'll be able to build it from just that photo but more angles would probably be helpful. I bought some insulating firebricks last week (2300F rated) and am planning to build something like this. I believe I would have lots of use for a similar forge (right now my coal forge is buried in a meter of snow). Might also be useful for heat treating parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 Forges 101 and burners 101 have a lot of information on gas forges and The frost T burner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 I see your post was moved from the JABOD thread. I bet Frosty will be along shortly. I thought I had that post bookmarked but can't find it right now. Seems there were a couple of good pictures about the build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkertim Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 Here is a picture of my first one, if it helps. It's basic, but shows you that the bricks can be held together with the sections of angle iron, and tensioned by the nuts on the threaded rods. Frosty's picture shows a more advanced build with supports for sliding fire bricks for doors/baffles, but I think mine shows as basic a construction as there is, if you just want to try it out. The bricks are soft enough that you can make your burner flare within the brick, so that the flame doesn't melt the end of your burner off. As the bricks are easily broken, you need to support the burner body outside of the bricks, so there is no pressure on the brick opening, from the burner hanging down, otherwise it will crack them. Hope this helps, and good luck. Tink! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 The one thing photos can't show is what brick is used. Since there is a variety of soft, and semi-soft bricks, made in more than one way on the market, adding that detail would probably help lots of people. And of course a timely discussion of coatings would help people to preserve their pricks from flame damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzkill Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 You probably need to edit that last sentence Mikey, but I have to admit I was shaking my desk with silent laughter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 me too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 It is a concern! I've been moderated for typo before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 Oh THANK YOU Mike! I think everybody should start the day with a good laugh but even though I've been up a few hours this is close enough. If we stick to the subject I'm curious as to what kind of coating you find effective. Oh I almost missed the second straight line, GASP! Soft or semi-soft? Off to roll on the floor for a while now. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisCA Posted February 5, 2022 Author Share Posted February 5, 2022 Should there be a coating on the bricks or can you make do without? These bricks where labeled K26 for 2600F, but that's all I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 YIKES I just realized I didn't reply to your request for more pics! I distract easily and have a wife recovering from knee replacement surgery so have plenty of distractions. I only have one decent pic of one of the club's propane forge clinic builds from another angle. It shows one from the back door side and doesn't have the door retainer straps, those were added AFTER folks discovered the doors wouldn't just stay. Yes, it was "planned" by committee. . . DURING the build! Yes, these were all washed with Plistex 900 and have a kiln shelf floor. I think this one was lit before it was kiln washed but I'm not sure, it was a few years ago. I don't have one of these little beauties, I already had enough propane forges and the clinic was for the guys who didn't have one. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisCA Posted February 5, 2022 Author Share Posted February 5, 2022 OK so the plistix stuff is required to keep the bricks from degrading as fast I assume? What of the kiln shelf, is it to protect the firebricks from the bumps and scratches? I read in the other thread that the K26 firebricks where supposed to be tolerant of flux, but I guess they don't have much in terms of mechanical and abrasion resistance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 It wasn't the first, and won't be the last Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 23 hours ago, DennisCA said: so the plistix stuff is required to keep the bricks from degrading as fast I assume It's also an IR reflective coating so helps with the reverberative effect that heats the stock. I was surprised at how hard the Plistix became after being fired though. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 Plistex is a last layer of armor in the forge, K-26 fire bricks last a LOT longer than the old type insulating fire brick but they still have a limited life. Kiln shelf is about as bullet proof as a person is going to find without having to rob a bank to pay for. Actually kiln washes aren't IR "reflectors" pnut or they wouldn't get very hot. It absorbs heat energy because it's a poor conductor. Being backed against another insulating refractory heat doesn't conduct to the next layer very well. This means the kiln wash super heats and because nothing can absorb energy forever it MUST shed it. Happily for us the path of least resistance is to radiate it back into the forge as IR. Yes, this is exactly how a reverberatory furnace works, the flame heats the liner and the liner radiates the energy back into the furnace as IR. The liner just does not reflect it back. Calling it an "IR reflector" is a legacy term that's been around longer than I have. ITC-100 used to advertise as a "BLACK BODY IR reflector," Talk about wrong term! A black body IR reflector would be a PERFECT thermal insulator! Yeah, I know I'm being picky but Mike needs some competition occasionally. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 I shalt always be pickier than yous is. Anyways, until I aint-eth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 Feeling threatened are we Mr. Picky butt? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted February 8, 2022 Share Posted February 8, 2022 Nah! I gave up on feeling threatened when I got to feeble to walk around with excess baggage. Now, it's just a fun ride down the hill What hill? Um...what a good question. Maybe another cup of java and it will come back to mind? Don't seem to remember any hill, but the wife says its way back down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leather Bill Posted February 8, 2022 Share Posted February 8, 2022 At the risk of sounding ungreatful for your foward thinking Mikey,I don't believe the world is ready for your new version of PPE. I'll admit it could be intertaining but I'm afraid IFI could be shut down and you might be banned from the web if pictures are posted. Maybe just stay old school and reccomend kids use longer reins and wear an apron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisCA Posted February 8, 2022 Author Share Posted February 8, 2022 Well, I don't know where to get either plistix (plistex?) or a kiln shelf, so that's a setback for me. Is this plistex stuff known by some other name or is this particular brand that's needed? And what material is a kiln shelf made from, maybe knowing what they ar emade of will help me source something local. Is plistex similar to rigidizer for kaowool / superwool? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 8, 2022 Share Posted February 8, 2022 Kiln shelves are used in pottery kilns, any place supplying Potters should have some around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 8, 2022 Share Posted February 8, 2022 Glenn sells Plistex in reasonable quantities in the Iforge store the link is at the top of the page, follow the menu. Matrikote is another kiln wash that is the equal of Plistex. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 8, 2022 Share Posted February 8, 2022 Does Glen ship to Finland? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted February 8, 2022 Share Posted February 8, 2022 There are various kinds of kiln shelves; some of them are deliberately designed to be poor insulators. I only recommend high-alumina kiln shelves, which are even times more insulating than fire bricks. If you can't get high-alumina shelves, than you are far better off buying Kast-O-lite 30 refractory, and casting your own forge floor; especially at today's prices for kiln shelves. That should read "seven times more insulating." 17 hours ago, Leather Bill said: At the risk of sounding ungreatful for your foward thinking Mikey,I don't believe the world is ready for your new version of PPE. PPE could constitute a whole new minefield for sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 8, 2022 Share Posted February 8, 2022 And for those Cheech & Chong fans: "BAILIFF...." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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