To clay? Or not to clay?

[VandegriftIronworks]

Hi all,

Thanks for your help identifying this forge, I’m getting it set up this weekend!

I am wondering though, if I should clay the entire surface with a thin layer of refractory cement that I use in my gas forge, or if since the fire pot is already clayed I am ok. It is all solid cast iron.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

The fire pot does not need clay but the pan does, to prevent it from cracking, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[anvil]

Some have different opinions, but my cast iron riviting forge, my portable rig, is not clayed. Never had a problem. My permanent forge is similar to yours and not clayed. I cut out the round firepot and added a Centaur rectangular firepot in its place. Most given reasons for clay is due to the possibility of water cracking it.

I'm prolly going to fire clay my permanent forge in the near future. I'm not concerned about water and cast iron, but I want to raise the bottom up level with the cut outs on the front and back of the forge. Mine are square, yours are rounded. This will give me a flat rest all across my forge for my iron to sit in. Thus minimizing slump in my work. 

So, I would not clay my fire pot and I would add clay up to the bottom of your cutouts. 

[VandegriftIronworks]

3 minutes ago, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said:

The fire pot does not need clay but the pan does, to prevent it from cracking, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Thanks, will my refractory cement suffice? Or should I run down to the local pottery supply and get some actual clay.

[anvil]

fire clay is best.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

If you live near a creek, the clay from there mixed with a little sand will work or unscented cheap kitty litter (bentonite clay) mixed with some sand or grog makes fire clay, just don't make it too wet. I've never used refractory but it should work, just more expensive. A layer of about an inch deep is what I do.

[anvil]

An inch or so will heal the temp problem for sure. I have fought "slump" of my long bars forever. Thus, If I'm going to clay, I want my work supported on both sides of the fire pot. Shooting for No More Slump... With this setup and my new fire pot, I will have my iron flat, 4" of coke underneath and 2" on the top. Sheer perfection for me. 

If you look at your half round cutouts, thats about what you will end up with as well, about 2" of forge side walls above your clay and 4" to the bottom of your fire pot.. If you want to conserve on clay, you could only clay the width of your cutouts from front to back. 

I just gave a friend the same advice about clay,,, look for clay on your place and use that. I'll have to add the bit about adding sand to the mix.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Actually I got to thinking about fire clay and the kitty litter and sand or grog does make a rudimentary fire clay, but it's not true fire clay which has other ingredients like silica and alumina and others that I can't recall off hand. The mix I gave does work but it is more like adobe. Sorry for the confusion. 

[Frosty]

No, do NOT use refractory cement, it WILL trap moisture against the pan and enhance corrosion. Just tamp clayey sandy soil into it, an inch or two max is plenty. It's main purpose is to disperse the heat from the fire over a wider area preventing problems with the pan. My cast iron rivet forge has a cracked pan but it could well be from someone dumping too much water on a too hot fire. A sheet steel pan can warp from localized heat though it's not as un-good as  cracking a cast one.

Frosty The Lucky.