Mods, please remove this if it's against rules but I feel that this is very critical information for the blacksmith community and will be of great benefit.

[Mod Note: the following has had the commercial links removed, but the information within the post has been left intact. Those seeking information from the manufacturer's website can look it up on their own.]

I'll keep this post as condensed as I can to get right to the meat. Ever since reading this post ( Ceramic Wool Insulation, Safety Alert), I have been actively looking for new ways on how to avoid the 2 main problems with ceramic blankets:

The Biopersistence problem - In short: When handling the blanket, the fibers in Ceramic blankets, when inhaled, can stay in your lungs up to 20 years! (Article: Biopersistence of refractory ceramic fiber in human lung tissue)

• That means we have to be extra cautious when handling the blanket:
  • Wearing a respirator, gloves, washing any clothes that makes contact with the fibers afterwards.
• But what if:
  • Some fibers land on our clothes, or around the shop that we don't notice, and later breathe in?
  • What if our workpiece cuts into the lining and exposes some ceramic fibers?

The Crystalline Silica problem - In short: When ceramic blanket is heated up above 1800F it can "recrystalize" and form Crystalline Silica. This can lead to a lung disease called Silicosis. 

How did the industry work to solve these problems?
- Lining the forge with a ceramic blanket rigidizer and refractory.

The problem:

• The linings like rigidizer and refractory should in theory seal the fibers. But we can never be sure if we fully sealed them or not. And what about all the fibers that flew or fly around the shop?
• Or what about fibers left on clothing when they weren't immediately washed after coming in contact with the blanket?

What we believe is the answer:
Morgan Ceramic's Superwool XTRA. Not just "Superwool" but the XTRA version of Superwool. The XTRA solves both of these problems.

• It emits ZERO crystalline silica - at regular and high heat use. (Only the XTRA version of Superwool blanket has this benefit.)
• It's Low Bio-Persistent - it will not stay in the body for a long period of time.
• 1450°C (2640°F) Working Temperature
• Not Classified as Hazardous or Carcinogen
• [commercial link removed]

I believe this is a game changer when it comes to health.  

This is a very good route for beginners to take as this is the safest route. We have been including these in our forges for the past 6 months already and we have decided to bring the info out to the community and not just for our own forges.

[MOD NOTE: Advertising information about products available on the OP's website has been removed.]

There are studies done by steel producers regarding this and you can read their reports to learn more info: Technical report: High Temperature Low Bio-persistent Wool Development

We are not scientists. But we do have a good relationship with Morgan Ceramic's Thermal Ceramics department and have a good contact with their engineering team, so we can pass questions along to them and get more info, the harder the questions the better. We are not paid by them in any way and they didn't request us to make this. 

Mr.Volcano: Thank you, both for the information and your generous "retailing" of a safer refractory blanket alternative. 

May I relay your above post to our local club? 

Frosty The Lucky.

Yes of course. And I'm not sure if you're poking fun at the post regarding 'retailing' but we truly are selling this at near breakeven. The Xtra superwool is only offered in large rolls and it seems that they are heavily focusing on getting the big accounts right now (steel mills, glass industry, etc) they aren't interested in talking with smaller accounts. We were able to leverage by placing larger orders and getting our foot in the door because of our forges line, which all our forges use now.

Edited July 12, 20224 yr by Mod30
Remove excessive quote.

Thank you. Not at all, I'm not poking fun at you. I was trying to be as precise as I know how. You are buying in bulk and selling small quantities is as far as I know retailing the product. It doesn't imply profiting from the retail, I didn't intend my statement to anyway. I could've been more clear.

Yes, Morgan Thermal Ceramics doesn't sell retail or end user quantities. Heck the best one of our club members can do is pallets of K-26 IFB but he is a professional bronze caster and pallet size orders are normal. Club members buy small quantities from a local HVAC supplier. 

My intent though poorly said was to express gratitude for the service of providing a small quantities of "Superwool EXTRA" at a break even price. A business must make a profit or it goes out of business and selling at near break even in the name of safety is a real service to the blacksmith and casting communities.

No joke.

Thank you. 

Frosty The Lucky.

Mr Volcano,

howdy! how y’all been doin? 

Thank you for the safety alert! Keepin smiths smithin safely is always priority uno!

sorry to change the subject but I was curious if y’all are planning on setting up at quad state this year? 

it’s coming up in a couple months and that would be a great venue to share your safety information an answer questions about y’all’s forges with lots of people in person!

Is it possible for a do it yourselfer to get ahold of Superwool Xtra now that Mr Volcano is not selling it?

They still have a relining kit listed on Amazon.

It is a Morgan Thermal Ceramics product. If you do a web search you should find an outlet selling their products. There are other non-biopersistent ceramic refractory blankets as well.

Frosty The Lucky.

1 hour ago, LeeJustice said:

They still have a relining kit listed on Amazon.

Seems like a gamble if that will fit someone's homebuilt forge.

1 hour ago, Frosty said:

It is a Morgan Thermal Ceramics product. If you do a web search you should find an outlet selling their products. There are other non-biopersistent ceramic refractory blankets as well.

Frosty The Lucky.

There is quite a bit of search results even on eBay but none of it is the higher temp Xtra stuff.

What kind of search terms did you use? eBay is for easy to find stuff. My first page hits searching "Super Wool Extra" hit several bulk retailers selling by the roll. Morgan Thermal Ceramics doesn't sell retail but searching their site you can find retailers who do. In your area. One of the most widespread distributors who carry MTC products or will order for you is. "Distribution International."

Searching often takes a deeper look than a quick scan on a smart Iphone, This result only took two searches. I WILL admit I selected DI having used them for refractory supplies for years. Still it was only a couple targeted searches deep.

Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks for looking further.  Yes, I searched for "Super Wool Extra" using both Google and DuckDuckGo and neither come up with Xtra/Extra.  There is a lot of rolls for the "plus" and HT versions but not the Xtra.  Even Distribution International does not have it.  They only have the Plus and HT. 

And no, I don't even have my own smartphone

I'll just call them in Indiana tomorrow and see what they say and where to get it.

Sorry, that did sound like a dis and I didn't mean it to. 

I've found talking to people on the phone is a much more effective method of finding things than the web. The receptionist is the person to talk to, s/he knows more about the business, what's where and who to talk to than the boss ever did. 

Another thought, furnace repair shops use a lot of refractory blanket and even if they don't, they'll know who does or who to ask. 

Frosty The Lucky.

I got a response from a USA distributor and they wanted to know what density.  I wasn't sure what Mr Volcano used or which one to specify:

 

The (pcf) is pounds per cubic foot.  As far as thermal conductivity, the lower the number, the better, but pay attention to the temperature range.  Read along the bottom.  The next chart on their website shows what thicknesses are available.  For 1" thick you could choose from all three, 2" thick limits you to the two less dense blankets.

The one distributor said they weren't going to order anything until next year so that they can get the minimum order amount that Morgan Ceramics requires... the other one has not gotten back to me.  Morgan Ceramics itself also did not get back to me even after leaving a message since it sounds like they really don't want to deal with small timers.  So I may just go with a Diamondback series 2 which uses 2600°F firebrick on the sides and ceiling instead of the ceramic wool/blankets like the series 3 does.  Would also coat the wall and ceiling with Plistix 900.

Correct, MTC is not and never has been a retailer, they'll gladly fill your warehouse but a semi trailer is getting close to their minimum order. It isn't that they don't "want" to deal with small timers. They DON'T deal with small timers, it is a huge muti national corporation. That would be like expecting US steel to sell you a 20' stick of 3/8" square directly. 

It's a  matter of scale is all. Kaowool has always been kind of hard to find. A likable talker can often talk a furnace repair company to let him dumpster pick, some will even order IFB for you too.

Frosty The Lucky.