Noobie forge building

Hi everyone

Just built my forge and thought I would show the world how it was done. Please take a look and I welcome your comments / flames etc...

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Cheers

Niko

Reply to
Niko Holm
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Reply to
doug roberts

I got my fire bricks from a Kiln factory. They cost about $2 USD each. They measure _approximately_ 200mm x 150mm x 25mm. You may find some that are different sized, but a hacksaw should make short work of them. And yes, 10 x means ten fire bricks. The ones I have are rated to about 1800 degrees centigrade.

Reply to
Niko Holm

Look in your yellow pages phone book under the heading of "refractory".

I have dealt with Inproheat and Clayburn Refractories and got good service from both, but neither is really set up to do retail so you will need to bring a cheque, or call ahead to make arrangements and figure out how much cash to bring.

I'm pretty sure there is a branch of on or both companies in the Lower Mainland B.C. area.

Second pick is to find pottery supplies places, the bricks are used for kilns (hint: they buy from refractory suppliers, go figure)

For gas forge use, insulating firebricks are what you want , except for the floor, which should be lined with hard firebrick or ceramic slabs called Kiln Shelf, as the flux will eat the soft firebricks. For a coal or coke forge, hard firebricks are the thing to use, or castable refractory, which is basically high temerature cement. Some harware stores or building supply stores will carry hard firebricks for fireplace construction, check in the area of bricks.

Cheers Trevor Jones

Reply to
Trevor Jones

Yeah. :) And why an old vacuum? What about a "shaded pole blower"? These things are almost silent...

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And with that small (two burner) head on there the air-adjustment has been used closed lately relying in the leaks... and the gas adjusted to match that... is just about right. (so there's plenty of air for blacksmithing if opened-up?)

I'm not a blacksmith so that rig is for heat treating knife blades and pocket knife springs only.

Ordinary fireplace lining brick at $2 each sounds pretty steep. :/

Are they insulated-ones by any chance? (you can tell by their weight, if nothing else) I have the lightest-weight insulated type which are the best insulation for bricks, but can't handle the highest heat. Look, feel and sound like styrofoam. :)

Early 90's = $2.50 each at the brickyard. (45c each for the ordinary fireplace liners)

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The yellow bricks (around the bottom edge) are the 45cent ones.

The rear brick has a gap for exhaust and the funny looking gap near the front is where I put the knife handle in backwards to heat the thicker parts first. I hardnen half way up the handle on something like a butcher knife or paring knife and this gives the thick part a head start so I can consentrate on the important part, the blade.

Cool post etc, thanks. :)

Alvin in AZ

Reply to
alvinj

Yes - My wood stove used to eat - and melt down 1/4" steel plate and the bricks just sat there. I replaced the bricks because the bottom ones were wearing out due to the scoop I used to get the ashes out. I kept the 'old' - 17 year old bricks. Mine are 1" thick.

Martin

Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

BigHammerBoy wrote:

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

Clairification, 10 x fire bricks means ten fire bricks right? And where could I get fire bricks?

Reply to
BigHammerBoy

Can firebricks for fireplace construction take the heat required to make knives/swords (shields, spearheads, staff caps, armor, and various other things as well)?

Cuz i could just dismantle my fireplace...

Reply to
BigHammerBoy

You really need the 3000 degree ones to hammer weld. Having a brick explode while red-hot is no fun at all. Look in the Yalu Pages for refractory suppliers. Fire brick is an industrial material, and has a 'service life', so big cities should have at least one jobber. They should also handle castable refractory, which comes in fifty pound bags around here. Plan on relining the firebox about once every three to five years, depending on how hard you push it. I'm on my third lining in fifteen years.

Charly (safety first, last, always)

Reply to
Charly the Bastard

Kiln shelf is certainly a good idea, but wouldn't it be easier to line with soft insulation all around, then set the kiln shelf on top?

The kiln shelf also wants to be easily replaceable.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

I use a stainless steel pan for when I want to weld. My forge has insulating bricks on the floor and walls, and insulating castable for the arched roof.

Reply to
Marc

If you want, yes. Soft insulation, assuming you mean ceramic wool of one sort or another, is an order or two more expensive than soft firebricks, though.

Yes it does.

Cheers Trevor Jones

Reply to
Trevor Jones

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