Adhering ceramic wool to forge body.

[chuck b]

Hi all, first post here. After looking around searching various keywords I haven't been able to find an answer to my question. I've just completed my forge body (1/8" treadplate scraps from work) and have my Inswool on the way. What I need to know is what to use to adhere the wool to the forge body. I've seen a video on youtube of a guy using sodium silicate (water glass) to stick the wool to the metal. Is that "good enough" as it were or is there a better way with out having to buy special cements? I have satanite and ITC-100 on the way and I can get the sodium silicate from the pharmacy in town. The surfaces have all been sand blasted and my forge body is not round so I'm not too worried about it sticking to a radius but I'd like to know that the wool is going to stay put. I'm going to seal the wool with a ~1/4" of satanite and a thin layer of ITC-100 and the final dimensions of the chamber is going to be 4x5x10, give or take, to HT small blades. Any suggestions as to what to use to stick the wool to the forge body would be appreciated.

 

[MadBug]

You don't really stick the insulation to the forge body. The coating of satanite, or ITC100, or both will hold it in place. Take a spray bottle and moisten the wool before applying the coating. Especially if you are applying it with a brush. After the coating hardens it aint going anywhere, but you can damage it by poking it with whatever you are forging.

 

[John Katt]

I used refractory cement for my forge, lots of choices on google shopping, but in retrospect I used a propane tank for the body of the forge and the kaowool set in there nicely using friction alone, after the 2nd coat of itc 100 and the hard inner shell it created it all became self supporting

In your case being a square body I would do the top and bottom first and cut the sides a little big it should be self supporting

 

[Overmountain]

It is very self-supporting...

But if you like to over-engineer everything like I do...
I saw a forge project someplace where they made little 1/2" j-hooks out of small pin stock (1/8) and tacked them to the inside of the forge. Then push the kaowool onto them and coat.

Page (Sunshadow) and Stacy (alomg with some others here) helped me out a lot with the direction of my latest forge project (still ongoing) and turned me on to bubble alumina for the floor as well as PID control that will balance it within just a few degrees.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

The wool rarely needs support or attachment. On things like vertical forge tops, I run a bunch of dry-wall screws through the top and stick the wool on them. The coating of satanite and ITC-100 will make the wool solid and firm. If you have a particular concern, start with a very wet coat of satanite and work it into the wool. Let that dry, then apply the normal 1/4" heavier coating. There is a liquid called "Rigidizer" that you can spray on the wool and let dry if you want it to be a bit stiffer before the satanite is applied. It really isn't necessary, but does make the wool stiffer.

 

[chuck b]

Thanks for the replies guys! I kind of figured the satanite would be stiff enough to hold everything in place but I'm bad at over thinking things and just wanted to ask some folks with experience. I'll post pics when I get up and running.

 

[quint]

I saw online somewhere and did it in my forge. I drilled holes every so often and ran stainless wire into them. Put it thru the wool and made a big circle to support it kind of like the J hooks or screws Stacy mentioned.

I mainly did it to help support the wool until I could get my castable refractory wall built up and dried.

Remember ITC100 is not a rigid material, its just a coating that helps. Satanite and castable refractory are more rigid and hold the shape.