Kitty litter in forge?

D

DaQo'tah Forge

Banned
Joined
Aug 26, 2002
Messages
1,333
Well,,,the day I have been waiteing for is now here!....WINTER LAY-OFF!!!!!!!!!!!



I now have the next 3 months to forge until my arms fall off....I plan to use my new Low Boy 3 burner forge every day this winter to make and test new ways to make knives...

I plan to forge a blade from some 1 &1/2 inch steel cable that I got from work,,,,BUT the guys here on this forum have warned me about the effects of Borax on the floor of my forge.

One guy suggested that a person place kitty litter on the forge floor to protect it.

But I'm not sure what he is talking about,,,,Right now my forge has a lineing of that fire-proof wool , the wool is covered with a type of fire proof cement....so do I put a coating of kitty litter on top of the cement for the cable to lay on?
 
Make sure you keep your forge door closed, we don't want to surprise any cats now no we!:eek: When I was making my refractory I made up some very thin "bricks", more like tiles, to lay on the forge floor for that reason...seems to me kitty litter could get a little messy.
 
The kitty litter works well for sealing off the floor. I have a couple round forges and I put kitty litter on either side of the "floor" bricks to catch anything that may try to run off the sides. The best trick I learned after much trial and error and alot of help here, is not to use too much flux (where it's running off the steel) and not to let the billet touch the floor. I was using tongs and just laying the billet on the floor of the forge. The flux would just run off and eat away at it. Now I'm welding a stick onto the end of the billet and actually resting the stick on the edge of the forge opening so the billets up off the floor. No troubles now.
 
The cheapo kitty litter is the stuff to look for. Its really just bentonite clay. I mix it 2-2-1 ratio, litter-sand-ash to make a nice smooth adobe. You can then make bricks with it, and customize them to fit the floor of your forge. When they get crappy give them a toss and put in a new one. Cheap and effective!
 
I like Jeff's idea best, the loose litter sticks to borax and the work. then you gotta knock it off.

Unless You like clay knifes:D

Hey, what did you do to get laid off for 3 months??? I might need to know that ;)
 
what do you have to do,,,in order to get laied off for 3 months?.....thats easy,,,have a job where you dig in the ground, and live in Grand Forks ND...
 
Originally posted by J. Neilson
The kitty litter works well for sealing off the floor. I have a couple round forges and I put kitty litter on either side of the "floor" bricks to catch anything that may try to run off the sides. The best trick I learned after much trial and error and alot of help here, is not to use too much flux (where it's running off the steel) and not to let the billet touch the floor. I was using tongs and just laying the billet on the floor of the forge. The flux would just run off and eat away at it. Now I'm welding a stick onto the end of the billet and actually resting the stick on the edge of the forge opening so the billets up off the floor. No troubles now.
Click to expand...
Well said GrasshopperII.:D :D ;)
 
jhiggins or anyone that knows
What kind of sand do you use? Plain playground sand, pool filter sand, or something else. Thanks.
 
I'd think you'd want to look for a pure silica sand like sand blasting sand and try to avoid anything with crushed limerock in it (like children's sandbox sand). I have these ingredients on hand to make a wash tub forge for using charcoal.

Thanks Jeff I'm going to try that! It hadn't occured to me to make a custom protective brick for my forge which is why I haven't used it for welding very much. Previously I used a slice from a soft firebrick and the flux (20 Mule Team Borax) ate it like cotton candy. I also have a plate of stainless steel I hadn't gotten around to cutting to fit my forge.

Anyone have a line on anhydrous borax? You can use less when welding, it coats better and it doesn't foam up all over the place like the 20 Mule Team. (However it is convenient getting welding supplies from the grocery store!)
 
Mark, I'm using sand from my property, but I screen it. If I didn't have that resource, I would just get a bag of masonry sand.
 
dry the 20 mule team in a garage sale electric skillet and store ina air tight container. Put a little boric acid in it.
 
Originally posted by Silent
Anyone have a line on anhydrous borax?
Click to expand...

According to Jim Hrisoulas in "The Complete Bladesmith" you can make anhydrous borax by melting good old 20 mule team borax in your forge. He includes instructions on how to.

Sounds like alot of work to DIY. If you know of a nearby ceramics suppy store, they should have anhydrous in bulk.
 
Hey Y'all,

I use the cheap clay kitty litter to cover the floor of my forge and it works great! I have found that it is not sticky or messy if you take it up to a high temp right off the bat, then it all melts into one solid mass that looks like glass. I've never had it stick to a blade before(I don't usually lay steel directly on it though). This is a great thread. The brick idea is excellent!

HillbillyChuck
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top