Forge building question

ok i dont mean to hijack here but i'm building a bigger forge now and want to re design to be as flux proof as possible.i currently have a ron reil desighn freon tank mini forge and i love it. its just a bit on the short side for HT on a big blade.It reaches welding temps quickly and i get about 10 hours from a bbq tank.that being said the new forge is going to be the same principal design just a little bigger and different lining.

Here's the plan 2" or 3" kaowool lining,hard fire brick floor and half walls,bubble alumina coating? over itc 100 . shell will be from 20# propane tank adjustable doors. tube burner atmospheric.

Ok here is what i'm confused on, the hard bricks are ok in a forced air forge
are they efficiant enough in a atmospheric design?
how much heat should i expect to lose out on due to increased chamber volume.I dont want to lose weldability at all.
my main concern is flux proof the inside of my current forge is a wreck and i want something thats gonna hold up.
any help or advice is always appreciated, thanks:)
forgeanvil.jpg
 
I use plain old furnace brick that I get for $1.50 and pitch it out when it gets about half melted. Under the furnace brick is 2" of cat litter. If I am doing a bigger weld I made a stainless steel trough to catch the flux. It is 5/16" thick and the flux just falls out when cooled. I am just real careful not get any on the walls of the forge. I have two inches of insulwool with two coats of ITC 100 on the walls.

There are many other options but so far this one works for me and is dirt cheap. I forgot to mention I leave 1/2" gap between the furnace brick and the wall. That way the flux runs into the cat litter and the glob comes out real easy.
 
thanks for that! I was thinking of a stainless tray.The disposable floor idea is good too now to get busy :D
 
The tray I made was a horizontal half of a piece of stainless tube with a rectangular piece welded onto each end. The rectangular pieces served as the end walls and a flat surface to level the trough. It is 6"x6" and just under 2" deep. Very simple but effective. I welded it on the inside and outside to keep the leakage down.
 
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