one brick forge question

[Scott the knife]

I am trying to make a 1brick forge. Simmple right> Well here is my prob.I got some firebricks from a shop that makes bolts.they are whitish,light weight,and you can score them with your fingernail. The bolt guy said that they were used in heattreatinf furnaces. Seems to fit all of the criteria for the right type of brick as far as I could tell.So here is the problem.I have it all cored outand ready to go.I lite my propane torch,aim it at the hole in the side, and the damn thing caught on fire. To the best of my knowlege gleaned from W.Goddards $50 knife shop book, that shouldnt happen.....Rght???? HELP.........................:grumpy:

 

[ddavelarsen]

Does it keep burning? Seems I remember the way they make those is they mix the "cement" with a light fiber of some kind that is later burned out. That's why they're so light, and the air-filled voids are what gives the brick their great insulation capacity. I'd say let it burn and see what happens. If it turns to ash it's time for Plan B.

Dave

 

[Terry_Dodson]

the soft firebricks i got from a boiler company local never caught fire, and i have used them several times. You may want to make a coffee can forge if you can find some inswool or something like it. I like mine a lot. It has a lot larger opening and i can heat about 9" or more at one time. I welded 2 coffee cans togeter to form 1 tube, and left the end in one, cut a pice of inswool round to fit the bottom, and lined both cans with one piece of inswool, gets warm very quickly and i can move the steel around easily. Still just using the propane torch with the flexible hose. I am going to try to make a longer one soon so i can do 36" peice at once, thinking of using stove pipe and either 2 or 3 burners.

 

[RARanney]

My bricks don't catch fire. Bricks usually have a heat rating, for example 2500 degrees. This is the type you want.

 

[rhettfcr]

Many moons ago I worked in a steel mill as *summer help*. I happened to get placed in the open hearth mill. At that time, the *soup* was cooked for about 8 hrs until it was poured into molds. Now, the ovens needed repair after a few heats. We, as laborers, got into the furnace with the bricklayers and passed bricks to them. The bricks used in the hotter parts were firebrick, more precisely, chromium brick. They were black in color and did not catch fire. So you may want to ask for bricks of this type. Hind site is 20/20, man could I use those bricks now!

rhettfcr