Wood ash as refractory?

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BChou-E29

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Dec 4, 2009
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Howdy! I found a home made forge design (charcoal, not propane) that used lightly packed wood ash as an alternative to refractory cement. I saw Tim Lively of the neo-tribal bladesmiths also use wood ash as refractory cement but his was mixed in with clay and sand as well. Will using just wood ash work as well? Thanks in advance guys.
 
There's lots of stuff out there in regards to refractory recipes. I saw a video of some guys throwing ceramic plates in a cement mixer, and mixing it all with ash, and other materials. The majority of recipes I've seen have that other compound, like ceramic.

I'm not sure about wood ash by itself though. How much heat could it really insulate?
 
It works best by itself in my opinion.

At first, you need to wet it down and pack it in, but as time goes by it absorbs iron oxide and begins to clump together by itself, somewhat. However, a dampening and re-packing helps whenever you re-configure it. As a powder refectory, it has some advantages, in that you can mold it and shape it into any size shape and configuration you need,… and you don‘t have to worry about cracking it or breaking it. It’s also very easy to clean out clinkers and flux. On top of all that, you can insulate tangs, points, etc., by running them through the dusks nest into the refractory, which helps a lot with isolating heats, when needed.
 
Yes wood ash alone will work. Tai Goo uses it to line his charcoal forge and it is very effective.
 
Thanks Tai! I was actually hoping you would see this and chime in :) I figured why spend the money on a 50 lb bag of Mizzou when I have all this wood ash left from the winter?
 
Wow, don't I feel stupid. I didn't know wood ash had that good of insulative properties. Lesson learned I suppose.
 
Hey first time for everything. Stay here on the forums long enough you'll learn a lot for the older guys.
 
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