Just hit 1000 heats on my first homemade forge and it's still holding strong

Built it from an old propane tank and some kaowool about six months ago. I was sure I'd be patching cracks or rebuilding it by now, but I just marked the tally on the side and it crossed into four digits. For a first try, that feels like a real win. Anyone else get surprised by how long a piece of gear held up when you were sure it was a temporary fix?

4 comments

4 Comments

victorh812mo ago

Ever think a homemade forge would last that long?

miles_burns2mo ago

Mine barely survived a weekend.

piperbailey2mo ago

A thousand heats is seriously impressive for a DIY setup. What's your usual temp range when you're working? @victorh81 has a point, most people wouldn't expect that kind of life from a first build. Did you do anything special with the refractory coating or just follow a standard mix?

west.richard22d ago

Gotta jump in here and clear up a common mix up. The temp range isn't the issue, it's the type of heat. I mostly stay between 2000 and 2300 F for blades, but the key is slow ramp up and cool down. A lot of folks think hotter equals better, but that actually cracks the coating way faster. For the refractory, I didn't do anything crazy, just used a standard high alumina mix with a little bit of fiberglass fibers mixed in for strength. The real trick was letting it dry for a full week before the first fire, not rushing it like most people do. That slow cure made all the difference.