[TheForge] Fire Clay

[Paul]

egilsson-9 at comcast.net wrote:
> Hello The Forge members, 
>snip< 

> I have a question. Where can I obtain fire clay? I have a small portable Farrier's forge that needs lining. I live in Western Massachusetts and when I contacted a local farm supply store was told that fire clay is not available in Mass. Is there another product that I could use without breaking the bank? 
> I am new to blacksmithing, I've only taken a beginner's course, so any help would be greatly appreciated! 
> 
> Thanks in advance, 
> Earl Schacht 

  Hi Earl
    I have a small rivet forge that I lined years ago with clay that I 
got from a trench that was excavated on a job that I was working on. 
Found a seam of clay about 3 feet below grade. It was sort of swamp clay 
without the rotting vegetative matter.
    I guess the upshot is that I found a fire clay substitute, I don't 
think that you have to match any complicated specifications for lining a 
forge. As long as you aren't bouncing the forge all over the place, 
thereby cracking the dry clay into small bits, it will be strong enough 
do the job. The purpose the clay serves is to stop the coke from burning 
directly against the thin cast iron forge  bottom.
    Once you line the forge let it air dry before starting a fire in it. 
The less water that it has the better.
If the clay seems to melt (indicating to much sand in the mix) you might 
try a layer of furnace cement to protect the clay. The clay is a lot 
cheaper (free) than the furnace cement.
Have fun, keep your gloves dry and the burn ointment handy...

-- 
Paul Sperbeck  WB9HCO

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