My forge's heat-up time dropped from 45 minutes to 25 after switching to a ceramic fiber blanket

I was using a 2-inch thick layer of kaowool for years in my small shop forge. Last month, I replaced it with a 1-inch thick ceramic fiber blanket from a supplier in Toledo. The difference in how fast it gets to welding heat is huge, and my propane bill for June was noticeably lower. Has anyone else seen similar results with different lining materials?

3 comments

3 Comments

dixon.amy3mo ago

Guess it's time to tell my old kaowool it's been fired. My forge has been taking forever to get hot.

tylerr393mo ago

Oh man, my buddy had that same issue last year. His forge was basically useless until he swapped out the old lining. It heated up way faster after that.

the_dakota2mo agoMost Upvoted

Honestly, I hate to be that guy, but kaowool doesn't really "get fired" like that. It's ceramic fiber, so it doesn't degrade the same way regular wool or blanket does. You might be thinking of refractory cement or something that actually hardens and cures. Tbh, your old kaowool might just be compressed and lost its insulating air pockets after years of heat cycles, which is why it's not holding heat anymore. That's usually the issue when a forge starts taking forever to heat up. A fresh layer of kaowool with some rigidizer will probably get you back in business way faster than waiting for it to "fire" again.