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#1
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Opinions on ITC-100?
Hi All!
Everyone who knows me, knows that I am a big fan of castable refractory forges, and have always disliked ka-wool when it could be avoided............ well, due to simple economics, (Castable refractory is now at $55 per 50lb bag) I'm going to build my next welding forge with ka-wool. I've tried most all of the "coatings" available, save one........... ITC-100. I've been doing a lot of research on this stuff, and it seems to be the answer to "toughen up" ka-wool lined forges. Has anyone here tried ITC-100? And if so, what are your thoughts on it? How have you applied it, and how is it's durabliltiy? It's available on Anvilfire.com for about $90 per half gallon, and being that I've tried all the other stuff, I thought why not give this one a shot.........the way my luck runs, the "Magic bullet" is always the last one I use! __________________ WWW.CAFFREYKNIVES.NET Caffreyknives@gmail.com "Every CHOICE has a CONSEQUENCE, and all your CONSEQUENCES are a result of your CHOICES." |
#2
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Hi,
I use it. Both on Kao-wool and cast refractory. It acts as an infra-red reflectant. Works great and if kept touched up, does a good job in vertical forges of protecting kao from flux. Due to the cost, it is best to stabilize the kao with satinite and then apply ITC-100 over the Satinite. This will stretch your dollars and ITC-100. ITC-100 is a bitch to mix. Use a rubber spatula and a plastic mixing bowl to stir it up. Once the initial mixing occurs, it seems to stay in suspension pretty well. I spray the kao with water, apply satinite or ITC with a paintbrush and let dry a few hours. Then apply another coating. After 3rd coat(one satinite and 2 ITC) let dry a few days and fire up. Calcining I do in 3 firings. One short < 5 min, one longer<10, one longer still. As to durability, you can easily poke holes in it. Patch is easy. I keep a little diluted ITC in a covered tupperware bowl, and paint brush it on. It does not have much abrasion resistance, so keep it just below the edge of the forge window so as to avoid dragging billets across it. I consider the thermal efficiency to be much better than Satinite. BUT the durability of ITC to resist abrasion and poking holes is not much better than Satinite. Jay Hayes 304-269-6111 has it all. He is a combustion engineer and sells many parts and stuff. My fixed forge is castable coated with ITC and my portables are ITC and Kao. Each has its place. Good luck. Enjoyed meeting you at Blade...Ken __________________ Ken Simmons ABANA, ABS, GCKG, NCCKG Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on the menu. Liberty is a well-armed sheep. |
#3
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Ed,
I used ITC-100 to line my salt pot chamber after firing it up and not getting hot enough: the lining was 1" kaowool & a satanite covering. When I coated that with the ITC my temps went up the needed few hundred degrees. I use kaowool and satanite in my upright forced air welding forge and periodically I have to patch / replace it. I wouldn't use the ITC anywhere where flux will get to it, because eventually it will eat through it, and the ITC is really expensive compared to the satanite. I'm guessing you're using a horizontal forge, so just watch the sides and all should be fine. That satanite reflects pretty good though- wouldn't be surprised if you don't need the ITC. My salt rig is really big and only has two venturis. On Tai Goo's suggestion I am re-lining my forge next time with kaowool & porcelain slip. Tai claims it works just as good as castable, is much cheaper, and you can paint it right onto the wool. |
#4
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Hi Ed,
ITC-100 works well, helps bring your forge up to temp faster, will reduce your fuel bill, and is more resistant to flux than Satanite. A cheaper way to go is to coat your kaowool with Satanite and then apply a thin coat of ITC-100 over top of that. I sell refractory supplies to help support myself now that I've gone into knifemaking full time and keep Satanite, Kaowool, ITC-100, and ITC-213 in stock all of the time. If you need anything drop me a line and I can email you a price list. I'm in the process of updating my web pages (http://www.EllisCustomKnifeworks.com) where I will have everything listed in the near future. -Darren |
#5
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I use 2" of kaowool on the sides and top of my horizontal forge. The floor is 1" of Kaowool under fire brick to give me a durable surface. I coated both the Kaowool and fire brick with ITC-100. With an inside chamber of 252 Cubic Inches and two burners, I able to maintain welding heat while burning about 1/3 to 1/2 Gal of propane an hour.
The ITC does almost nothing to stop flux from eating your lining. For that I use a sacrificial floor of kiln shelf, But the ITC-100 does stabilize the Kaowool and makes my forge much more efficient. I have also taken to dipping my burner flares in ITC's metal coating. And My flares are lasting much longer. ITC-100 mixes 50/50 with water, so you may not need to buy a gal of the stuff. Due to wear and tear on my traveling forge, I have had to replace the lining twice. Plus I also coated another persons forge with ITC-100. And I did all this with two pints. And I still have half a pint left over. __________________ Scott B. Jaqua http://www.hagersonforge.com http://hagerson.livejournal.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The most important right of all, is that of Free Speech. With out that, all your other rights will soon be taken away. So, I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend until death, your right to say it! |
#6
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ITC 100
Does HOME DEPOT carry the ITC?
Thanks Mark __________________ Custom Knives
by Mark Pesetsky http://www.pmsknives.com knifeman@netscape.com |
#7
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ITC 100
Thanks to all who responded! I placed an order through anvilfire.com. $29 a pint was about the cheapest I could find it. Hopefully it will be waiting on me when I get back from Ed Shemps Hammer-in.
I'm anxious to see how well this stuff works. __________________ WWW.CAFFREYKNIVES.NET Caffreyknives@gmail.com "Every CHOICE has a CONSEQUENCE, and all your CONSEQUENCES are a result of your CHOICES." |
#8
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Ed, had i known you were needing some refractory i woulds brought you up som Koa tuff - C. Works as well as ITC but is made to be even more durable. Best thing is i get it in 80 pound bags as dry mix and i get it free hehehe
Romey |
#9
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Hi Everyone,
I've gotten a lot of emails about the refractory supplies I'm carrying (I appreciate all of the support!). I've gone ahead and uploaded part of my in-progress web pages with the Refractory Supplies page completed which includes the price list to the following URL: http://EllisCustomKnifeworks.com I think my prices are competitive with other suppliers and your purchase helps to support a budding bladesmith! Thanks again for all of the interest! -Darren http://EllisCustomKnifeworks.com |
#10
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ITC has arrived....
Thanks to everyone for your input on this thread. My order of ITC 100 arrived today, and I just finished coating the inside of a new welding forge. I'll fire it up tomorrow and see what happens. I'll let you know how it works!
__________________ WWW.CAFFREYKNIVES.NET Caffreyknives@gmail.com "Every CHOICE has a CONSEQUENCE, and all your CONSEQUENCES are a result of your CHOICES." |
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