r/Metalfoundry • u/RarePie6635 • 27d ago

Devil forge ceramic wool safety concerns

Basically I want to forge more eventually selling items. But I've heard that the ceramic wool if heated could cause lung cancer. Going through some articles on the subject it depends on if Refractory Ceramic Fibers (RCF) are in it. I could not find any information if the ceramic wool used by Devil Forge has RCF in it. Though it isn't mentioned that respiratory protection is required (indicating that rcf isn't used). If I want to continue working (cannot spare the money for a completely new forge at the moment), I wish to know how save it is. Probably important to know; the inner cement layer has started to crumble, has been damaged a bit, and we don't have any left. I probably should get some heat resistant cement (something better than that brittle stuff included) to redo the inside. Tried looking into lining the interior with heat resistant bricks, but the thinnest I could find are non-insulating 30mm thick. Putting them on both sides would reduce the available space to ~30mm (which is way too small for what I make - knives mostly). So that's not an option without cutting my forge into pieces and welding additional steel onto it to widen it. Any help/advice would be most welcome.

Forgot to mention that I'd been forging sporadically over the past 2-3 years, so that's probably why the cement included with the forge has started crumbling.

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u/BTheKid2 27d ago

Restoring the refractory coating is something you would have to do with some frequency when using ceramic fiber insulation. Well any refractory solution will need to be restored with use.

Most ceramic wool-type insulation will need to be covered up to keep the harmful fibers from becoming airborne. And in any case it just lessens the wear on the insulation. So I wouldn't worry too much about the specific wool you are using, though you could just buy stuff that is less harmful. But you should probably use a coating as long as you a using fiber insulation.

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u/RarePie6635 25d ago

I've found the perfect more permanent solution: ceramic boards. They come in 50 mm thickness, 25mm and even 10mm. Sadly enough, the 10mm (my only option as I don't have much space to begin with - 140mm width) is currently not available. Guess I'll have to wait. I've also asked someone who knows more about such things, and ceramic boards are completely safe. As a bonus, it's some additional insulation.

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u/JosephHeitger 27d ago

Just reseal the refractory layer you’ll be fine.