A chat with my old mentor about forge welding made me check my firebrick

I was helping him clean out his shop in Springfield last week, and he pointed at my old forge. He said, 'You know, a hairline crack you can't see can steal more heat than a bad door seal.' I pulled the brick out when I got home, and sure enough, there was a tiny split right down the middle. It explains why my last few welds took so long to get to temp. How often do you all check your forge lining for hidden damage?

2 comments

2 Comments

harper2541mo ago

My propane bill jumped 30 bucks last month from a tiny crack.

thomasm411mo ago

Honestly that sounds like overthinking it to me. If your welds are getting done, who cares if it takes a few extra minutes? Constantly tearing apart your forge looking for problems is a good way to create them. A little crack isn't going to ruin your work, so why fix what isn't really broken?