On Jul 26, 1:17*am, Tim Wescott wrote:

So are fire bricks a Home Depot thing? *A local welding shop thing? *A
"forget about it and get mailorder" thing?

(I want to make a decent forge/furnace that's at least big enough to heat
treat model airplane crankshafts in, and maybe enough to melt aluminum
for a model airplane crankcase, but that's a project for another year).

--http://www.wescottdesign.com

I would harden the pins before pressing them in the jig.

You can probably get firebrick at Home Depot. Better places to try
are places that carry pottery supplies. They will probably have
insulating firebrick. You could also try places that sell woodstoves
or masonry products.

For a decent forge/furnace you probably want castable refractory. You
can make your own using vermiculite or Pearlite from the garden center
and some fire clay.

Dan