Quick sanity-check - cast iron

[Dug]

I am about to try to convert my wife's cast iron chimnea into a heat-treating forge and want to get a sanity-check from people that know a lot more than me.

Is cast iron going to be okay with the temperatures involved for heat treating O1 tool steel? My gut says it will be fine, but my gut is stupid and has been quite wrong in the past.

Thanks
Dug

[Me&Fe]

Will you just be using say,charcoal in it?Or will you be running gas into it?
If using gas it would be wise to line it with refractory.

[Dug]

Nah, just charcoal. I am going to run a pipe into it and attach a fot pump to it, to get air in.

[Me&Fe]

I cant see it being a problem then.01 doesnt need to be heated above a cherry red colour anyway...well within what your using for h/t

Cast iron is very good for hot temps,my forge is made of it!Much better than steel in the long run...:)

[Dug]

Thanks.

It worked out pretty well in the end.

Here's a writeup...
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83535&page=2

[bobw]

Hi Dug, you've got your knife ready for heatreat then! Sweet! What kind of footpump is it? I wonder if the kind for inflating tyres would have the airflow required. I have heard that a hairdryer works well. If it's any help my heatreating "forge" is a pile of charcoal with a desk fan pointed at it. It works but it's not ideal, mainly because with the air being blown in from the side/top rather than the bottom there is so much radiant heat coming of it it's hard to get near enough to pull the blade out. I'm going to try something with a couple of computer fans next, but blowing in from the bottom. Lots of people seem to use barbeques from B&Q so cast iron should more than stand up to the heat I would have thought.

I hope it's some help
Bob

ps where's the pics of the knife then!:D