Do I need to coat the fibers in the Inswool with anything?
Yes, Once you have the Inswool liner in place, you will need to top-coat it with Satanite and/or ITC-100 to protect the liner as well as stabilize the fibers in the ceramic fiber blanket once the forge is in use. Inswool does not present any dangers to the user when lining the forge, other than an irritant much like fiberglass. However, upon heating to temperatures above about 1600 degrees F, free silicates can form that you do not want to breathe. Top-coating the fiber with Satanite and/or ITC-100 seals the Inswool and keeps everything in place. If at any point you poke a hole in the Satanite/ITC-100 top-coating, you’ll want to patch the hole with some more Satanite. Also, at some point in the future when you reline your forge, be sure to wear a respirator, gloves, and long sleeve shirt and try to directly dump the lining into an empty trash bag and seal it off. The dangers probably aren’t as great as that last sentence may sound, but it’s always better to err on the side of safety. Y
