I was reading through the e-books that we got for joining here and realized they are a little generic. If you can find any of the casting books at the library that would help.
How large of a melt are you planning? I built my first furnace from a freon tank. One of the small ones. I used a 3 to 1 ratio of fireclay and foam beads for insulation about 1" thick and then some commercial refractory for the hotface. Mt Savage, Super heatcrete 32, 3200 F cement type stuff that is tough. It has held up really well to Iron temps. The foam/clay mix is starting to crumble so I may have to do a relign soon.
For the tuyere I used a piece of 1 1/2" tailpipe, I insert another piece into it with a propane line and hook a blower up the the end. 10 to 20 psi of propane and it makes a lot of heat.
I think I'll start a thread where everyone can put their furnace designs.
