I may start building it next weekend. I love Spazola's forge design especially the table out front and the way the burner comes up from the bottom. I always wondered why no one ever placed it there. The pipe in the air at the top thing just didn't look right to me for various reasons like heat goes up and more line and well, it just looks top heavy. I don't have any big pipe but I do have some mail box shaped steel that is about a 1/16 thick. So what I am wondering now is soft fire brick or blanket ? For some reason I am stuck on the idea of using fire brick. Maybe because I can get it for nothing . I am thinking of coating it with bubble alumina refractory coating over a coat of satanite refractory mortar. Even if I go with the blanket I think I will do this. This will protect my forge walls from flux if I decide to ever do any welding with it right? Who knows I may want to hand wack some Damascus together someday or get creative beyond making a straight razor.
So back to the question of brick versus blanket. If I can use the brick as efficiently as blanket would it be better to go with a thick plate for the housing ? I do have some 3/8" or 1/4" laying around.

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.