Is rust a good thermal insulator as opposed to bare steel or hardened clay?

Question

I have no idea if this is the correct site to find an answer on this topic but considering it's a question of physical interactions I wanna give it a shot. I am in no way a physicist, just a hobbyist trying to find the perfect material for his forge so nothing gets too heated. If anyone would mind doing a bit of a bonus how would I account for clay's heat expansion if I do decide to go that route?

niels nielsen · Answer

Not to worry about rust as an insulator. In a forge, the thickness of an oxide layer on the outside of the vessel is tiny compared to the dimensions of the forge itself, and any change in heat transfer because of it will be too small to measure. Agree with Physics Dave; there should be a lot of on-line resources that can help.

Answered by niels nielsen on December 30, 2020

Is rust a good thermal insulator as opposed to bare steel or hardened clay?

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