fire bricks

Give them to me....:) Heavy hard brick takes higher heat and last longer but conducts heat to the cold side faster. (I used it on one of my kilns) Soft brick will stand about 2200F I think and will lose much less heat. You can loose stack them and use a weed burner to melt metal if thats what you want to do. I say that because Al haunts all my news groups ;) Les

what can I say, great minds think alike:-) Al

I'm asking here because I picked up enough for a kiln, if I got what I think I got. I have been toying with the idea of trying to make a penrose shaped floor tile for my new house. Nothing really fancy or artisy but I have to find something unique for the place. So far it just looks like the cracker box I'm currently living in.

I really feel for a house tile, join a ceramics class(mine cost $200) and tell the instructor what you want to make. Then you can use there clay, glaze, and kiln to fire it in.

Clay must be fired quite close to its temp. for a floor tile to stand up traffic.

Wall art is another story, that can be quite weak and still serve its pourpose(sp).

You may want to look into Raku, I have even sold one of the faces I made and I'm not such a great artist.

Les

Thanks for the advise. I have this on-going problem in my life. I get my toys before I get the toy box built.

This whole brick thing started last week when I was minding my own business and drove by a dumpster full a fire bricks. They had come out of a dry stacked furnace. No mortor to clean up or anything. Just some chips around the edges from being dumped into the dumpster. I knew they wouldnt be there after I got the house build:-) so I snaged them.

I will be looking for a class but not until I get the roof up. Plus right now I just got a short job type gig but they want me to showup and do work before they will give me the money:-) What is a guy to do? Its not much but it helps and who knows where it will lead.

Al

They actually want you to show up and WORK before they pay you? Is there no end to the abuse??!! LOL Depending on what part of the country you are in, firebrick (soft brick) can cost $2-3 each or more, tax and shipping not included, so if you got them from a dumpster, you did very very well for yourself, friend. If you "have enough for a kiln", you have just saved yourself somewhere between $1000 and $3000.

Color me avocado with envy :>)

Wayne in Key West

I just finished sorting them. I picked up about 400 bricks. They all have dings in the edges but most have one clean edge and some have 2 or more. I'm thinking that with some refractory morter I can make something. I'm not sure how big. I dont even know how big backyard kilns need to be to be useful. I'm looking for a good book.

I have given a few away to my blacksmith friends. They only seem to need a dozen or so for forges. I dont mind spreading the wealth amoung friends. One hand washes the other and all that kind of stuff.

I have been studing the propane burners that the blacksmiths use for forges and casting furnaces. I have noticed that they use colors for heat but the pottery folks use something called cones. I guess these are like the colors to a blacksmith only you have to buy them and watch them melt. Clay does glow like metal does.

What would be a good reference that to give me more info? Al

Al: Try the kiln book by Olsen. Excellent reference!. I just came back from a

3day workshop in NC, where we built a gas fired Minnesota Flat Top kiln, and ocnverted an electric to electric/gas (which lets you do reduction firing) You can view the pictures here do a search on your news server for"wood". There is a wood kiln group that recently started a group online.Lot of helpful people. Good luck! Wayne Seidl