Refractory Cement?

C

catcalls

Joined
May 7, 2012
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250
I have decided to redo my forge. I am planning on lining all of it with kaowool, putting a firebrick on the bottom and then lining the inside of all that with refractory cement. I also have a buddy of mine who will be building one the same way with me. We already have the bricks and kaowool. I am only 14 and my only income is from knives ive made, is there a way to make refractory cement from scratch for cheap? Ive heard about using clay and cat litter?
Thanks Jack
 
Hi Jack. I have been using rutland furnace cement which you can get at any hardware store for years now. Get the stuff which is not black in color. You can thin it with water til its about the consistance of gravy and paint it on the koawool. Several light coats allowing it to dry in between coats. Might not be as effecient as the satanite, bubble alumina, and ITC100 you can get from forge building websites, but it is cheap and available anywhere. Good luck!
 
Not much to add here and I am a newb who hasn't built a forge, but I will second happycat. I've read every newb thread here and hours upon hours more searching around, and the most common is either kitty litter as you said or go to a local hardware store and grab furnace cement. I know home depot carries a variant, and I can't imagine using some kitty litter concoction could be any cheaper than just buying the real deal on a smaller forge.

My word isn't from experience, but simply from reading so take it as you will.
 
Meeco red devil from menards works great. I have tried several refractory cements, including satanite, and the stuff from menards is the only one that doesn't start cracking when it dries, or after you fire up the forge the first few times. They have a large tub that handles up to 2800 degrees, and a smaller tub that handles up to 3200 degrees. The smaller tub has more then enough to line a small forge, and is only 10 dollars for a tub.
 
I did a search of all the hardware stores locally and came up with nothing. I called one of the industrial suppliers, and they will sell the refractory cement in 55lbs bags.
 
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