Castable fire concrete

[JoceAndChris]

Does anyone know where I can get hold of castable fire concrete in Lincolnshire / E. Midlands?

There's a chap selling it in Birmingham, but I was hoping to avoid paying £30 delivery on a £20 bag of concrete!!

(I want to use it to cast replacment fire cheeks to fit around a back boiler).

 

[Jon Maine]

I know its not quite the same thing but I just bought some vermiculite sheet to cut replacement fire brick lining for a stove, as this is vermiculite mixed with a cement or similar I wonder if you can find a reference to a recipe on the internet to cast your own "vermiculite firebrick". Or again perhaps you could buy some sheet and fire cement the joins?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FIRE-BRICK-OPEN-FIRE-WOODBURNER-STOVE-LINING-FIREBRICK_W0QQitemZ150321305623QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090116?IMSfp=TL090116112003r6322

Short of that have you tried the local woodburning stove merchants as they may be able to help.

Again look at this link to make your own refactory concrete

http://www.traditionaloven.com/tutorials/concrete.html

 

[Lime]

I'd use bought firebricks (as in links) and use an angle grinder to shape them.


http://www.handsworth-refractories.co.uk/new+stock.html

http://www.armilcfs.com/pages/firebrick.htm?gclid=CJWK7OeimJgCFQtOQgodOwlImg

 

[JoceAndChris]

Thank you for your posts.

I have ordered some of the vermicluite board, which looks a hell of a lot easier than making mould for the castable concrete. The Stove Company do it in larger sheets than the ebay seller.

http://www.thestovecompany.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13_52&products_id=212

 

[JoceAndChris]

(This is Chris, posting, not Joce)

Hello again,

Got the vermiculite board from the Stove Company and put it up with fire cement. (I am not sure it will be tough enough to last, but I will give it a try and if it falls apart after a couple of years I will probably put a stove in). The process took a few weeks longer than I expected because the first piece got broken in transit, the Stove Company graciously replaced it immediately however.

The next step is I am going to build up the sides with bricks. My local builders merchant has some 1 inch fire bricks which are perfect for the job. I will build up the sides then put a fireclay lintel across then build up with more bricks above this. Once this is done then I will plaster and then tile, finally reinstalling the 1930's wooden fire surround over the top of it all.

My question is this....

For the bricks do I need to use fire cement or can I use ordinary mortar from Wickes? The bricks will not be direct contact with the fire, as the vermiculite board and the fire lintel will take this burden.

Chris

 

[Jon Maine]

Use a lime mortar as it has more give and will deal with the expansion and contraction between hot and cold better.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Thanks Jon that sounds like a handy tip. Where can I get it, would you expect the local builders merchants (Jacksons) to stock it? Should I add plasticiser / PVA?

I'm going to try to get it done this weekend, unless my boss has me working overtime

Chris

 

[Jon Maine]

See if they have some hydraulic lime, nhl 2 or nhl 3.5. If not get some hydrated and use that you need to go use 2.5 sharp gritty sand to 1 part lime, no pva or plasticiser needed. The lime should be nice and creamy anyway.

 

[Mark]

When I bought some of that board, I was told that it would harden up over the first few times it was used. Certainl;y it started out really soft - could be cut with a handsaw. It still doesnt feel as hard as the original firebrick though (only had it in a couple of weeks)

 

[JoceAndChris]

Well we will be very interested to see how it stands the test of time. I reckon as soon as we have p****d mates chucking another log on the fire, which makes us wince, it'll get smashed up.

 

[thiambal]

When I had this problem I was told the vermiculite board stays quite soft and if used to replace the fire brick in the grate would become damaged by coal/wood moving around in the grate. We have a local chap in Kent who reckons he can cast new bricks in situ - but I have never had any luck finding the product - Can you post the details of the stuff you have found in Brimingham

Cheers

Sam

 

[JoceAndChris]

Hi Sam, it was castable concrete from http://www.dudleydesigns.co.uk/

 

[JoceAndChris]

At last this fireplace is rebuilt, and we're really pleased. It completes the room which has taken us 9 months to restore and redecorate!

Many thanks for all your help, Jon especially.

Joce
xx

 

[Jon Maine]

Wot me

 

[JoceAndChris]

Of course you!

We had our first fire in this last night, and it came as a wonderful surprise that it heated the hot water- the flames were sucked under into a kind of channel towards what I suppose must be a tank? It was all very mysterious.

Anyway, great, maybe that means we won't need to burn so much oil and could switch the Rayburn off- anyone know how many hours a fire would need to be burning to supply minimal hot water needs?

 

[Jon Maine]

Excellent

 

[JoceAndChris]

And how about this house-warming you were hinting might happen? I've got my maid's outfit all ready!

If you don't sort it out soon I may have to organise a rival event.

 

[Jon Maine]

Well, we have moved in and fiddled with furnishings etc to get them just so, entered a couple of award programs which all seem to have the Oscars style do's end of April and in May, so we were thinking of house warming probably at the end of May, to either celebrate an award or two or just get pie eyed and forget it all !!

That all sort of ties in with my Birthday in late May too so that is the loose plan so far.

So keep the uniform to hand!! Just one question, wont Chris mind? :shock:

 

[JoceAndChris]

Well, if my poor long-suffering husband isn't used to me after 19 years... anyway, what's to mind about doing washing up for a friend?

Good luck with those awards; hope you win 'em all!

 

[Jon Maine]

All the dishes?