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Homemade Kiln Bricks


terrim8

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I just found out that there is no local source for refractory bricks anymore in Alberta. The local ceramics supply store is  importing them from the States! This means they are expensive, in fact $11/brick (CDN) !!!!! ($8.41 USD)

Has anyone here tried making them? 

I will probably look into using the thick high temp. fibre to make some repairs on my kiln. If I want to use bricks, then at that price ($11 each) it might be less costly to make my own.

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Homemade bricks will cost you more work and money than your import cost. Depending on how many you need my suggestion is thru e-bay from this guy who is located in Portland-the business is high temp.

hightempinc (3334  this is his e-bay store name

You can buy them by the case of soft bricks (12 bricks per case) 

I deal with Jeff at Hi-temp every few years while driving thru back from My Anacortes art show-I by many thinks from him

He is not a ceramic supply store but makes industrial products in ceramics like kiln shelves for Skutt kiln kits and specialty items for the steel industry

His facility is huge with shuttle tunnel kilns and kilns that you can drive a forklift into.

Its always a great time going there-a highpoint in my transit. Its not a public deal I must say.I have a relationship with him over the years with ceramic materials. He started as a pottery guy and has a soft spot for us potters.

He buys railcars of industrial kiln supplies as he uses them in his business-he has a FULL time ceramic engineer on site.

 

You did not mention which type of brick Hard or soft (soft K-23-K26-or K28)

Hard bricks are are buy the brick and he has a great ground Fedx rate. 

Also you could drive south into the states and buy some.

Need more info on what type and how many

sourcing bricks is usually a bit of work.-How about a refractory place in Alberta that works on Mills etc??

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Thanks Mark. K 23 is what i am looking for. Maybe I will put off repairs for awhile and do that drive south- maybe Montana. I find the soft bricks are the easiest to work with and I see US website selling them for around $4 or $5 US, so its worth a trip. I have to fix up the back wall of a catenary arch kiln.

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I just sold a friend an case of K23s(25 per case -old school case size) as I am overstocked and do not use them-next time you are in Arcata

Those Hi temps K23 are light for shipping.Only 30$ per case on e-bay for 12 bricks. Hopefully the shipping is not over the top for you on those hi-temp bricks

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I'm not sure about the import duty- I'll have to look into that. If its not bad, then shipping some here  will be another option. Your friends place sounds really interesting- lots of fun to see things on an industrial scale.

 

I often bring back kiln posts and things like that from my US trips. They are half price compared to prices here. This gives the airline security people something interesting to see and we are allowed to bring back a certain amount duty free. 

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Alberta has industry. I think you could find used bricks or at least refractory suppliers for construction and oil refineries.Here is a refractory supplier in Edmonton

http://www.alliancerefractories.com

 

It really is not worth while to try and make your our fire bricks.This supplier has all kinds of bricks from AP Green and NARCO (North American Refractory Company)as well as ceramic fiber.

If you are in the south of Alberta, E J Bartel was the refractory company in Billings, MT. that I worked with for decades.

 

 

Marcia

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Thanks Marcia & Mark! I think I'll try Edmonton first, no exchange rate. Just sent an email up to Alliance. It's a 3 hour drive north from me. If they don't work, I'll try Montana, esp. because I wanted to see the Flathead Valley.

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Mark,

I lived in Montana for 31 years. They are not brutal winters but a dry cold. The sun can warm you up on the coldest day.Love the cold and bright clear skies. My husband got a job down here, but we can't take the oppressive heat.We think of Montana as home. Give me cold, fresh mountain air anyday. I lived in Huntley Montana for 14 years and never got snowed in except once. Coldest I have seen was 54 below zero and yes that was cold. But it usually doesn't get colder than minus 30. Two weeks of that and the high school kids are going around without coats when it goes above zero. Down here if it goes to 50 F people put on boots, wool hats and mittens. The news reporters show what hypothermia is by standing in a refrigerator truck. We just laugh!

Marcia

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(Coldest I have seen was 54 below zero)

Thats not a temp I want to get to know well. The coldest I have been is on top of Manua Kea at the observatories many years ago when you could actually drive there (14,000 feet) on the big Island-as soon as the car turned off our breath froze on all the car windows within seconds. The wind blew you backwards on the ice as you leaned into it.We had all the clothing we owned on and it was not enough .

I like the swing seasons in Montana-spring and fall.

I have heard about the dry heat in AZ before -you know when its 110 but its a dry heat-so I guess its the same deal with dry cold.I tend to get suspicious when dry hot or cold terms come up-as I have found that does not make the actual hot or cold much better-but where you live now the humidity and sweltering heat I can see is a bit much.

Here we call it wet fog its not dry or clear or hot.

​Got to love the no speed limit in Montana unless they now have one.

Good luck on house hunting.

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I have a friend who is there now doing three art shows in a  row in Montana-the 4th is a 3 day show for him.His work has lots of freshwater fish themes so the trout crowd /tourists snap it up.Its a long drive for him and he camps and fishes in-between shows

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  • 2 weeks later...

My friend runs that fair and another volunteers. The extreme cold requires head bolt heaters in your cars. The town we're looking at is small with everything easy access on foot. battery heated sock are nice. they have a great winter solstice bonfire tradition. This weekend people are upset because the chamber of Commerce scheduled Shakespeare in the Park same weekend as the Biker festival. People are complaining that you can't hear the actors with all the motorcycles.

Marcia

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This weekend he is in Kalispell doing the museum art show-his 3rt Mt show in a row. Been fishing the big horn a week ago between shows.

What I find interesting is its the same distance for me to Mt as Az  each are 2,200 miles round trip

Our friends in Homer Alaska have block heaters-you plug the car in.

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