I've been looking for some fire brick on the cheap and a friend of mine said his mom had some. Well she has a lot and wants to get rid of all of them.  I finally got sent a few pictures. 

Is .50 cents a brick a good price for used fire brick? I believe it was used for a pottery kiln. 

I could probably wheel and deal on a bulk price but that's where we are at right now. 

Around here that would be a good price; just remember that they will need a long slow drying out period at low heat---days to weeks would be best to allow the water to get out of them.  Helps prevent them cracking the first time you go for a forging heat with them.

If it was used for a kiln it may not stand up to forge heat most bricks are rated to a certain heat, this is what a dealer told me when I contacted them 

Around here that would be a good price; just remember that they will need a long slow drying out period at low heat---days to weeks would be best to allow the water to get out of them.  Helps prevent them cracking the first time you go for a forging heat with them.

Thanks Thomas that's a good point. Looks like they have been out in the elements for a while. 

If it was used for a kiln it may not stand up to forge heat most bricks are rated to a certain heat, this is what a dealer told me when I contacted them 

I'd never heard that but it's something I'll look in to. 

Edit: I looked around online and I don't think I'll have any problems with em for how I would be using them. 

Edited September 29, 201510 yr by Daswulf

I'd maybe use them to build a BBQ or outdoor fireplace without better info on the pricks. If they're "contact" fire brick then their temp rating should be plenty but those look more like exterior or structure brick.

If they're real fire brick it's a good price but without some documentation I'd look at it like being charged to make a dump run for her.

Make some calls on the phone, the internet is WAY too impersonal to ask questions. Call the local "Readimix" or whatever the company is that pours concrete. If they don't carry fire brick they can sure as heck tell you who does. They'll also be able to tell you how to mix contact refractory according to predicted temperature. "contact" is kiln furnace jargon meaning "Fire contact" I have no idea why they dropped fire from the term but I try using the correct terms, it saves confusion when talking to pros.

Anyway, Hit the yellow pages and talk to people. describe what you're doing and what you need. If they don't carry the product they will refer you. Just be polite and ask if they have time to answer questions. It's FAR more effective than trying to use the internet.

Frosty The Lucky.

The one question that you can ask which will give you some idea of the value is:" What cone did she fire her pottery to"   Cones are rate as time over temperature.  Cone 10 is about welding temp and cone 6 is 2230 deg F.  A lot of potters fire in the cone 6 range  which is ok for most work but not welding temp.  At 0.50 that is a good price for a lot of supportive work and work surface.

The thought occurs to me that if you want go build a chimney the brick would be excellent for that or for a coal or coke forge surround for bottom blast or side blast.

forbidden bug work around test

 

failed

Edited September 29, 201510 yr by Kozzy

Thanks for the heads up Frosty. I'm asking more questions on them now.  I'm not in a hurry for anything and this was way more then I was going to need. But "if" it's a deal I'd take it.  I just ask around about stuff and sometimes I get a hit. If I don't have anything by the time I'm ready for it I will definitely call around and find a source. 

 

Thanks Charlotte. Good info to know. For the most part it would be fine as my initial idea was for a brick forge for coal. I Was mainly concerned about the brick I'd be using closest to the fire. Tho I had thought with excess brick I may be able to have some for other future projects.  I'll see what I can find out from her and go from there. 

Fire brick for a coal forge you should be good. It's only in something like a gas forge or furnace where you'll get those high elevated temps that you need to worry about standard fire brick breaking down and need to go with higher temp rated ones.

What I'd worry about more was if it had been soaked and then frozen.

What I'd worry about more was if it had been soaked and then frozen.

judging by the picture, looks like they have been sitting out a while. Probably have been. 

Well try 4 of them and see how they do and then decide.

Thomas, get 4 or so and see how they react to heat after drying out well? i could do that i think. sounds like a good test too. i'll be safe about it of course.

 

A few of them in the pics seem to have spiderweb cracking and might not hold up long at all.  With the freeze/thaw cycle of PA....  I'd wonder about any of them.  

Two layers of that fire brick, though, would make a dandy table for a coal forge.  The clinker, scale and ash would quickly build up and fill the voids, helping to hold any cracked bricks together.  I wouldn't worry about a "fire pot" with a brick table; I'd simply build up a moveable fence with more bricks so I could shape the fire how I liked.  A 3" pipe nipple and end cap would serve to bring the air up through the two layers of brick....

A few of them in the pics seem to have spiderweb cracking and might not hold up long at all.  With the freeze/thaw cycle of PA....  I'd wonder about any of them.  

Two layers of that fire brick, though, would make a dandy table for a coal forge.  The clinker, scale and ash would quickly build up and fill the voids, helping to hold any cracked bricks together.  I wouldn't worry about a "fire pot" with a brick table; I'd simply build up a moveable fence with more bricks so I could shape the fire how I liked.  A 3" pipe nipple and end cap would serve to bring the air up through the two layers of brick....

Good Point!

Thanks Vaughn. 

  It's a tough call. Think I need to check these out in person. Have a talk with her and get her story and let her know some of the concerns. Maybe just see if she wants to deal more. Worst case I build an outdoor bbq.   sure there are some good ones in there. 

I think maybe you've got to think at the price, at worst you have great stock for a pizza oven, at best you have the makings of many a forge. It's a bit of a no brainer here?

Unless fire bricks go for less than a buck a piece in your neck of the woods?

It is a good price after looking at even regular brick prices. I figured it was, but asking on here really did help me with ideas, concerns and information. I could get used brick for free on Craig's list but this is fire brick ( don't see that on there for free if at all) and the potential Is there. The freeze/ thaw in Pennsylvania, and the fact they have been uncovered in the elements is a little of a concern but I'm sure the value is there.  Still going to try to get it a lil cheaper.  

 

  Still going to try to get it a lil cheaper.  

 

Sounds so "Blacksmithesque"  "Blacksmithish"

A few of them in the pics seem to have spiderweb cracking and might not hold up long at all. 

Lightly tapping each prospective brick with a small hammer will tell you a lot about its structural integrity. A sharp "clink clink" means that the brick is probably sound. A dull "clunk clunk" means that it is probably cracked. 

 

makes perfect sense JHCC. thanks.

 

2 1/2 inch by 9 inch FB here are $1.95 new. Stored in the dry (North Alabama)

 

I would suggest it is a good idea to get a feel for the different grades of brick. There is no substitute for experience. Scrounge some blond coloured clay pavers or bricks and buy a couple of fire bricks of each grade that there is and test them yourself. What about a thick floor tile? they have been fired in a kiln to at least 2100F

you will find there is almost no difference between a good white clay brick and the densest lowest grade aluminium-oxide firebricks. the super lightweight high temp versions are a world away in performance, particularly if you give them a reflective coating.

it is true that reflected heat makes a big difference to a solid fuel fire however the area under and around the fire pocket is quite small even with charcoal. There is not a lot of brick directly exposed to high temperature.