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Wool ridgidizer


Joe E

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Greetings everyone! Is west Systems 40 a good ridgidizer for kaowool? Do I just mix and apply like paint if so? I know it’s been covered a little before but I wanted some definite info on it. I am building a ribbon burner forge and I would like to ridgidize the wool before coating with kastolite and metrikote. Thanks, Joe

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Welcome aboard Joe, glad to have you. Not knowing what West Systems 40 is I first searched in online, and read the marketing info so I just added MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) to the terms to learn what it's made of. The sheet was specifically for the 406 version and it's colloidal silica. BINGO its THE stuff.

I don't know the ratio but it's most effective mixed with enough clean water to spray through a stritzer. If you add a drop or two of food coloring it gives you a god visual cue about coverage.

Stritz the refractory blanket with water (butter) first. This lets the silica bond to the refractory and flow more deeply. Applying rigidizer or any masonry type product to a dry surface causes flash drying at the contact so there's a layer of dry powder between the cement and what you want it to stick to. This is a BAD thing. Applying it to a wet surface allows it to flow into the surface and cure rather than dry for a good molecular bond. If you've ever watched masons laying brick or concrete block you've seen them dipping bricks/blocks in a bucket of water before laying them on the mortar. 

Butter before applying the Kastolite and Matrikote for the exact same reason. Remember Matrikote works MUCH better applied in several (with drying time and butter between) coats. Mix about latex paint thickness. 

Frosty The Lucky.

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