Refractory supplies

[Millipede]

lately ive been looking online at glass kilns and the prices are just ridiculous. its over 600 dollars for a kiln with a 4x4x4 interior! WHAT?!?!? so i decided to just make my own. ive got some pretty good ideas from places online and i ordered a couple of books on building glass hotshops. after looking through those i realized most of the price comes from the digital controller. i even found a good spot on the web that perfectly explains how to build one of those yourself for like 75 bucks. anyways... back to the point.. i cant find any place that sells the fire bricks/fiber board that i need. ive looked on ebay but all the auctions are for like 2-3 bricks at a time. and ive looked at a million different ceramics and glass websites but none sell the firebricks. all they seem to carry is kiln furniture. does anybody know a good website/place to get this stuff?

 

[Taliesin-DS]

What about shops that sell fireplaces?

 

[swords]

Would a patio brick shop have anything usable? If people use them for building fire pits these sorts of places might have them.

I would like a kiln for firing earth clay but I haven't got the $ or space, wouldn't it be great if there were art shops who will fire your project for you for a fee? I looked online and only saw kiln sellers. I wonder why they don't have kiln services in every state? I'd use them!

 

[Taliesin-DS]

Most high schools around here have small kilns, maybe you could as some schools ?

 

[Hermopolis]

Check out New York Ceramic Supply. It is the best place to get refractory bricks and supplies. I bought my kiln from them. I also bought fire brick and refractory wool for making a knife forge.

-Hermes.

 

[swords]

Our towns high school has like bells and armed police who come running out if someone other than a student shows up there. It was designed by the local prison architect and is run like one too! LOL

 

[jafvortex93]

Our towns high school has like bells and armed police who come running out if someone other than a student shows up there. It was designed by the local prison architect and is run like one too! LOL

Sounds like a reform school.

 

[Av8tor1]

for fire brick I would check with a wood stove vendor. While not structural, for refractory I use to use a product called fiberfrax when I was still involved with aviation... What I used would come out of the package as a wet mat, you molded the shape then once it was heated it became rigid.

Might google fiberfrax, here is one variant.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/appages/fiberfrax.php

 

[Millipede]

woah thanks for all the replies.. ive thought about the stove places near here. havent had the time or gas money to go out shopping though so ive mainly been sitting in front of my computer doing it.

av8tor: ive heard of fiberfrax. i first saw it when i worked in the glass shop with scott bisson. ive been fascinated by it ever since. but for this project i was thinking something more like ceramic fiber board for the walls (i can attach elements to it easier) and a brick floor for heat retention. im almost finished drawing my diagrams. ill post em later for those who are interested.

hermes: that knife forge sounds awesome. i was thinking of making something like it after i get done with this if i have enough spare parts left over. ive always wanted to make knifes since i came across a book in the library about it once. plus you always see somebody with a handcrafted knife booth at craft fairs and saturday market places. theres money to be made there

 

[Sig]

Our towns high school has like bells and armed police who come running out if someone other than a student shows up there. It was designed by the local prison architect and is run like one too! LOL

Sounds like my school. There's also one in the district next to mine that was originally designed as a prison itself, but they made some "improvements" to change it.