Top Ten Uses for Refractory Cement: a blog about our uses of refractory cement and why we use it over alternatives.
Refractory cement is ideal for making your own heat-resistant concrete but it can also be used as a high-heat adhesive or to fill gaps or cracks in castable refractories.
What is Refractory Cement?
Refractory cement is designed to withstand extremely high heat, making it perfect for building a fire pit, pizza oven, or other similar uses. It is often made from Portland cement, fire clay, silica sand, and grog or calcined alumina. The mixture is heated until it becomes a liquid that can then be poured into a mold or jar. The resulting solid will dry hard and can withstand extreme temperatures up to 2,650 degrees Fahrenheit.
How to Use Refractory Cement
Refractory cement can be used in many ways, including as an adhesive for fire bricks in a fireplace or kiln. It is ideal when you need to bond materials that are exposed to high temperatures on a regular basis. One of the most popular uses for refractory cement is in the construction of pizza ovens; however, you may also see it used in foundries
Refractory cement is used for a variety of different things. Here is a list of the top ten uses for refractory cement:
1. Fireplaces, both indoor and outdoor
2. Pizza ovens
3. Stoves, both wood-burning and gas-powered
4. Forges and foundries
5. Kilns and furnaces, both for heat-treating material and for firing ceramics such as bricks or pottery
The primary benefit of refractory cement is that it can withstand high temperatures without breaking down. Thus it is perfect for all of the above uses. It’s also cheap to make; you can buy containers over the Internet or at most hardware stores that contain the dry ingredients needed to make refractory cement, and then mix them with water in order to create large amounts of inexpensive, heat-resistant mortar!
Refractory cement is used for a number of different things in both commercial and residential applications. Here are some of the top uses.
1. Pizza ovens: if you’ve ever wondered how to make a pizza oven, one of the key materials you will need is refractory cement. It is used as mortar for the bricks or blocks that make up your pizza oven, helping them to retain heat and allowing you to cook your pizza at high temperatures.
2. Foundry work: this type of cement is used in foundries as well as other high temperature projects because it can be made to withstand very high temperatures while remaining in a solid state. This makes it ideal for lining the inside of furnaces and foundry molds which are exposed to very high temperatures during use.
3. Fireplace repair: refractory cement is one of the most popular products used to repair fireplaces when they begin to crack or crumble due to wearing down over time. Many people choose this product over others because it can be easily mixed at home and painted over so that it matches your existing fireplace bricks or blocks very closely after drying.
4. Glass kilns: glass kilns are another place where you may find refractory cement
I have used refractory cement for lots of different projects. Here, we will discuss what refractory cement is and all the uses I have found for it.
Refractory cement is a ceramic material that is heated to extremely high temperatures. It is used to line furnaces, kilns, fireplaces, fireboxes, and stoves. I like to use it for projects like rocket stoves and pizza ovens that need to be able to handle intense heat.
Refractory cements are a handy thing to have around if you are building a forge or other refractory-lined device.
Refractory cements can be used to join refractory bricks, fill in gaps in refractory brick linings, and patch small cracks in refractories. Refractory cements can also be used to make small custom shapes out of refractory material.
Refractory cement is not the same thing as high-temperature mortar. High temperature mortars are meant to take the thermal cycling of a masonry joint, and are rated for use at about 2800 degrees F. Refractory cement is meant for casting into custom shapes, or for filling gaps and voids in masonry joints. Refractory cement typically has a use range of 1600-2200 degrees F, depending on the product you choose.
Refractory cement and mortar are a good alternative to firebrick and mortar for building a firebox in your pizza oven, fireplace or barbecue. Refractory cement and mortar has many advantages over firebrick and mortar.
Refractory cement is more resistant to heat and abrasion than traditional mortars. It can be used with or without firebrick for the construction of wood-fired ovens, masonry heaters and barbecues. Refractory cement sets up hard like concrete but it is much softer and easier to work with. It also can be used in the same way as regular concrete for the base of your oven.
Refractory cement is available from most hardware stores, but if you want it in small quantities then you might find that buying it online will save you some money. The best place I have found on the internet is www.thehardwarehut.com where they sell a 16oz tub that makes up around a gallon of mixed refractory cement for only $8 which includes shipping!
Refractory Cement Advantages
Refractory cement has several advantages over firebrick:
It is easier to work with than firebrick – it does not need to be soaped or