[TheForge] Strengthening castable refractory

[Steve Bloom]

At 08:41 AM 8/22/2003 -0400, Bruce wrote:
>In principal a rebar would help, but it would have to be one capable of 
>surviving the heat.  Maybe SS would do.  Maybe nichrome?  Of course, an 
>exotic like tungsten would work, but you'd have to find a (cheap) source 
>of the stuff.
>
>An alternative you might not have considered is "bricks".  In principal, 
>unmortared bricks, in an arch, would have the advantage of having some 
>give as they heated and cooled (i.e., the entire arch would move and shift 
>at the seams), and hence they'd be less likely to crack.

check out  http://blacksmithing.org/projects/gasforg2.htm for an example of 
this idea.

Steve
Steve Bloom, IronFlower Forge. Archer, FL
     Webmaster for the FABA web site:
	www.blacksmithing.org