[TheForge] Re: Bricks- Light vs heavy

[Steve Smith]

I don't remember where I heard this, but what I heard was that the 
"heavy duty" bricks commonly called firebrick are used in boilers. They 
are specifically intended to retain heat and even out the heat coming 
out of a boiler. This is quite a different use than our needs.

I find that the insulating bricks last quite well against thermal 
cycling, it's dropping them off the forge that causes cracks. The ones I 
use are pure white and can be carved with your fingernail.

Steve

Jeffrey Polaski wrote:

> I'm sure someone who actually knows can answer this, but the
> "insulating" bricks seem to be better *insulators*, so I imagine they
> loose heat the slowest. But they have less mass, so they cooler sooner
> than the heavy-duty ones.
> 
> The heavy-duty ones take a lot longer to heat up, and stay hot much
> longer. I can still feel heat from my forge for 8 -- 12 hours or so when
> I use heavy-duty bricks. 
> 
> BTW, is there a better name for these bricks, other than "insulating"
> and heavy-duty? Is that clear to everyone? Is that the terminology
> people use when they talk about these things?
> 
> 
> Jeff Polaski
> Research and Graduate Studies Webmaster
> University of California, Irvine
> http://www.rgs.uci.edu/
> 949.824.6363