Refractory cement "melting" problem

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mitch8

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Oct 11, 2010
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I got a half gallon of "furnace cement and fireplace mortar" from meccos red devil and it was sold to me as refractory cement. The problem I am having with it is that even after I let the cement cure for over 24 hours it still reverts back to a liquid whenever it gets wet. What am I doing wrong?

Mitch
 
have you fired the forge yet?
it may just be that it needs to bake in order to fully cure as opposed to merely drying.
 
Was it well mixed before you used it? It tends to separate when sitting for a long time.
 
It comes already mixed in a pail but I'll try mixing it a little better. And I'll try firing it to
 
It needs to be fired..... SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOWLY. I actually baked mine in a kitchen oven on high for 5 hours prior to firing it.

Are you coating ceramic wool?
 
i'm smearing it right on the steel. the forge looks almost identical to this one:
http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-blacksmith-farrier-forge-buffalo-forge
but there is a home made plate over the blower hole from the previous owner and that is the highest point. i bent some sheet metal into a cone to fix that and figured that id better put some insulation on it first.
i also have a small propane or mapp burning forge that is insulated with kaowool but the wool is tearing inside from the blades catching so some cement would do me good in there.
what are your suggestions?
 
mitch8 said:
i'm smearing it right on the steel. the forge looks almost identical to this one:
http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-blacksmith-farrier-forge-buffalo-forge
but there is a home made plate over the blower hole from the previous owner and that is the highest point. i bent some sheet metal into a cone to fix that and figured that id better put some insulation on it first.
i also have a small propane or mapp burning forge that is insulated with kaowool but the wool is tearing inside from the blades catching so some cement would do me good in there.
what are your suggestions?
Click to expand...
It is not good to run a forge with exposed kaowool.... bad things happen when you breath that stuff in. You need to coat it with refractory slip. Preferably something that is rated 2500F or higher.
I have the same coal forge you linked to. I raised the bed with refractory made from stove cement, perlite and wood ash.

mitch8 said:
and how did you get the finish on that tribal dagger? i really dig it.
Click to expand...
The dagger has a rough hammer finish. Thanks!
 

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So after baking it in the oven for 5 hours how do you suggest firing it if I don't have access to a kiln?
 
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