Bricks & stuff

[Filthymutt]

Hi from South China,
Ok, its like this. Over here you can not just run down to Home Depot or anywhere and say "give me some Fire Bricks". Even after translating it all into Chinese it is still a bit of a struggle.
I have found some Fire Brick suppliers in N.E. China who have bricks but I need some kind of guide to tell me if I will be buying the right thing or not.
I need to know numbers, Silica content, etc etc.

Any guidelines?

Thanks,
Bob

[Laurentius]

Re: Bricks & stuff

Hi FM,

I live in Japan and just finished my oven, while sourcing my materials most of the fire bricks sold here were from China and well as the ceramic fiber boards and blankets. Anything refractory you can get there. I'll say that you are in paradise if you're building a WFO. Do a Google, search of refractory bricks, ceramic fiber boards, blankets, mortar.

[Filthymutt]

Re: Bricks & stuff

Hi there & Thanks for the reply,
Well yes while I do know that these items are available here, my question was really about how I should know I am buying the right thing?
I had done just as you said and Googled Fire Brick already. And when I went to the sites of the manufacturers I was shown bricks, yes.
Problem is that they were giving all these different numbers regarding Silica content or Alumina content percentages and the like. And the numbers from one supplier were much different from other suppliers.
So, what I am trying to find out is, although yes I can likely buy these items here. I need to know which ones are the correct ones.
I was hoping for numbers to say, what percentages of what minerals etc. should be inside these bricks. I want to buy the right things.
Good job getting your oven built in Japan! You give me hope that this can be done here. I would love to hear the story that went into it one day!
Thanks again,
Bob

[Tenorio74]

Re: Bricks & stuff

FM,

Go around the FB site some. There's all the info you need; and if you haven't yet, download the pompeii oven plans.

Pompeii Oven Instruction eBook V2.0 (pdf) :: eBooks & CD ROMs :: Forno Bravo Store

In these forums there's lots of info too, once you decide on your oven type. My floor bricks are 42% alumina, 'cause that's what I could find!!

Good luck!
T

[SCChris]

Re: Bricks & stuff

I know that coal was used for heating in china and it may now be outlawed. If you can find the bricks for these heaters you may have what you need. You may also be able to recycle from somewhere that has been torn down.

Just a thought.

Chris

[Filthymutt]

Re: Bricks & stuff

Outlawed? Coal? In China? Ain't never going to happen.
Coal is King in China. 46% of the worlds Coal is used here. More than in any other country in the world. Just come and see the clean air here, cough cough cough!

I will be able to get my bricks. Just need to know which ones to buy.

Thanks

Bob

[Lburou]

Re: Bricks & stuff

When you download the pompeii plans, look at page 69, an exerpt follows:

From fornobravo.com pompeii plans V2.0

Here are some basic brick types:

Medium duty firebrick.

We recommend medium duty firebrick for both the cooking
floor and dome of the Pompeii oven, and it is the type of
firebrick we provide as part of the Pompeii Oven Kit.
Medium duty firebricks are comprised of roughly 38%
alumina, and are highly compressed and kiln fired. They
heat up quickly, easily withstand the 1000?F heat your oven
will reach, and are designed for the rapid heat-up and cool
down (thermal cycling) that your oven will experience. This
type of firebrick will also reach the heat required for baking
Pizza Napoletana pizza quickly than clay brick, as they are
more efficient at conducting heat.
Further, because firebrick is designed to withstand thermal
cycling, your oven will last longer, though for most home
ovens this is not an important issue, and your oven will
probably outlast you?whichever brick you choose.
When choosing your firebrick, look for a brick with straight
edges for your cooking floor. It is important that the bricks in
the floor fit snuggly against each other, and a curved edge
will result in a gap between the bricks and in your cooking
floor.
A typical medium firebrick weighs a little more than 8
pounds and is yellow. The price of a good quality firebrick
should be around $1.20.

Low duty firebrick.

This is the basic fireplace firebrick stocked by many
masonry supply stores. They have a lower alumina content
than a medium duty firebrick (around 30%), they have more
non-refractory impurities, and they are less dense. That
said, low duty firebricks are a good choice for building a
Pompeii Oven, and other than considering the Pompeii
Oven Kit from Forno Bravo, it is not worth the effort of trying
to find a higher quality firebrick in your region. With gas
fireplace insert replacing firebrick fireplaces and the
modernization of heavy industry, it is becoming increasingly

difficult to find high quality firebricks.

[Laurentius]

Re: Bricks & stuff

Hi FM,

I used the 38% alumina Firebrick and they costed Y134 here in Japan. Five days after firing my oven, with my IR thermometer I'm getting a reading of 180f. I insulated my oven floor with 2inches of Ceramic fiber board, the doom has 1inch of ceramic cast plus 1inch of refractory mortar, covered by 3 inches of ceramic blanket, then rendered with stucco,

[Filthymutt]

Re: Bricks & stuff

Thanks for the info. I hope to put it to good use soon. Tell me, how long did it take to build? Any unexpected headaches?
Where abouts in Japan are you? Was it difficult to find everything you needed?

[dmun]

Re: Bricks & stuff

Half the world struggles to get any kind of fire brick at all. Be glad you have access to different grades. I think either medium or low duty bricks will work fine. If you can only get the high duty bricks, they will work but they will be somewhat harder to cut.

[Filthymutt]

Re: Bricks & stuff

I will do more hunting around. I think it will be much easier up in Beijing area where the house is bring built. Down here where I am now is much smaller area. I am looking forward to getting started.
Thanks for the help. These Forums are great

[Laurentius]

Re: Bricks & stuff

I'm in Chiba-ken, in a small coastal town a 2 hour train ride from Tokyo. The firebrick were readily available. I ordered the ceramic boards, blankets and refractory mortar from a kiln building company. I got my chimney from a wood burning stove company. It took about a month to build. There are some photos of my oven under, "Pompeii in Japan". Good luck if I can be of any help, let me know.

[Filthymutt]

Re: Bricks & stuff

Thanks a lot! Much appreciated

[altamont]

Re: Bricks & stuff

In reality, there are very few refractory fire brick that can not be used (avoiding any exotic (and expensive) items. You want a "dry pressed" brick, not a "stiff mud" (referring to how the brick are formed - dry pressed brick consist of a fairly dry mix that is hydraulically pressed in a mold, tempered and then fired).
In America we used to have a number of refractory companies (I worked for one for years). I can assure you that our "high heat duty" - even "low heat duty" - firebrick would be sufficient for a wood fired oven.

[altamont]

Re: Bricks & stuff

If available, I would recommend using "arch" brick for each ring in the dome part. These are not as easily obtained here in America as they used to be. I used #1 Arch brick in my dome and with very little variation in mortar thickness made a 42" inside diameter dome. I stood on top of it and jumped up and down on it to impress my wife. She wanted to call in doctors to check my sanity. In retrospect, I probably should not have been shouting "Look at my dome! Look at my dome!" over and over while jumping.

And I should have been wearing a beltI guess. How was I to know they were loose enough to slip down to my ankles?