Fire brick group buy in UK

[james]

Re: Fire brick group buy in UK

Martin,

I am really pleased that this has worked out. Thanks for jumping in and giving other builders a helping hand.

Is your wife still talking to you?

James

[nrgraider]

Re: Fire brick group buy in UK

hi, im in Bracknell, England and facing a simiar problem. All the suppliers seem to be in the Midlands or further north. Did you find a local supplier for refractory materials?

[Alex uk]

Re: Fire brick group buy in UK

Hi, I'm near Reading (uk), I've just started looking into building an oven, did you find cheap fire bricks? If you're still looking are you / anyone else in the U.K. interested in getting together to source and bulk buy them and possibly other materials?
Cheers
Alex uk

[nrgraider]

Re: Fire brick group buy in UK

Hi, i've spoken to a supplier in the West Midlands and they quoted about ?370 ie about $700 for 200 bricks, some tubs of ready-mixed refractory cement and delivery to Reading area. One of their local supplier specialises in castables so i wonder if that is a technically and economically viable alternative method.

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: Fire brick group buy in UK

some tubs of ready-mixed refractory cement

Tubs of ready mixed refractory mortar usually means an air-set type of mortar that works well for indoor fireplaces, but may not be suitable for an outdoor pizza oven. I believe it remains water soluble even after it dries...

Drake

[dmun]

Re: Fire brick group buy in UK

There is so much confusion with refractory products, even here in the US. But here, as Drake says, there has been less than satisfactory results with pre-mixed refractory mortar. One member even got some for free, that was past the Sell-by date, and hated the way it worked.

Perhaps there is a better product in the UK. Ask your suppler if it dries to a waterproof bond. If you are dealing with the manufacturer, it might be possible to ask for a sample, so you could try it out.

[PeterW]

Re: Fire brick group buy in UK

Is the West Midlands Supplier Dudley Firebrick..?

If so, they aren't the cheapest, and you are being quoted for KOS brand fire cement in unbranded tubs. Its only suitable for thin beds between joints, and you'll need an awful lot...!

Its not the right stuff, and mixing your own with sand/cement/fireclay/lime is the easiest and cheapest way, assuming you can get fireclay !!

Have you tried getting Yorkshire refractories to quote you..?at ?1.03 per brick, plus about ?60 for pallet shipping, its well within what you've been quoted. Also, if there are 2 of you (Reading/Bracknell) you could get a better price.

Just my thoughts !

Cheers

Peter

[Croc108]

Re: Fire brick group buy in UK

Just to let you know, I went with the Yorkshire Refractories idea - after seeing it suggested earlier and having been really scared off by some of the earlier prices for firebricks I've seen in the UK. I didn't quite get the ?1.03 mentioned above but still was quoted a very reasonable ?1.25 per brick plus ?45 delivery to Surrey.
Needless to say I was on the phone with my sweaty little card in hand today! I have not seen anything even remotely close to this even scouring Ebay for 2nd hand bargains.
So now I just have to build the thing

[Croc108]

Re: Fire brick group buy in UK

Forgot to mention, those prices were pre-VAT, and they have cheap (seems to me anyway) fireclay at ?10 for a 25kg bag.

[PeterW]

Re: Fire brick group buy in UK

Forgot to mention, those prices were pre-VAT, and they have cheap (seems to me anyway) fireclay at ?10 for a 25kg bag.

Thats a good price for fireclay - you only need about 15-20kg working on what I've used, but at that price, I'd buy 2 bags and be done with it !

Peter

[Croc108]

Re: Fire brick group buy in UK

I did just that Peter - bought 2 bags of the stuff. At that price better safe than sorry.
I like your oven btw. I'm a few weeks - or months - behind you, about to throw the hearth slab this weekend and just hoping it doesnt crash through my blockwork base. Lots of rebar and crossed fingers.
Cheers

[A_man_needs_a_project]

Re: Fire brick group buy in UK

I called Travis Perkins and they quoted me 17.50 + VAT for a 25kg bag of fire clay and didn't appear to mind supplying one bag. Not as cheap as others but I can collect.

If you want to do a pizza oven on the cheap check out Carl's posts and forno economico. Cracking job!

If you aren't in a rush to build an oven I recommend that you do a bulk buy between fellow shippers and try and share shipping. Warning though, the bricks weigh over 4kgs each so you can't get 200 in a mini!.

[nrgraider]

Re: Fire brick group buy in UK

I've just been to my local Builder centre and they want very nearly ?4 i.e. almost $8 per brick! ouch!

[fig man]

Re: Fire brick group buy in UK

After looking to obtain a supply of bricks for a while that I can get past my mrs without too many questions, I have managed to obtain a load of free second hand storage heater fire bricks, from a mate of mine who runs a heating company. (They did cost a bottle of single malt).
They were in his yard which he was looking to clear out so I managed to save them from the skip.
Some a bit odd shaped, but mostly are approx 210x195x50mm (some are 220x165x80mm) all come with at least one flat smooth side. The 50mm bricks are probably 15mm slimer than the bricks from a builders merchant, but I will just put more vermiculite below them to make up the difference.

Looking to start my build now very soon.

Good luck with all of your builds.

Fig

[Faz]

Re: Fire brick group buy in UK

Hey Figman, I've got a stack of storage heater bricks up the side of my house that I hope to use. They are so dense that I am hoping they will store a LOT of heat and be as effective as normal firebrick.

My vague plan at the moment is to cut each brick in half so that I don't need to lose too much brick when i cut the taper higher up in the dome, but I haven't actually tried cutting one yet so I'm not sure whether this is an viable plan or not!

My only concern really is whether a strong enough structure can be built using the slimmer brick - I am hoping that a good layer of vermicrete over the outside will add a little bit of strength.