Refractory vs Homebrew

[dunawp]

I'm vacillating between using premix refractory mortar vs homebrew and wanted to get some opinions. I'm also struggling to find anyone that carries refractory mortar in Sonoma County. For homebrew, I understand that it may not be as heat resistant and shouldn't face the interior of the dome, but I'm thinking this may be difficult to completely avoid given some of the imperfections in the bricks. Also, doesn't the first row need to be adhered to the hearth? All experienced opinions would be helpful.
Paul

[RandyJ]

Re: Refractory vs Homebrew

I don't think you need to worry about the home brew as some of the best builds on the site have used it. It is also more forgiving on mortar line thickness. You need to have very tight construction or it will crack as it dries. Home brew does not have this problem. And I don't think you need to worry about the heat unless you are going to be melting glass on a regular basis. Just my opinion. I am using home brew on my build.

Randy

[david s]

Re: Refractory vs Homebrew

Proprietary refractory mortars are designed to withstand in excess of double the temperatures we fire to, contain high temperature aggregates that we don't require and also require the higher temperatures to achieve their potential strength. They are also not as user friendly in application as the homebrew. IMO you are wasting your money using it.