Firebrick 42% alumina content

[pizzahead]

Hi. I am in based in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia and have found a supplier of fire bricks close to home that quote 42% alumina content. Is this too high for a pizza/wood fired oven? I plan on building a 42" oven.

Firebricks seem very expensive here between $3.50 to $5.00 each. Is there anyone out there who has found a good/cheap supply?

Thanks,
Jason

[Johnny the oven man]

Re: Firebrick 42% alumina content

$3/brick for 230x115x75 or $3:50 for arches ex our Mulgrave store Jason.

[Mitchamus]

Re: Firebrick 42% alumina content

I have 42% in my oven, sourced them from Sydney at $2.70 a brick (new)

they are not the best quality though (chinese), not all of them were 75mm wide... made dry laying the walls & dome "interesting"

[Johnny the oven man]

Re: Firebrick 42% alumina content

The big problem with chinese bricks is knowing which plant to buy from or having a broker who is prepared to source quality products for you.

[Mitchamus]

Re: Firebrick 42% alumina content

Unfortunately, the place in Sydney where I got them were the only convienient place, the last refractory brick place in newcastle shut down in the 80's.
(I live on the central coast, midway between sydney & newcastle)

I would have prefered to get them from Darley in Vic, but the freight would have been prohibitively expensive...

[Mitchamus]

Re: Firebrick 42% alumina content

I have just uploaded a pic of the vault of my oven in the "enclosure" album
so you can see the bricks I used.

cheers,
mitch.

[pizzahead]

Re: Firebrick 42% alumina content

Thanks for the help so far guys. John your price sounds pretty good, will the 42% alumina content be able to hold heat long enough to cook roasts etc after I fire the oven for pizza making?

[Mitchamus]

Re: Firebrick 42% alumina content

definitely.

My oven is not yet insulated, it has the 42% bricks, and 4" of concrete cladding on top of that.

Last time I cooked pizzas in it, (two weeks ago) the oven was left to burn with just coals at about 9:30pm.

At 10 am the next day it was still about 50 plus degrees inside, with no door, no insulation, and had been left for 12 hours...we also had frost that night.

so with the proper insulation and a door, I am hoping that the temp will be 100 plus the next day... good for cooking a batch of scones to have with breakfast

[Johnny the oven man]

Re: Firebrick 42% alumina content

Pizzahead you have P.M

[pizzahead]

Re: Firebrick 42% alumina content

John, what does PM mean? Your bricks at $3 - is this including or excluding GST. Thanks.

[Johnny the oven man]

Re: Firebrick 42% alumina content

PM is private message Jase. $3 plus the dreaded mate.

[pizzahead]

Re: Firebrick 42% alumina content

Hi Mitchamus. Why did you want the bricks from Darley's? They are only about 40 mins from where I live. Are they recommended? Cheers.

[Mitchamus]

Re: Firebrick 42% alumina content

only because the plan I used recommended 26%(??) alumina bricks, and my local supplier didn't have them - only the 42% - but Darley's did.

I probably should have tried the yellow pages for another supplier, but I just used the internet.

My local brick supplier had firebricks, but they wanted $8 each for them.
I asked if they had made a mistake with the price... twice... but it was true. Not sure what they thought they were doing.

Realistically, the higher alumina content doesn't mean that they hold the heat more or anything like that, but just that they can withstand higher temperatures... and unless you're going to use some kind of forced combustion (bellows, compressed air etc) or use coal, or liquid oxygen , you wont be able get your fire hot enough with just wood to do any damage to fire bricks.

I have never seen a Darley's brick except in pictures.

[james]

Re: Firebrick 42% alumina content

Hey guys,

I have moved this to Getting Started. I think it will be more useful there.
James

[Johnny the oven man]

Re: Firebrick 42% alumina content

Mitch, for your info, Darley's are 1900kg/m3 vs 2230kg/m3 for your Chinese 42%'s. Denser brick holds heat longer once it is heated up.They are theoreticly still a medium duty brick as super-duty is 45% and up.