Okay, let’s talk about this “high al brick” thing. I was messing around with some refractory stuff the other day, trying to build a little forge in my backyard. I wanted something that could really take the heat, you know? So I started looking into different kinds of bricks, and that’s when I stumbled upon these high-alumina bricks.
These bad boys are made of some kind of material called tabular alumina with a mullite matrix. At first, I really didn’t know what this means. But anyway, I found that they are pretty tough against slags, which is great because I’ll be melting all sorts of metals in there.
So, I did some digging, they’re made from this material called bauxite. I grabbed a few of these high-alumina bricks from a local supplier. They were a bit pricier than regular bricks, but I figured it was worth it for the extra durability. I mean the Al2O3, they’ve got more than 48% of it. That’s what makes them “high-alumina.” So I guess that’s what makes them so tough.
- First, I marked out the area where I wanted to build the forge and made a solid foundation with some regular bricks.
- Then, I started stacking these high-alumina bricks for the walls. It’s just like playing with LEGOs, but way hotter and heavier. I mixed some refractory mortar, which is also heat-resistant, and cemented these together.
- After building the walls, I made a little dome on top, leaving a hole for the burner.
- Finally, I let the whole thing dry for a few days.
Steps:
Once it was all set, I fired it up. Man, this thing gets hot! I’ve used it a couple of times now, and those high-alumina bricks are holding up great. No cracks, no melting, nothing. It’s pretty awesome to see how these bricks can handle such high temperatures without any issues.
So, yeah, that’s my experience with high-alumina bricks. They’re tough, they can take the heat, and they’re perfect for building something like a forge. If you’re planning on doing any high-temperature projects, I’d definitely recommend giving them a try. You won’t regret it!
