Okay, so I recently got into this whole fire brick thing, and let me tell you, it’s been a journey. I wanted to build a small kiln in my backyard, you know, for some pottery projects. I started looking around for materials, and that’s when I stumbled upon Smith-Sharpe Fire Brick Supply.
First off, I did some digging online. What are these fire bricks anyway? Well, I found out they’re these special blocks made of ceramic, meant to handle super high temperatures. They’re used to line furnaces, kilns, and stuff like that. You’ve got different types, too. The ones I was interested in were the “high duty” ones, rated up to 2850�F. I’m no expert, but from what I gathered, these bricks are usually made of alumina, silica, magnesia, and sometimes lime. Fire clays are a big part of it, too.
So, I found Smith-Sharpe’s address – 2129 Broadway St NE, Minneapolis. Yep, that’s them. I went to their store and, man, it was overwhelming at first. All these bricks! But the folks there were super helpful. I told them about my kiln project, and they walked me through it. They had these high-duty number one arch bricks, 9 x 4.5 x 2.5-2.125 inches. They seemed perfect.
Choosing the Right Bricks
- They showed me a PDF with all the brick shapes and sizes. Pretty handy, to be honest.
- We talked about the importance of getting bricks that can withstand the heat I needed for my pottery.
- I learned that Smith-Sharpe has been around since 1924, which is pretty cool. They seemed to know their stuff.
I ended up buying a bunch of those arch bricks. I also grabbed some kiln shelves they had. They felt really solid, and I figured they’d be great for supporting my pottery inside the kiln. They really are professional for hi-temp needs, I have to say.
Building the kiln was a whole other adventure. I had to figure out how to stack these bricks, mortar them together, and make sure everything was stable. It was a lot of trial and error, I won’t lie. But seeing the kiln take shape, brick by brick, was so satisfying. And those fire bricks from Smith-Sharpe? They held up like champs. No cracking, no crumbling. Solid as a rock.
In the end, I got my kiln up and running. It’s not perfect, but it’s mine. And those fire bricks were a huge part of making it happen. If you’re ever thinking of diving into a project like this, check out Smith-Sharpe. They really helped me out, and their bricks are top-notch. Just be prepared for a bit of hard work, but trust me, it’s worth it!
