Spent $60 on forge cement that crumbled after three heats

Bought a bucket of that premixed refractory cement from the hardware store. Cured it exactly like the instructions said, but after three forge sessions it started flaking off and falling apart. Anyone know a cheap recipe that actually holds up past a week?

2 comments

2 Comments

daniel1406d ago

...and honestly I used to think the store bought stuff was the only way to go, figured it had to be quality if you paid that much for it. But after seeing this happen to people, including you now, I changed my mind completely. The bagged cement is just too hit or miss, especially when it flakes after just three sessions. My go-to now is the homemade satanite or fireclay mixed with perlite and a little portland cement for binding, it's cheap and I've got a forge lining that's held up for months without any crumble. You gotta play with the proportions a bit, but once you find the right mix it's way more reliable than anything you'll grab off the shelf.

gibson.avery6d ago

Yeah I gotta say I had the same wake up call a while back. I spent like 60 bucks on that fancy premade refractory and after my fourth fire it was cracking like crazy. Total waste. I switched to a homemade mix of fireclay and some cheap perlite from the garden store and it's been solid for like six months now. The first batch I messed up the ratio bad, it was too wet and took forever to dry, but once I figured out the right amount of portland it's been way more reliable. I also add a little bit of sand to mine for extra strength, not sure if that's standard but it works for me. I really don't see myself ever going back to the store bought stuff after this.