Fire Bricks Are Necessary To A Back Yard Forge

If you are going to build a permanent backyard forge, there is one thing that you are definitely going to need in order to make sure that your forge works at optimum. Those are fire bricks, which may also be called refractory bricks. 

Fire Bricks

Fire bricks are designed to be able to handle extremely high temperatures. They are also designed so that they can help keep that temperature steady, with minimal heat transfer through the  brick. That's what makes them perfect for a forge or kiln. For example, if you need your forge to be at 900°, once you have it at temperature, the fire bricks will get heated up as well, helping to keep that temperature where you need it, but with the small amount of heat transfer, the forge won't leak heat out through the outside. Fire bricks are made out of a special clay called fireclay and are put through special processes in order to make them as heat resistant and strong as they need to be. 

Fireclay

Fireclay is classified as clay that has a hefty dose of hydrous silicate of aluminum. But that's not all that makes fireclay fireclay, it also has to withstand certain temperatures. At the bare minimum, the fireclay has to withstand temperatures of 1515°, while the better fireclay can handle temperatures of around 1725°. 

Vitrification

Part of the process for making fire bricks is to have them go through a vitrification process. Generally, vitrification is part of making glass. The way that it works is that the object is heated up until it becomes a liquid and then is cooled. It may be a slow cooling process or it may be a fast one, depending on the substance and the use. Once that's done, the final product is a glass. However, in the case of fire bricks, they aren't fully vitrified. The process only affects the outside of the bricks, giving them their heat resistant properties. Additionally, an industrial brick refractory coating or glaze may also be added on to the bricks at this stage so that they will be even more heat efficient. 

If you want to build a back yard forge, no matter how big or small, fire bricks will be an important part of it. That's because they will help keep your forge up to temperature and keep it from bleeding as much heat out into the surrounding area. 

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