We had our old "open coal" gas fire replaced yesterday and I salvaged the fireproof material that formed the fire tray.
I tried the propane torch on this stuff and its not only got fantastic insulating properties but it reflects back an enormous amount of heat. So much so I could get a piece of inch bar to red heat pretty quickly, so now I have a little brazing hearth!
Steve
You can still buy fire bricks for hearths. I have used them for years as a brazing hearth. 1' x 1' and 2' x 2' bricks by about 1" thick can make quite a few combinations of sizes. If you make copper boilers they are ideal.
For that quick small job I just lay a 1' x 1' brick on top of the vice with the jaws open to give stability.
Alan
I used the lower half of a "fire back" for several years. The two part fire backs are split but mould as a pair. Sometimes one half gets damaged in the shop, and the other half is then scrap.
Brian
This material is really weird, its almost as light as expanded polystyrene and very soft, but extremely refractory.
I didn't bother with the piezo ignitor, got a piezo torch lighter for 50p at the petrol station!
Steve
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