Firebrick

“ For the construction of furnaces, fire-mouths, &c., the firebrick used must be sufficiently strong and rigid to withstand the crushing strain of the superimposed brickwork, &c., at the highest temperature to which they are subjected. ”

“ It has long been the practice on certain works to wash the face of firebrick work with a thin paste of some very refractory material—such as kaolin—in order to protect the firebricks from the direct action of the flue gases, &c., and quite recently a thin paste of carborundum and clay, or carborundum and silicate of soda has been more extensively used for the same purpose. So-called carborundum bricks have been put on the market, which have a coating of carborundum and clay fired on to the firebrick, and which are said to have a greatly extended life for certain purposes. ”

“ In building an ordinary fireplace, the firebox and inner hearth should be made of firebrick to withstand intense heat and the various parts proportioned in accordance with standard practice to insure efficient operation. ”

“ These walls are themselves perforated at intervals, and the whole is covered with hand-burned terra-cotta blocks, thus forming a cellular air space, which communicates with the exterior air and serves as an insulation against heat for the steelwork beneath. A single layer of firebrick completes the flooring of the interior area, which is also flush with the bottom of the flue openings. ”

“ The most highly valued fireclays are derived from the Coal Measures. Among the chief localities are the neighbourhood of Stourbridge in Worcestershire and Stannington near Sheffield, which supply most of the materials for crucibles used in steel and brass melting, and the pots for glass houses; Newcastle-on-Tyne and Glenboig near Glasgow, where heavy blast furnace and other firebricks, gas retorts, &c., are made in large quantities. Coarse-grained but very strong firebricks are also made of the waste of china clay works. ”

“ The conditions to which firebricks are subjected in use vary very greatly as regards changes of temperature, crushing strain, corrosive action of gases, scouring action of fuel or furnace charge, chemical action of furnace charge and products of combustion, &c., and in order to meet these different conditions many varieties of firebricks are manufactured. ”

“ Speaking generally, fireclay goods used for lining furnaces where the firing is continuous, or where the lining is in contact with molten metal or other flux, are best made from fine-grained plastic clays; whereas firebricks used in fire-mouths and other places which are subjected to rapid changes of temperature must be made from coarser-grained and consequently less plastic clays. In all cases care should be taken to obtain a texture and also, as far as possible, by selection and mixing, to obtain a chemical composition suitable for the purpose to which the goods are to be applied. ”

“ The material for the bridge and the flue ports are firebricks and fireclay; these are rather expensive, but I learnt a wrinkle in the building up of bridge and flues. Through the frequent removals of these for boiler inspection and the hitting of the end of the long poker, several bricks were broken every three months, and I came to the decision to try stock bricks faced with fireclay as mortar ”

“ In setting firebricks in position, a thin paste of fireclay and water or of material similar to that of which the brick is composed, must be used in place of ordinary mortar, and the joints should be as close as possible, only just sufficient of the paste being used to enable the bricks to bed on one another. ”

“ These bricks are highly finished, and the degree of heat resistance without deformation is certified at not less than 2,930° Fahrenheit, a degree of refractoriness which European manufacturers will rarely guarantee. The numerous Chinese Government mints and arsenals, the Hanyang Iron Works at Hankow, the Chinese railway systems, and the several Government dockyards, not to mention many progressive native industries utilising Western power, all draw their supplies of firebricks from the Company, to much mutual advantage. ”

“ For instance, a considerable number of houses in Northumberland and Durham were built of firebricks at a time when it was more profitable to sell these articles for domestic buildings than for furnaces. ”

“ Where the grates are wide, and can be filled up with fire-brick, the inclination of the back will be of little consequence, since, by making the fire-brick in the form of a wedge, the front may be made perfectly vertical, the iron back being hid in the solid work of the fireplace. If the grate be too shallow to admit of any diminution, it will be best to take away the iron back entirely, and cause the vertical back of the fireplace to serve as the back to the grate. ”

“ Paving the ground around the fireplace, with flagstones or covering it with a layer of gravel or sand will prevent the area from becoming a mudhole or an unsightly bare spot; also, danger of starting brush fires by sparks falling from the firebox is lessened.
Fireboxes 12 to 16 inches wide, 16 to 24 inches long, and 6 to 8 inches deep with the hearth at 9 to 16 inches above the ground are sufficient for most purposes. Large fireboxes are wasteful of fuel; while, if the grille is too high above the hearth, much of the best cooking heat from glowing coals is lost. ”

“ Every home, even one built of frame or stucco, should be provided with at least one real fireplace.
And no matter what kind of a house a man may build, he won't find anything else quite so good or appropriate for a fireplace as brick. For having stood the test of flame in their making, they defy the flame in their use. The feeling that the roaring fire on the hearth beats harmlessly against the enduring brick, as the sea beats in vain against a granite headland, gives a genuine sense of security and satisfaction. ”

“ It consists of a single firing-chamber in which the unfired bricks are placed, and in the walls of which are contrived a number of fire-mouths where wood or coal is burned. In the older forms known as up-draught kilns, the products of combustion pass from the fire-mouth, through flues, into the bottom of the firing-chamber, and thence directly upwards and out at the top. The modern plan is to introduce the products of combustion near the top, or crown, of the kiln, and to draw them downwards through holes in the bottom which lead to flues connected with an independent chimney. ”

“ In the Highlands of Scotland the proper places for performing the rite seem to have been knolls or small islands in rivers.
The regular method of producing the need-fire was by the friction of two pieces of wood; it might not be struck by flint and steel. Very exceptionally among some South Slavs we read of a practice of kindling a need-fire by striking a piece of iron on an anvil. Where the wood to be employed is specified, it is generally said to be oak; but on the Lower Rhine the fire was kindled by the friction of oak-wood or fir-wood. ”

“ The furnace must be built interiorly of the most refractory fire-bricks, such as are used for glasshouses, but of the ordinary brick size; except the bridges C, G, N, which should be formed of one mass, such as what is called a Welsh lump. A is the ash-pit; B, the grate; C, the first bridge, between the fire and the first calcining hearth, D, D; F, F, is its roof; G, the second bridge, between the calcining hearth and the decomposing hearth I, I, I; the roof of which is K, K. This hearth I, I, is lined with a lead square pan, 5 or 6 inches deep, sloped at the back opening, in fig. ”

“ The furnace should be of brick, with double iron doors, and a damper above in the first part of the flue, and a valve in the door of the ashpit for regulating the draught. In determining the dimensions it is well to remember that a comparatively large fire burning slowly is to be preferred to a small fire with a brisk draught. But here, again, the nature of the fuel to be burnt must also be considered, for if it is of a kind that produces little smoke, the opening in front may be dispensed with. ”

“ Ordinary bricks for building are burnt in clamps, which are large oblong masses, built up of the unburnt bricks, laid regularly in layers, with large flues or passages at intervals, in which ashes, cinders, coal, and brush-wood are laid; layers of ashes are strewed over those of the bricks. The object is, that the fire, when the fuel is ignited, may penetrate every part of the mass, and bake every brick equally; even the ashes mixed up in the clay are intended to be partly burnt by the heat. ”

“ The only fire producer that it is worth while supplementing the sulphur match with is the even older-fashioned flint and steel, which to a man who smokes is a convenience in a wind. All the modern alcohol and gasoline pocket devices are extinguished by the lightest puff of wind, but the tinder, once ignited, burns the fiercer for the blast. With dry, shredded birch-bark I have made a fire upon occasion from the flint and steel. One resource may here be mentioned, since we are on the subject, which is always carried in the hind-sack of my sled against difficulty in fire making. ”

“ A fire-brick table, made up along the lines shown in Fig. 29, is very easily constructed and can be used for all sorts of jobs. It is well to have everything clear around the legs and have no braces to cut the operator on the shins [40] or to interfere in any way with his work. The best fire bricks obtainable should be used. A large number of extra bricks should always be on hand for they come in very handy in most of the welding operations, and in fact to conduct a welding shop without fire bricks could almost be likened to a blacksmith’s shop without an anvil. ”

“ Leaving them out of the question, and referring to ordinary bricks, it may be said that those of an inferior class frequently become cracked all over during a fire, or, it may be, by the sudden cooling after the fire has been put out, or by the sudden lowering of the temperature in them by the continuous action of the fireman’s hose. All the same, the average brick withstands heat far better than any kind of granite, or similar igneous holo-crystalline rock ”

“ Every fire-place should have a hearth of bricks or tiles at least two feet wide, and the fire should be protected by a wire screen. If there are young children in the household, there should also be a fender to keep them at a safe distance from the flames. Some kinds of light wood, especially chestnut and hemlock, will snap and produce many sparks. These sparks fly out in all directions unless the fire is covered with a wire screen. Do not build a roaring fire in the fire-place, as it may carry sparks to the roof. ”

“ Build your fire between the logs and build up a cob house of firewood. Split wood will burn much more quickly than round sticks. As the blazing embers fall between the logs, keep adding more wood. Do not get the fire outside of the logs. The object is to get a bed of glowing coals between them. When you are ready to begin cooking, take out the smoky, burning pieces and leave a bed of red-hot coals. If you have no axe and can find no logs, a somewhat similar fireplace can be built up of flat stones, but be sure that your stone fireplace will not topple over just at the critical time. ”

“ You children must have left a log burning on the hearth, and a spark flew out and set the rug on fire. Then the table and one of the chairs caught fire from the rug, and if I hadn't come home just when I did, we might not have had any home by this time."
"It was my fault, Father," spoke up Leland. "Rachel wanted to bury the log in the ashes; but I told her it wouldn't do any harm to leave it burning."
[Pg 198] "I suppose it was partly my fault, too," said Mr. Hawley. "I've always intended to buy a wire screen for this fireplace. It is never safe to go out of the room and leave an open fire. ”

“ Fires are kindled in the fire-mouths, and the clamp is allowed to go on burning until the fuel is consumed throughout. The clamp is then allowed to cool, after which it is taken down, and the bricks sorted; those that are under-fired being built up again in the next clamp for refiring. Sometimes the clamp takes the form of a temporary kiln, the outside being built of burnt bricks which are plastered over with clay, and the fire-mouths being larger and more carefully formed. ”

“ A shallow fire-place saves wood, and gives out more heat than a deeper one. A false back of brick may be put up in a deep fire-place. Hooks for holding up the shovel and tongs, a hearth-brush and bellows, and brass knobs to hang them on, should be furnished to every fire-place. An iron bar across the andirons aids in keeping the fire safe and in good order. Steel furniture is neater, handsomer, and more easily kept in order than that made of brass. ”

“ Price of red face and moulded bricks necessary to lay up this mantel, including the hearth, fire-back, under-fire and tile shelf, $56.
Price of cream, gray, pink, buff or brown bricks with red hearth, $84.
Below is a drawing of each ornamental brick used in this design.
Note.—Breast measured between wings.
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SKETCH No. 41.
This shows a portable fireplace (241⁄2 in. wide x 301⁄4 in. high) set inside of the regular mantel opening. It is made of iron, is lined with fire-brick, and can be taken out and moved away in one piece at any time. The front is copper plated. ”

“ Birch-bark cannot be found everywhere, but it is the best of lighting tinder when you have it.
The channel between the stones is much better if laid so as to face the breeze. The fire can then be kept going at the mouth of it, and the heat will blow through; a bigger kind of log can be put in from the other end to catch fire and add to the heat in the channel.
Of course, there are plenty of other ways of making fires, which you can read about in Scouting for Boys, but this is the particular kind of cooking fire that we used in my Norwegian camp. ”