ceramic fiber blanket

Hi All;

It has come to my attention that ceramic fiber blankets are not all created equal.  
My interest was first aroused by a poster who had nothing good to say about it .... he hated the stuff!  Said it was as bad or worse than any fiberglass insulation he had ever worked with !
My suspicions were confirmed  when Peter van den Berg said there was an inferior product that was hazardous to work with. Only "real superwool " was safe to work with.
And again when I was informed that in Europe only a licenced professional is allowed to buy the hazardous product ! But anyone can buy superwool.
This was all new information to me. I didn't like hearing it, but was glad to learn about the difference, before my impending purchase of CF blanket... (I had the hazardous product on my watch list and was ready to order ) !

Apparently the safer product to buy is "Morgan Super wool plus ".  
This product is known as (non-RCF) non refractory ceramic fiber.  Safe to handle and carries no health warning label.
Although I have not located any other manufacturers of a similar product, there may be other manufacturers I am not aware of.  
Cost is a least a third more than "Chinese" ceramic blanket...

Can you still use the other ? Yes, but  a respirator &  long sleeves with very limited exposure , that should be the least of your precautions or even better a tyvec  suit could be used.  

Besides superwool there is insulfrax

https://www.armilcfs.com/refractory-products/low-bio-persistence/

Vitcas

https://www.vitcas.com/bio-soluble-blanket

CCEwool

http://www.ceceramicfiber.com/products/biosolublefiberblank.html  

Somùe chinese stuff

http://www.cnceramicfiber.com/refractory-bio-soluble-fiber-blanket.html

Needlemat

http://www.textiletechnologies.co.uk/bio-body-soluble-blanket.html

For the moment calcium silicate seems to be not listed

http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC35366#Toxicity

And material handling for ceramic refractory fibers.

https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/system/files/documents/1702/guide-handling-refactory-ceramic-fibres.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/22642290/

No excess carcinogenicity observed over 15,000 patient years yet.

I've used 'Insulfrax' in various thicknesses, for back up insulation behind firebricks and as a gasket material. It copes with extreme heat and does it's job very well.

A data sheet came with the products and provided sensible precautions are taken, there appears to be no serious risk to health.

Interesting.

I bought this -> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014V9J4PM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I have been testing this and I have found that I can make all different types of shapes with this when mixed with sodium silicate, then it turns rock hard.

I think what I am going to do is use cardboard to make a form then use this on the outside of the form to make a Peter Van  batch box, then apply the sodium silicate so it turns rock hard.

I am torn if I am going to make a Tlud design, or a standard rocket stove riser,    

Always more to learn in building these.

If you add the sodium silicate to harden the blanket, won't it remove some of the insulating properties of the material?

Ordered 12.5 ' of 1" thick x 24" wide Morgan superwool plus today , 129.95 delivered.  This is enough to build two 48" x 8" risers from.  I could have gotten 25' of Chinese hazardous ceramic fiber, for around $90 delivered.  I'll take half as much safe cf blanket for more money any day.

Learned a little about ceramic fiber board as well.  It is also, not all created equal. I bought my CF board from two different suppliers.  One was much more "Styrofoamy" than the other. Simvac was the name brand on the better quality board.
Cutting CF board straight and parallel was best accomplished using a hand held hacksaw blade . Razor blades and knives will cut it, but it is hard to make a parallel cut. Much easier to keep a long hacksaw blade parallel .