Found Tons of Insulated Fire Bricks on Sale Cheap

Hey folks!

Quick few questions.

Just found used insulated fire bricks for sale. Used is a eye glass lens factory kiln here in Japan. Seller is offering two deals.

Deal #1: 10 bricks
(230mm×114mm×65mm)
$40 USD (roughly)
No damage to bricks

Deal #2: 2 bricks
(230mm×114mm×65mm)
$3 USD (roughly)
Were submerged in water due to flooding

Bricks are made in Japan and rated to 1500C (2732F) and regularly sell for $10 USD a brick 🧱

See attached images below.

I’m thinking of buying a hundred or so.

Question is will the bricks that have been exposed to flood water be any problem or should I buy the ones that were not exposed to water? Or a mix of both?

Link to brick stat info: https://www.isolite.co.jp/en/products/taika/lbk_insulation/

I read that hard refectory brick, which  have been exposed to water, have a higher tendency to crack. On the other hand, Matt mentioned before that he has left CFB in the snow and had no problem. Where does that leave low density fire bricks?

I’m planning to build a Rocket Mass Rollercoaster in my tree house and wanna horde as many bricks and toilet paper as I can...🏕🎢🏕

Any and all advice would be much appreciated.

🤓Peter in Hokkaido🤓

Failed to mention the seller has hundreds of bricks, both undamaged and water exposed. If I buy in bulk, I might even get more of a discount. Bricks exposed to water at $1.50 each are an absolute steal.
And I don’t think you can have too many bricks.

🧱🔥🧘🏿‍♂️🧘🏻‍♂️🔥🧱

Hi Peter;  
I think you found a great deal.
You soak insulated bricks in water before you mud them, so those bricks that got wet should be fine.
With a temp rating of over 2700 F your safe to build any style of heater.
I will tell you that insulated bricks are easily broken or chipped (at least mine are) so buy extra.

Great find Peter!  I agree, a person can't have too many bricks. I'll be jumping in my hovercraft and should arrive sometime next week to load up. Save some for me OK?  
Wonder what the hole in them is for?

thomas rubino wrote:Hi Peter;  
I think you found a great deal.
You soak insulated bricks in water before you mud them, so those bricks that got wet should be fine.
With a temp rating of over 2700 F your safe to build any style of heater.
I will tell you that insulated bricks are easily broken or chipped (at least mine are) so buy extra.

Awesome Thomas!

I’ll try to make sure I get them before someone else does. Thinking of getting 150 of them depending on the shipping price. The bricks are on the main island so might cost a bit in shipping to Hokkaido, but still probably well worth it.

Matt’s riserless core requires 50 or so looks like. Think it might work to cast liner bricks in clay and fire ash with some grog? Let them dry slowly and then bisque fire them outside in a pit fire at low temp, then glaze with sodium silicate. Kinda like a terra-cotta liner to for the floor, walls and angled bricks in in the fire box to protect the insulated fire bricks from abrasion. I read that Donkey use this type of mix as a simple hard fire brick and Carl stated that clay and sifted fire ash is a basic geopolymer.

Like the idea of simple castable liner materials, that can be easy to make in any size/shape, and replace if needed. Use the low density bricks to take the brunt of the heat.

Think it’s worth trying?

As always thanks for the support...✌️

Peter and crew🦩🙏🏼🦩

Gerry Parent wrote:Great find Peter!  I agree, a person can't have too many bricks. I'll be jumping in my hovercraft and should arrive sometime next week to load up. Save some for me OK?  
Wonder what the hole in them is for?

You’re martini will be waiting Mr. Bond. Shaken, not stirred, of course...🍸

I was wondering the same thing. Think the hole is probably a bonus, so you have a place to hide all the money that you save.

Still waiting for the guy to get back to us.

Fingers crossed...🧱🤞🏾🤞🏻🤞🧱

Best part is the Japanese government is going to give me some free money over this virus thing, so I’m likely to buy like 300 of the damn things. Let’s see...

💰🍯💰

P.S. you never mentioned you had a hovercraft Gerry🛸

Well, i used some reclaimed IFB, that sat outside for  a while, wet and all, no problem.

Mind you, i don't see much use for  IFB. They're no good in a firebox. As a backer for splits, they're ok. But  air entrained concrete can also be used. Ok, it cracks, but it's cheap. In this case, ok, the 1.5 dolls for wetted IFB, might be a game changer. You can use these bare in a heat riser, ok. Tho, may be not at the bottom. where the  ashes rake might hit these. And a five minute riser works as well.

These don't work for mass.

I like dry fit, not mortared fireboxes. And yes, these are handy as a backer and insulation in that case too.


For a forge or a kiln, thought, i could buy more.

That's where they would be the most useful for me.

Thanks for the info Satamax!

Like the idea of dry stacking as well so you can reuse in different builds if needed.

Had a bit of an interesting turn of events with the bricks. While Mimi was negotiating the bricks and waiting on another potential buyer, that came before us, to make a decision on the bricks, she randomly pushed the sellers info page. On the page had all off the things he is selling. Besides the LBK 28 model brick he is also selling sets of LBK 3000s, which are the premier model made by Iso Corporation. They are rated to 1600C/2913F and regularly retail for about $21 USD a brick.

The gentleman selling them, has sets that have also been exposed to water and selling them for $2USD each.

It was Gerry’s question that made up my mode here. These bricks have no holes. Solid bricks. And they have never been used. Just sat in a wear house and at some point there was a flood that caused the water exposure.

Needless to say, I bought all the “dirty” ones he has, 120 bricks in total. They are in the mail.

I do understand that they will fiction more effectively as “backer” insulation. But with 120 of some of the highest insulating materials available, I have a feeling we are getting ready to party rocket style...🏎

Question now is, what to build. Matt’s original riserless core is constructed out of IFB exclusively, so that may be a place to start.

Any and all ideas are more than welcome.

To the moon Alice, to the moon...

🌝Peter🌝

Congratulations Peter!   3000F ifb for $2 each!   That is a steal!.
No matter what size rocket ship you decide to build and whatever style it is... its gona ROCKET!

thomas rubino wrote:Congratulations Peter!   3000F ifb for $2 each!   That is a steal!.
No matter what size rocket ship you decide to build and whatever style it is... its gona ROCKET!

Looking forward to new adventures!

Cheers and beers to all rocketeer...

Peter of the North🛕🌞🛕

Hey folks,

All arrived in one piece.
Still a bit damp, so giving them a bit of a bath in the afternoon sun.

Each one was meticulously individually wrapped and in almost pristine condition.

Asking what the holes are for in the other model he is selling for $1.50 USD a piece.
Pretty sure we are gonna buy more. Probably get some for my friend here, who plans to rebuild his stove this summer. Can alway stock up now for future builds.

Don’t think these things are going out of “rocket style” anytime soon.

Will keep you posted.

Happy days... Peter & Mimi san

⛰👨🏻‍🦱🔥👩🏻⛰

Our friends the bricks have found a new temporary home...✌️🧱✌️

Hi Peter, interesting purchase, do the bricks feel soft .. ie can you easily scratch them with a knife ?

Fox James wrote:Hi Peter, interesting purchase, do the bricks feel soft .. ie can you easily scratch them with a knife ?

Hey James!

Yeah, they are definitely softer than the standard “fire brick” you buy, for a few bucks at your local home center. But much denser than CFB. Can easily cut and shape with a normal hacksaw for sure. No special diamond blades required.

These are meant to be used as “backer insulation” and wouldn’t fair well as a face finish inside the fire box of any stove design.

The bricks weigh in at 1148g a piece with dimensions of 230mm×114mm×65mm

Manufacturer states,

“Typical Applications:
Hot face expose and back-up lining of Annealing Furnace, Carburizing Furnace, Galvanizing Furnace, Carbon Baking Furnace, Heat treatment Furnace, Hot Stove, Clacking Furnace, Reformer, Incinerator.

I believe the bricks are a high alumina content kaolinite clay based aerated concrete material, but I can’t say for sure.

These specs seem good for what we are doing and can get more at an extremely reasonable price.

Any thoughts James?

Peter🧱🤓🧱

P.S.- Take away for anyone interested in using refractory materials. I don’t have a PHD in material science, but it’s important to do your homework on materials, you are going to use and understand there intend use. I see a lot of people wanting to purchase theses materials in small quantities , on line, thinking that can make a standard backyard pizza oven with them alone. Only to end up with dusty crumby ceramic covered pizzas and a less than satisfying oven experience.

The bricks look great, love the packing!
As a pizza oven builder I have used most of the available refactory products including insulated bricks, they are perfect for supporting the the fire brick cooking base in a pizza oven.
However with the advent of ceramic products, namely ceramic board and ceramic matting, I can’t see me buying any more insulating bricks.
They would be good as a base support for under a rocket stove or even under the mass.
I have never found a method to  permanently fix them together, you can use glue like high temperature silicone or mastic or bed them on clay but as soon as they get hot the joint gives way ... although you can drill holes in them and use screws to fix them in place.
I will be interested to see what you use them for...

Thanks for that James.

Most likely use them as flooring and wall insulation in some configuration similar to Matt’s riserless core. Probably use a mix of materials. IFB, CFB, and castables depending on the area of the stove and the functions we decide to incorporate into the build.

Good to heat your thoughts and experiences with the bricks.

Will keep you posted and most like ask for more advice as plans become more concrete.

Cheers, Peter ⛰🙏🏼⛰

Just got another package in the mail. Ended up buying more IFB because they were so cheap and seemed like a good investment. Two different models of bricks. LBK 28s and B4s. The 28s are rated to 1500°C and the B4s rated to 1200°C. The mix design of the two bricks is completely different (see attached image) B4s have noticeably less air pockets and are a bit heavier than the other two we bought.

Now have a total of 264 bricks. Time to figure out how to put them to good use.

Not likely, but if anyone in Japan is looking for bricks I’d be happy to share were we got them. Guy still has more...

Cheers, Peter🌻🌞🌻

Hi Peter;
If Gerry's hovercraft was working... we would both be there.
Great score!  Now you need a new project to  build.

Might I suggest you try a J tube and a batch box?  Build them side by side outdoors and see what you think.
Outdoors you can get away with just a large rock or a pile of brick to form a rough door. The very earliest prototypes did not have the secondary air feed yet.

You saw the damage to my lighter lower temp IFB from a batch. The batch box's really get with the program.  Best part of a batch is light it and go about your business. No feeding the J.

Thomas that sounds like a great idea. In the middle of a few rainy days right now, but that will be one of the first things I do when it clears up. Interested to see how a batch box configuration will burn for sure. Could mock up a few different designs.

It’s cool to have the access to high end refractory materials that would otherwise be too expensive. Good opportunity to see what we can learn.

The most important thing I learned is spending a bit of time and searching can pay off. After listening to one of Matt’s podscasts regarding sourcing materials I decided to really look around. Make cold calls and enquirer, get creative. I think they’res lots out there. Old kilns and furnaces etc. It’s a really specific niche market that must have tons of used materials that just go to waste.🤔

This is probably where this thread ends and another begins.🚪

Let’s all make cool stuff and be creative...🚀

✌️🤓✌️