Water glass and pearlite

Found this while doing research on this exciting idea

http://www.schundler.com/composites.htm

Brian Hall : great find, I want to open this up for more discussion, but I note that they have a range of weights of Perlite and of water absorbency from 200% -600% !

Ernie and Erica Wisner have always made it a point to tell people to specifically try to NOT Get the Greenhouse Or Florist's grade of perlite, be cause it would absorb
too much water, I can now see that a clay slip and perlite mix with the lighter weight ? More Absorbent ! Perlite would take approximately 3Xs as long to dry !

Got to remember when someone says ''when will my rocket get hot'' to ask how they ''made their Heat Riser'' ! For the Good of the Craft ! BIG AL!

late note: there is an excellent Wikipedia article on Sodium Silicate Water Glass though I have been told that Potassium Silicate is actually a safer more user friendly
Water Glass ! A. L.

im definitely going to be making my heat riser this way.. and will be using greenhouse pearlite.. to my knowledge and experience in hydroponics.. pearlite dosent hold water. at least not very much i mean it gets wet but dosent absorb water like vermiculite.

Brian: I found perlite Friday while looking for vermiculite. I'll be using that, hopefully, this weekend in my heat riser. I'll post pix when I have 'em.
tks for the perlite info link

Brian Hall : please try and see if you can get a M.S.D.S. Sheet for this from your supplier, they are really required to have one on hand for every thing they sell
or rapidly get you one, it would be nice to know the weight of the product and if it was labeled as being Greenhouse or Florist's grade perlite.

I would plan on using a set of goggles and a face mask when handling this stuff, it is my understanding that when the Water Glass mixes with the Dust or fines of
the perlite that a very glue like material is formed that sticks to everything, making further work difficult, i would certainly try to screen out the fines or perlite dust
as a first step before I tried to work with the perlite the first time, the fines could be saved for further use as a binder if you want !

Please try to have an assistant ( with goggles and face mask) to take pictures and post your results here ! For the Good of The Craft ! Big AL!

ive worked with pearlite alot it does have a very fine dust... first step is always washing pearlite in a colander to remove dest.

Brian Hall : found it, wikipedia under 4.12 refractory uses, it says any kind of fine mineral materials, it specifically mentions vermiculite dust and generally 'fine mineral
products ' so probably even fly ash from a rocket stove would work !

You had better read the Article yourself as it talks about the material made from it being made intumescence, which literally means that it will swell in the presence of Heat,
intumescence or intumescent is the word usually used to describe a fully engorged and erect male member, hence swells in the presence of Heat !
Read The Article yourself and be careful of what you take pictures of ! For the good of the Craft ! Big AL !

The intumescence disappears in the presence of finely divided mineral dust.
Using this with vermiculite dust to form a binder for the larger pearlite granules should provide a strong stable refractory.

i think i will be using Diatomaceous earth in my binder instead of vermiculite dust