Refractory Cement

Well my plan is to finally get around to restoring the old Wehrle sometime this spring. Overall it's in pretty good shape but there's no lining in the fire pot. Would Rutland or Meeco Red Devil Refractory Cement be a good product to use and are there any links to some videos as to how it's done?

provided I understand what you are asking:

castable refractory cement is likely a better choice
a number of forum members have posted pictures of how they laid and formed their castings
depending on layout of your firepot, cast bricks will enable you to remove and replace the bricks as needed, such as when you break down the stove and later reassemble
casting bricks will leave seams which you would likely apply a small bead of refractory cement to seal it, and touch up as needed
some people don't bother with sealing between the bricks, and I have seen manufacturer supplied bricks that were lapped so there would be no need to seal theirs

if you use only stove cement you may end up having a lot of cleanup and reapplying to do if you have to take the stove apart later

Yes, castable refractory cement is what I had planned on using. Was told on this site a few years ago that I could possible use a clay flower pot as the inner wall of the mold and the firepot itself as the outer wall. Was just wondering if there were any videos or pictures of this being done already.

In my opinion the Rutland Castable Refractory makes a nice liner and holds up well.

You can find a good selection of inexpensive plastic or fiberglass flower pots in places like garden centers, Lowes, Home Depot, and Big Lots.

Not sure if your Wherle firepot is a conventional or suspended with fingers, but the procedure I use is similar for both.

First find a flowerpot that is close to the size of your firepot. I pour my refractory about an inch thick.

I start out with a shallow cardboard box placed on top of a piece of plywood. Next, place your flowerpot inside the firepot and shim it up so you have an even 1" gap. Screw the flowerpot down to the plywood to keep it from moving. Pack damp sand in the box under the firepot either level with the bottom of a conventional firepot or up to the top of the fingers for a suspended pot.

Pack a few inches of damp sand around the outside of the firepot to keep it from moving. Mix up the refractory and fill in the gap. I hot glued a dowel stick to a sandpaper disk and use it on my multitool to vibrate the refractory mix. This method works well. You can also use a palm sander or tap with a hammer. Cover with a plastic trash bag overnight to hold the moisture in for a good cure.

On a conventional firepot I place a marble sized ball of modeling clay over the screw holes before pouring the liner. Paulie

Thanks Paulie, that's what I was looking for! Is the wet cement pretty fluid and hows it holding up?

I mix it pretty stiff, about the consistency of soft ice cream, and vibrate it into place.

The comfort stove firepot still looks good after 11 years. Here is a picture of the one I showed above taken midway thru the fourth heating season. Paulie

Whatever you use, it's a good idea to bake it at a low temperature for about two days before you put a fire to it. If there is any moisture left in it it will most likely crack when fired.

coaledsweat wrote: ↑

Sun. Jan. 31, 2021 12:04 pm

Whatever you use, it's a good idea to bake it at a low temperature for about two days before you put a fire to it. If there is any moisture left in it it will most likely crack when fired.

Its definitely a good idea to bake the moisture out of it and thanks for adding that tip.

I wrap the firepot or my bricks in a plastic trash or grocery bag for a day or two to cure.

From there I place them in the powder coat oven at 380* for a few hours and take them out in the morning when the oven is cooled down.

On my Glenwood #6 replacement bricks I go one step further and place them in the 800* burn off oven for a 3 hour cycle although with the Rutland castable refractory I don't think it's really necessary.

I lined the firepot in the summer on the 11 year old Comfort stove so it sat in the shop for a few months before I fired it up. The only thing I did on that was start it up with a small charcoal fire (a half dozen or so briquettes) the day before and let it go out. The following day it was fired up for the season.

Paulie