Rutland Products 25 lbs Castable Refractory Cement, 2200F, Taupe, 25 Pound

I had the back slab develop a 4" hole. Shut down the FP and scurried to find out how I could access it and find a replacement. Found both, placed an order and then worked on disassembling to get the slab out. A week or so later, I hadn't received shipping information so I contacted the vendor and found the slab was back ordered and would be shipped on Feb 5th. Not trusting the actual date supplied, I started searching for possible repair solutions and found the Castable Rutland product. I'd used other Rutland products but was a bit concerned due to my lack of cement knowledge and some of the reviews I read. I decided to take a chance as the coldest part of the winter was upon us and I burn 24 x 7. I planned my approach and in a couple days I had the cement (left input in questions about getting the top off), had a board to sit it on and some wax paper that I planned to put between the 4 " hole in the slab and the board I was putting it on. I used another stick to define the edge of the hole to be filled and a couple of bar clamps to hold everything in place. Now I was ready to go. I brought the slab to the cellar and realized that this might just not work. The slab not only had the hole but fractures that were threatening to break the entire slab in half. I started doubting my entire approach. I gingerly set it onto my board and got it stabilized with the bar clamps. Mixing the cement was easy as long as you didn't add too much water. I just mixed it comparing the final product to a too thick pancake batter. With a trowel, I started picking up gobs and let them run into the holes until it was filled but left it about a quarter inch lower than needed. There was another two to three inches below the hole that was crumbling and I hoped filling that area in as well as a second coating over the hole might stabilize the slab. I waited 24 hours but the patch was still wet, probably due to the 55 degrees in the cellar. I took the bar clamps off and carried the slab upstairs on the board and let it dry another 24 hours. Totally dry, down stairs I went again. Mixed up a second batch and put that second layer over the hole and the crumbling area and immediately took it back into the warmer house to let dry. 24 hours later it was all but completely dry. It was dry enough to check the backside that I was concerned about due to the cracks. It still looked fragile but didn't feel at all "loose". I made a third batch, this time more syrupy. Caution, it quickly goes from syrup to watery. I had to add cement to get it right. I filled small holes on the back and a very thin layer over the bad area and let it sit for another day and a half when I finally had time to reinstall. All of the looseness of the slab was firmed up and it felt solid. My hope initially was that I could get it to hold up until the new one came in. After seeing how well it felt, I thought maybe I could get to the end of the burning system and after a few fires, I'm thinking that if it holds up thru the rest of the winter I'll just leave it alone. If it starts crumbling, I'll have the replacement here and it will be an hour or so project to put the new one in. I loved this stuff!

As I couldn’t find the original refractory boards for my fireplace, I decided to give a try to this product. I used two buckets (50 lbs) of this refractory cement to fabricate four panels. I followed precisely the instructions to have an optimal mix. Poured it into the molds and 24 hrs later the result was pretty awesome. I did a couple of minor cuts with a diamond saw for a perfect fit and it didn’t cracked or chipped off. It feels rock solid. Yes, it is time consuming but for me it was the only solution and probably at a fraction of the price of the original panels. Now the time will show if it was worth it.

Like that this sets up fairly fast and holds up pretty well under high fire conditions. Worth the cost.

Great product. Mixes easily, dries rock hard, impervious to high temps. I was tempted to remove a star for the adult-proof shipping container, but the final product works so well I had to give it five stars. Like others, I had problems removing the top from the 25 pound pail. Why such a great product would ship with a medieval torture device for a lid is beyond me. I suppose it prevents accidental opening during transport, but unfortunately it also prevents access to the contents without nuclear-powered jaws-of-life. I twisted off and completely removed the red “safety” tab with a pair of pliers. There is no way to hold the pail securely and simultaneously twist the lid to remove it, so I slid a large flat blade screwdriver under the lip of the lid and carefully lifted a section upward just high enough to pry it away from the pail. Once a section was freed, I inserted a large paint stick horizontally between the pail and the lid to prevent the lid from re-attaching as I worked on the next section. Eventually the lid came off, but not before the air turned several shades of blue from my vigorous commentary. Despite the abuse, the lid sealed the pail securely (I hope) after I was done, but time will tell whether I’ll need a band saw to open it next time. The manufacturer states 25 pounds makes 432 cubic inches (12 x 12 x 3) and requires 2 quarts of water. I needed only 150 cubic inches, so I did some calculating. In hopes it will help others, I used a kitchen scale to weigh the water. I had great success combining 11 cups of (well-stirred) powder and 668 grams of water. That level of precision may seem like overkill, but the mixture changes texture dramatically in response to tiny amounts of water, especially when mixing small batches. I still had to fine tune the final ratio achieve a thick but not crumbly mixture, but I ended up satisfyingly close to the amount needed with only minor adjustments. All in all, a great product if you need a high-temperature refractory for repairs or to create heat-resistant panels -- provided you can get the lid off.

I bought this for making a 10 quart bucket foundry. A 25 pound pail of this stuff is not enough to do the bucket and cover. Due to the cost and weight, I ended up mixing mine 1:1 with perlite. I am not offering advice or recommendations, just reporting my own experience. Volume wise, the 1:1 mix was perfect for both bucket and lid. However, getting the water measurement right was tricky and I ended up with too loose a slurry. I started with the manufacturers recommendations for the cement, mixed it thoroughly and then added the perlite along with a couple of quarts of water. If I did it again I would probably add water a half quart at a time, mixing the perlite in until it was the right consistency. As it is, the perlite tended to float to the top and the mixture took several days to set. All‘s well that ends well however, and it works very well for the foundry. I was able to (accidentally) melt steel shell casings, So the foundry actually got much hotter than intended, but still held up fine.