Castable Refractory is a sticky son-of-a-gun… and it really adheres to the foam molds. We’ve tried using every food-safe grease known to man (and even Crisco… Regular & Butter flavor), but nothing seems to quickly release the finished pieces like a small handsaw and a little elbow grease. It will probably take an 45 minutes to an hour to strip and clean all 5 pieces from the molds.
I will be packing my Cortile Barile molds with cartable refractory this Sunday. It’s Father’s Dy and I get to do whatever I want! I think I am ready between reading all this great FAQ has to offer and a variety of you tube videos about mixing and molding the stuff. I read the information on un-molding the five finished pieces and the fact that nothing seems to make it easier. What about thin plastic wrap (like Saran wrap) between the mold and the refractory for the front an back pieces? Could I apply it pretty loosely and make sure the cartable refractory fills the edges throughly? There might be some fine wrinkles embedded on the outside surface but that ought not affect performance or aesthetics. Obvious could not use it for the sides or back in box 2. But I might swear less in the long run. Thoughts? Any reason that this is a really bad idea?
Since Saran Wrap is no match for wet cement with 1000’s of jagged stainless steel fibers… I would recommend using a Tall Kitchen Trashbag. The bags are super thin, super strong, and they are a lot more durable than plastic wrap. In fact, before we ship Fireclay or Lime, we always put the materials in a kitchen size trash bag before placing the material in a shipping box (see image below).
Simply cut a Tall Kitchen Trash Bag bag in half, then you will have a large single-sheet layer of plastic.
When you place the thin layer of plastic liner over the styrofoam panels (Front & Back ONLY - Not the Side & Top panel box), make sure there are no gaps between the underside of the plastic liner and the foam. There are a few 90° angles on the form, so you will need to keep the plastic liner loose… so it will naturally compress into those tight corners as you pack the refractory.
IF YOU DO THIS - PLEASE TAKE PICTURES AND LET US KNOW YOUR RESULTS.
Thanks!
Kevin
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Will do. Thanks. Held off starting this until I had your reply. Will do this coming weekend.