John Baymore on fri 11 oct 02
Hey y'all. A teacher on another list has found an article about using =3D=
firebrick (I'm assuming it's soft brick) for students to carve. She =3D
thinks there is aesbestos in the firebrick tho, which would make this =3D=
practice unsafe. (The article is from about 1956.) Anybody know what's =
=3D
in a firebrick?
Lisa,
Catching up on CLAYART... if this has been said ...sorry for the repeat.
Mostly, firebrick contain fireclay. And in the case of an IFB.... air >.
Obviously the exact content of a firebrick depends on the exact
manufacturer..... however....... it is pretty certain that the brick
contains microcrystaline free silica. And if it is used... the content o=
f
this is higher than for a new one. They are bad enough to handle when
building a kiln. To carve them as an "artists meduim" is a bad, BAD idea=
.
Respirable free silica is what causes silicosis...and it is also a
carcinogen.
Back in the 1956 timeframe...... there may have been some sorts of
"firebricks" that contained some asbestos...... couldn't tell you on that=
one. Unlikely... but possible.
Best,
..............................john
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086 USA
603-654-2752 (s)
800-900-1110 (s)
JohnBaymore.com
JBaymore@compuserve.com
Janet Kaiser on sun 13 oct 02
We used brick for carving, but it was naturally a pre-formed brick shape
which was definitely UNFIRED. That's right... A "raw brick", not one ready
to build with! They would be collected straight from the factory and we
would use rasps, files, gouges and so on although it was virtually
impossible to achieve a really polished finish because there was a high
grog and fireclay content. Very gritty body. We worked on them at something
approaching a "leather hard" stage, indeed I never have seen a "wet" brick!
I don't think they ever are anything approaching either a plastic or
malleable state... No need for that.
If you are worried about what is in the body these days, just ask the men
on the shop floor.
My experience was back in the days when brick factories were still
producing ceramic bricks in most towns, unlike today when they seem to be
mostly concrete or cement based "breeze blocks" which have holes down the
middle and are a devil to carve in any "meaningful" manner and are filthy
to boot. Very dirty and dusty, with no redeeming character whatsoever when
finished.
The men in the brick works were always interested in our work... I guess it
was a diversion in the daily monotony of pushing millions of bricks in and
out of the kilns... We also used to take our overlarge pots down to them to
fire... Great bunch of guys and still outrageously flirtatious with us
young gals, even if their average age was 70!
Sincerely
Janet Kaiser - still very stiff, but almost moving again with the aid of
analgesics!
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********
>Hey y'all. A teacher on another list has found an article about using =3D
>firebrick (I'm assuming it's soft brick) for students to carve. She =3D
>thinks there is aesbestos in the firebrick tho, which would make this =3D
>practice unsafe. (The article is from about 1956.) Anybody know what's
=3D
>in a firebrick?
*******************************************
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art =95 Capel Celfyddyd
8 Marine Crescent, Criccieth LL52 0EA, Wales, UK
Tel: 01766-523570 URL: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
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