Rebuilding a Bell Kiln
Here at F.S. Sperry, we are very proud of our Resource Center. We’ve been collecting this vast library of prints, schematics and diagrams since 1946. This wealth of resources often means we have the knowledge to service older heat processing equipment that no other refractory contractor in the country may have! Some of you have been asking for examples of…Read More ›
Expansion Joints for Installation of a Castable
If you’re having a castable installed, your refractory contractor’s ability to properly calculate for expansion is essential to obtaining the expected life of the refractory. It’s never fun to learn this the hard way (like the engineers did in the above photo) – improper calculations can force you to replace material far too soon after installation and incur downtime and…Read More ›
Silver Linings in Unscheduled Downtime
Unplanned downtime is something we all prefer to avoid at all costs. But once in awhile, a problem with your boiler, oven or kiln can deliver an unexpected benefit. They’re hard to see when you’re staring at expensive repairs, lost production revenue or a safety issue, so we thought we’d share a couple of examples from recent projects. Maximizing the…Read More ›
A One Stop Shop
Most of our blog posts focus on the specifics of our industry – installation methods, refractory material, case studies and refractory product discussions. Our main goal is to educate and allow our readers to learn more about how we think and approach specific jobs and situations. We try not to use our blog as a shameless self-promotional platform, but we’re…Read More ›
How To Choose the Best Refractory Material
We commonly hear engineering and maintenance managers tell us, “I want to use the latest technology” or “I want to use the best refractory material.” It’s a logical request, right? And there’s been some buzz in our industry over the past few years about new refractory materials on the market such as gunite and shotcrete technologies that incorporate colloidal silica…Read More ›