# Firebox insulation



## seadawg (Jan 2, 2008)

What type of material should I use to insulate my alky firebox (ala Aster)? and a few suggestions as to where to obtain such an item. I think I saw some ceramic cloth on David Bailey's web site but I cant seem to locate it now. Oh and by the way, what kind of goo should the isulation be attached with?

I imagine I should post a little someting as to the purpose of my questions, so here goes.....


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## seadawg (Jan 2, 2008)

OK, I found it on David's site for £3.50. Any suggestions on this side o' the pond?


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Aster has you glue the ceramic cloth using the "Silicone Bathtub Caulk" that they supply with the kits. (The package is all written in Japanese, but the drawings show without a doubt the true purpose of the substance!) It is a sticky white goo and is somewhat stringy (very short) when it comes out of the tube. I, at first, though it had some fiber of some sort in it, but closer examination shows that it is just gooey. It never quite gets hard, but remains somewhat rubbery, which I think is a good thing when used as a glue (and thread sealant) in this application. I tried both just little tack points and wholesale surface coverage to attach the cloth to the inside of the Mikado firebox and both ways worked fine. They have you also glue a strip in the smoke box to protect the outside paint from heat. I also added a disk of it to the smokebox front (inside). 

I am sure you can get ceramic cloth from MacMaster-Carr. But I think you can get a suitable material at any home store, like HD or Menards, etc. or even at some hardware stores. 

I have a sheet of protective material for soldering plumbing... used to keep from setting fire to surrounding wood when sweat soldering up in the joist areas. It has a metal foil on one side, but the "cloth" portion appears very much like the stuff that came with my Aster engines. I bet you could leave the foil on, or easily peal it off if you wanted, should work okay either way.


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## Dan Pantages (Jan 2, 2008)

This is a good site for money conversions. http://www.xe.com/ucc/


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## rbednarik (Jan 2, 2008)

Dave, 

You can also contact Aster USA, Hans will be able to fix you up with some ceramic sheet. It is a bit expensive, about the same as DJB's rate but this is mainly due to the poor dollar to yen ratio. The 1/16 McMaster Carr insulation would be best for a firebox application. Secure it with some RTV or appropiate silicon sealant, as S.V. said before. 

How much do you need for your project? I have quite a bit left over from kits, varying thicknesses.


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