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Jake Hill photo
Kazakhstan, Astana
1 Level
673 Review
41 Karma

Review on ๐Ÿ”ฅ 32oz Gry Hi Temp Cement by United States HDW MFG/U S HA KK0284-A: High Quality, Reliable and Durable by Jake Hill

Revainrating 2 out of 5

Terrible for fireplaces

I should give this one star but it barely works so I'll give it two. I used this on a pre-made mantel. There was a noticeable crack on the bottom plate and while it was still safe to use they wanted to avoid any risk and covered the bottom with this cement. I bought 3 tubs (although I only needed 1). After the first application everything looked great. It adheres well to brick and siding and applies very smoothly. I let it dry for 20 hours and then tried a propane torch. Maybe it was too aggressive but I thought it would give me more control. It bulged and bulged - it looked awful so I thought I made a mistake and did it again. I chipped and scratched as much as possible and repainted it a second time. Everything went smooth again, and after drying for a day I tried to cure it with a small kindling fire - according to the instructions. This time the curing result was even worse. It bulged and bulged badly in the hottest spots, completely breaking the smooth start (see image). I tried one last time, broke it off again and knocked it off and reattached it. Everything went smoothly and initially looked great, just like before. This time however I let it dry for 2 days and then slowly stoked the firebox with two electric space heaters which I left running for 3 hours. The box got very hot, then I let it cool and brought in the heat gun, guiding it carefully along the bottom of the fireplace. I watched it very closely and I had a thermometer to measure the surface, I checked it with my hands by waving a heat gun back and forth for about an hour. I heated it to about 200 degrees, confident that this solution would be as dry as ever. And then I gathered strips of cardboard and some paper with some thumb-thick kindling on a firewood holder and started a very small fire to finish the solidification process. Once again, by the time the kindling was lit, the temperature in the chimney had risen well over 500ยฐ...because we are FIRE, and the mortar at the bottom of the chimney began to buckle like a melon bulge, ruining the smooth look and effort that had flowed into it. Perhaps this material is suitable for repairing metal joints or corners of wood stoves, or for a limited specialty application like this. But if you're trying to create a protective layer, expect it to fail after exposure to real heat.

Pros
  • Looks good
Cons
  • Some flaws