“Do it Yourself” Guide to making custom refractory replacement parts

This is my “Do it Yourself” Guide to making custom refractory replacement parts:
http://gordosoft.com/woodstove/refractoryDIY.htm

A pic of the reinforcing metal...

Very nicely done. Thank you for all your effort in posting this. The poker table looks great also.....just so happens I am looking for plans to build one for myself. I guess my search is over.

Thanks for everything!

So does this castable refractory material produce a very light final product? My understanding is that a good refractory should be very light.

Thanks for the compliments, I'll try to do the wiki thing later.

It would be interesting to weigh the original piece and the replacement to get a comparison. I haven't done this. Heavy/light are pretty ambiguous terms, the finished product isn't light like fiberboard or micore, but its not super heavy like iron either. What I know is that the castable refractory materials I mention are used in building heavy duty furnaces and foundries. In many cases the lighter materials will have higher insulating properties.

Seems like something I'll have to try in the future, given the apparent deterioration of the panels in my Ultima. The molds for the side panels will be trickier, though, because their thickness tapers from back to front. For now I'm going to try slathering on furnace cement (which seems to be about the same as the fireplace mortar you mentioned).

My panels are pretty heavy; I assumed they were supposed to be to provide extra thermal mass in addition to insulating the firebox. Certainly when first starting the fire they absorb a lot of heat, but once up to temp they hold it pretty well.