We have many materials for fire prevention and containment. Many are based on Cellular Insulation technology, and many include almost impervious microstructures to exclude oxygen.

Fire Plaster: A slatey black refractory plaster to cover brickwork or concrete around fireplaces. braais, pizza ovens, smokers, etc.  It keeps the heat in the fire, not lost into the structure.

Fire proof paint: is a very hard paint, not flexible. It is thermally insulating and very impervious, to keep oxygen from the combustible substrate.

Intumescent Paint: looks like a normal high quality white paint but when suddenly heated it expands to become thermally insulating.

Electric Blue: is a sticky insulation supplied wet, for application onto plastic coated cables.

Oxycoat: is a refractory paint to retard oxidation of steel at high temperatures. Oxidation eventually starts behind it, and has to be sand blasted off and replaced. It can extend the life of a hot steel shell by years if used as a maintenance measure, but is not very effective as fire protection.

Kerafire: is a pourable insulation which sets quickly, takes days to dry and gives excellent insulation.

Insulag 2: is a plaster with excellent insulation and it absorbs heat during a fire, retarding the heat transmission still further. Not for use outdoors, use Keratuff 2 outdoors. Fibre Plaster is a high temperature insulation plaster supplied wet, ready to use. Reforce is a ceramic coating applied by dipping non-woven textile into it and then wrapping around pipes or “wallpapering” sensitive surfaces. It has high rigidity.

Fireproof ceiling boards were developed for sugar mills, and can replace conventional ceiling boards if the anchoring system is also fire resistant.Insulgun is a high quality insulation which can be gunited and sticks well, even onto raw coal.

Electric Blue

​Description; An extremely sticky insulating ceramic for fire protection of cable trays.

Colour; Blue

Composition;  Quartz free and asbestos free. Contains mostly closed cell ceramic bubbles, spun ceramic fibre, zirconia- ceramic drawn fibres, organic binders, plasticisers and moisture retainers, inorganic binders, plasticisers and ablative materials. Contains no toxic or hazardous materials and has no restrictions on disposal.

Density; 1,14g/m³

Thermal conductivity; After initial flames, drops to O,3W/mK.

Melting point; 1250°C​

Application;  Clean cables and trays from dust and oil. Rub material onto surface to make it stick. Build up to 20mm thick, 30mm if ambient temperature is high, 50mm where fire hazard is particularly high, eg. solvent store, gas bottles, Oxygen lines. Paint with roof paint if exposed to rain.​Packaging;  6kg in 10 litre buckets, 12kg in 20 litre buckets.

Fibre Plaster

​Description: Aluminosilicate ceramic fibre in plaster form, supplied wet ready to use. Very easily applied to any surface​

Applications: High temperature insulation, Heat shields, Burner cores, Chimneys, Thermal shock protection, Furnace hoods, Preheater lids, Ladle lids, High gas flow areas of fibre lined furnaces, Repair of cracks and joints, Protection of equipment, Protection of electrical cables, Upgrading of linings for thermal efficiency or faster cycle times, Repair of broken element holding lips, Sealing of kiln and furnace doors, Lightweight doors. 

Properties: Very low thermal conductivity; 0,2W/mK. Electrically insulating, Very low density; 1,3g/cm³ wet, O,7g/cm³fired.Low shrinkage; normally 12% but all taken up in the thickness of the layer, therefore no cracks. Extreme thermal shock resistance. Very low thermal mass. High reflectivity. Low permeability compared to fibre blanket or modules. High reflectivity. Rapid commissioning. Excellent adhesion to all surfaces. Minimal anchoring required. 

Chemical composition: aluminosilicate 55%Fe203 < 0,1%                                     Alkalis O,27%Volatiles 45% 

Installation:    Fibre Plaster is supplied wet in well sealed plastic 10kg buckets. The wet density is normally 1,1g/cm³.It can easily be thinned down with water or it ordered stiffer for tamping applications-

Onto brick; Blow dust off and trowel on.Insulating firebrick or very porous surfaces; Rub a thin layer on very firmly before building up the profile. Cables;   No preparation required. Ceramic fibre; Over fresh fibre, softening by water dilution usually helps. Onto steel;  Expanded metal, Mentex 72 or similar. Cut and bend a few strands backwards and tack them onto the steel so that the expanded metal sheet is about 5mm off the steel surface. Squeeze some Fibre Plaster through the mesh and then plaster over it to the desired thickness. Free standing structures; Use expanded metal as a skeleton. Door seals; Plaster a narrow strip onto one surface, cover with fibre paper and close the door to press the fibre plaster into the exact thickness required.

Fire Plaster

​A slatey black refractory plaster to cover brickwork or concrete around fireplaces, braais, pizza ovens, smokers etc. It is a good thermal insulator, and therefore develops a higher surface temperature and reflects more heat than bricks or concrete. It keeps the heat in the fire, not lost into the structure.

Fire Plaster can stand temperatures up to about 1100°C.  It hides the unsightly soot line which develops over fires, and soot is not noticeable on the black surface of Fire Plaster. Fire Plaster is quite strong, reinforced with glass fibres which give it properties similar to asbestos cement.  It will withstand a limited amount of impact from logs thrown at it, provided it is well bonded in place.​

Application; Mix three parts by weight of plaster to one part water, i.e. 3.3 litres per bag. Wear plastic gloves and mix it by hand in a bucket with a squeezing action. It takes half a minute of shear and pressure to become wet and soft. Poor mixing fails to disperse the glass fibre bundles and strength is wasted.  Dampen the surfaces and then smear the plaster on. Scrape it off and smear it on again until the whole surface is covered with black. Now you can pack it on about 15mm thick and trowel it smooth. It will set in an hour or two, so no lunch break while installing! You can make a fire 2 hours after plastering.​

Packaging: 10Kg plastic bags.

Shelf life; about 2 years

Development no. 97601

Fire proof paint​

This is a genuine fire proof paint, not a fire resistant paint nor an intumescent paint.  It is totally inorganic.   The only chemical released in a fire is water.  The paint forms an air tight skin, preventing oxygen from getting to the substrate.​Fire proof paint is much harder than normal paint; it is difficult to scratch with a knife.Fire proof paint is not as flexible as normal paint.  It can be coloured with oxide pigments.Fire proof paint is highly alkaline and similar to soap in its corrosive, skin contact and eye contact hazards.Fire proof paint will stick to most surfaces, including whitewash, but not to oil contaminated surfaces.Fire proof paint is slightly soluble in water.  Clean paintbrushes with water.​Be careful of dry paint on the bucket; it is hard and razor sharp. 

Development no.   94720

Intumescent Paint​

Intumescent paints are paints that foam up into a thermal insulation coating as soon as they come into contact with fire. We make a white one which looks just like highest quality paint until it is heated.   It costs R1 122.00/ litre + VAT (2019 price).Uses 3,3kg per m²Both are based on the exfoliation of raw vermiculite.

Kerafire 

Kerafire is a pourable insulation material with properties somewhere between ceramic and resin. It has a silicate bonding system. Its mixing and setting characteristics are more like resins than cementitious materials, though easier and cleaner to work with. The most important property is cost, which is way below resin costs, and thereby opens a vast field from which composites have been excluded because of costs. Kerafire appears to be solid, and the permeability is extremely low.  It therefore outperforms all conventional insulation materials, which are permeable, in extreme environments.

The material is supplied as powder and resin. Typically you use 55 weight parts liquid Synwood binder to 45 weight parts Kerafire powder and pour it. The wet density is 1.0kg/litre and after drying it is 0,65kg/litre. It sets between 20 minutes and an hour. While it is fairly strong, it is easily trimmed or machined. The powder is grayish in colour. After setting the surface is reddish brown but the interior is grey.​

Development no: 114900

Keratuff 2

​Description:  Keratuff 2 is a structural insulating refractory. Insulation materials are normally only usable as a backing or with some kind of structural support. Keratuff 2 has sufficient strength to be a free standing structure. It has low permeability and is easily machined or cut when dried or fired.

Applications: Electric kiln walls and element holders, crucible furnace lids, heat shields, masonry protection in charcoal ovens, aluminium launders, burner shields, machined components.

Thermal Conductivity:

Maximum Service Temperature:   1230°C.Shrinkage at 1200°C is 1,91.

Density: 0,8 g/cm3 dry.

Strength: 6 MPa at 110°C, 6 MPa fired 1200°c.

Composition: Contains Litefill and Hollofill synthetic aggregates and zirconia containing ceramic fibres.

Preparation: Add +40-5O1 water to the powder, mix well and apply it. It can be vibration cast at +40% water. Water content is not critical and need not be measured. Extensive mixing and trowelling improves the fibre dispersion and improves strength. All particles are less than 1mm diameter. Setting time is about one hour.

Colour: Grey. Yellow when fired 1200°C. 

​Packaging: 10Kg in thick polythene bags.

Pilot Plant Code: PGK

Oxycoat

​Description; A refractory coating for oxygen lancing tubes. It sis a thermosetting paint based on aluminium oxide.

Chemical analysis after drying to over 450°C;
Al2O3     83     .3%
P2O2     16     .7%

pH: 1 (highly acidic)

Density; 2,0 to 2,1 g/cm³
Application; Pipe must be completely clean of everything except rust or scale. Spray or paint on Oxycoat. Dry at 300°C. Application equipment must be completely free of other paints or solvents.
Handling; Although no problems have been encountered with skin contact, treat as strong acid and wear gloves.
Packaging; 20kg in 10litre plastic buckets.
Price 2019; R136/kg + VAT.

Insulag 2

​Insulag is a range of very light insulation materials. They are all asbestos free. Insulag 2 is a white powder, which is mixed with water and trowelled or plastered.​It can be used up to 600°C continuous temperature, or a fire protection. Its thermal decomposition is highly endothermic, giving it very superior fire resistance. Density is around 0.6g/cm³, depending on water addition. Thermal conductivity is very low, about 0.2W/mK. Setting time is around 20 minutes. Insulag has no shrinkage below 60.0°CAfter setting the material is easily cut, machined or sanded. It will deteriorate if exposed to rain for long periods. When used as pipe lagging or boiler plaster, no cladding is required. Mix by hand in small quantities to desired consistency. It will stiffen as the plasticizer dissolves. Add water as you work, but finish working it within 10 minutes of mixing.