So one of my first steps of my new plan is to figure out what to use for my refractory cement. Most of what I have seen for DIY options go along the lines of using perlite and portland cement mixtures. One of my favorite sources of information has been the Backyard Metal Casting website ( http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/ )has allot of step by step instructions, one of which is a DIY refractory cement.

I plan to follow the plans I found there which use a mixture of Portland cement (1.5 parts), silica sand (2 parts), perlite (1.5 parts) and fireclay (2 parts). I don't want to copy his work to my page so please check out the website for all of the details. I will however post as much as I can about my experience getting each of the components and the mixing and casting process.