Sandstone question

[East Texas Pine Rooter]

I have a brick at the farm that look in color like a firebrick, but it is real pourus, cumbles fairly easy, and when run over by the tractor, nearly go back to sand. Does this sound like sandstone? I have firebrick, and it is hard as a rock, it will break, but doesn't crumble. I thought the crumblyt stuff was just a inferior firebrick.

[Ravenlost]

Sounds like sandstone to me.

[moopups]

The ultra high tempature fire bricks also look like sand and can be crushed by hand, they are very exspensive in price. If you have a large quanity check with metalcraft foundry person about them - new they are about $7.00 apiece.

[East Texas Pine Rooter]

Opps, i thought they were an inferior brick, i have been tossing them in my rock pile. Sone folks scraps,and junk, or other folks trasures. I have built many fireplaces, as a building contractor. Architecs allways called for fire brick, never had a call for sandstone.

[outofmire]

sandstone crumbles easy? Not ours. Though it does split easy if you hit it hard with something. Also, our sandstone doesn't appear porous. I know it is somewhat because it's a sedimentary rock, but not to the naked eye, and it's not porous like a brick.

Shae

[fordy]

...................The firebrick I'm familiar with around north texas is very heavy and dense . There is also another species of very heavy brick made here locally called "pavers" . Hwy 380 from Weatherford , tx to Mineral Wells , tx was built with these Pavers . The hwy. dept. simply paved over them with asphault they were so tough . The old brick hiway was very rough and when wet was Very Slick . These pavers were made out around Gordon tx where there was also oil and coal production from 1880 to around 1930 or so . There was a whole community built out there for several thousand people . They only mined about 15% of the clay deposits so IF pavers ever come back into fashion there is alot of raw material to start production . This type of brick would be very sturdy to build a house from but expensive I would think. fordy..