Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons

What the job really is

Build or repair equipment such as furnaces, kilns, cupolas, boilers, converters, ladles, soaking pits, and ovens, using refractory materials.

At a glance

• Sector: Installation, Maintenance & Repair
• O*NET-SOC code: 49-9045
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 10
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Reline or repair ladles and pouring spouts with refractory clay, using trowels.
• Chip slag from linings of ladles or remove linings when beyond repair, using hammers and chisels.
• Mix specified amounts of sand, clay, mortar powder, and water to form refractory clay or mortar, using shovels or mixing machines.
• Measure furnace walls to determine dimensions and cut required number of sheets from plastic block, using saws.
• Dry and bake new linings by placing inverted linings over burners, building fires in ladles, or by using blowtorches.
• Remove worn or damaged plastic block refractory linings of furnaces, using hand tools.
• Climb scaffolding, carrying hoses, and spray surfaces of cupolas with refractory mixtures, using spray equipment.
• Spread mortar on stopper heads and rods, using trowels, and slide brick sleeves over rods to form refractory jackets.
• Dump and tamp clay in molds, using tamping tools.
• Transfer clay structures to curing ovens, melting tanks, and drawing kilns, using forklifts.

Tools and technology

Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Acid scrubbers, Band saws, Boom trucks, Brick cutting saws, Brick hammers, Burner management systems, Conveyor belts

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Brickmasons and Blockmasons
• Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
• Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters
• Foundry Mold and Coremakers
• Terrazzo Workers and Finishers
• Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
• Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.