Air Entrained Refractory: Will it Float ?

Which late night comedian did the "Will it Float" segment.

Anyway.  I used the original mix, #1 in the test, that subs silica flour for sand and mixed it up like the air crete people do.   I am not sure if it will be as light as it could be.  I made the foam with an electric mixer like one used to make a cake.

It looks like the top of the refractory is right at the water line. Given that there is the added weight of the container and water that will evaporate maybe it will. 

At any rate it is close.   Need to play with the foam and such to see if I can make it lighter.

Prior to doing the air entrained refractory I mixed up a bit of aircrete.  1:32 dawn:water,  1:2 water to Portland cement, and equal amounts of the wet cement and foam.

Maybe the cement could have been thicker.  Some bubbles escaped.  And it seems quit hungry for water.   Much more so than the refractory mix.   It rather fragile so adding water without messing up the surface takes some care.

Later in the day I became impatient and removed the air entrained refractory sample from its cup/mold.

It is starting to harden but I suspect it is drying rather than setting or curing.  I am thinking of doing a test with additional Portland cement in several steps.

The puck has been fired to 800C.

OK I had to see if it would float.  I did not think it would be all that interesting and did not record it.  The air-crete floated with the water just below the top of the slab.  The air entrained refractory was much more interesting.  It initally floated much like the air-crete.   But it started absorbing water and soon when to the bottom.  I may dry it out and record it.

I plan to try this again but with no perlite and maybe samples with a bit more Portland cement.

The puck did not seem like it was fired.  So I have loaded it and both parts of the original non air entrained brick into the oven and am firing to 850C for one hour after reaching temp.  At 830C I noticed something rising from the stuff in the furnace so I open the vent.   Not sure that the smoke/steam whatever is actually from the stuff I am firing.   Just the same I am going to fire it for another hour.
Yeah should have written down times.   Begs the question why I have not setup a controller so I can use firing schedules yet.