I took my profits and sold out yesterday. Nothing against KNL as...

I took my profits and sold out yesterday. Nothing against KNL as I do believe they will become miners eventually. Just part of my present market strategy of prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

This is what I know about graphite for refractory use.

The old tech used clay and graphite crucibles and therefore required coarser flake because it used less binder for the mix. The mix being sand-clay-graphite.

The old tech has been replaced by carbon bonded crucibles. They don't need to have coarse flakes as no limit to using fine flake particle size is proven.

Crucible graphite must be at least 85% TGC and it is all about the ash and impurities that make up the remaining percentage. Mica is considered the most undesirable as it fluxes readily and causes pin-holing in the crucible walls. Calcite decomposes and escaping CO2 causes blowholes in the crucible walls that provide weaknesses that tend to crack when heated. Iron sulphides (pyrite and pyrrhotite) add sulphur to the charge and causes holes, spots, and cracks in the crucible. Low sulphur content is vital.

Specifications for graphite bricks for refractory use are a closely guarded trade secret so I don't know whether coarse flake is a benefit or not. My guess is not.

Cheers