A material system and method for bonding refractory powders in a three dimensional printer. A first particulate component including a refractory material is mixed with a first reactive component to form a particulate mixture. A flat layer of the particulate mixture is dispensed onto a build surface. A liquid binder, which may include a furan monomer and a surfactant, is dispensed by an ink-jet printhead onto the particulate mixture. The particulate mixture may contain a furan-soluble polymer that imposes a capillary attraction for the liquid binder, keeping it situated in the immediate vicinity of where the binder is dispensed. Additionally it provides a sufficient catalytic power to co-polymerize with the furan monomer and form a solid structure. This enables a 3D printer to build strong, accurate parts with high packing density, and to reuse the feed material many times in the printer.