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Post by faz on Sept 24, 2012 6:33:58 GMT
You should be able to get it in there pretty easily - maybe your mix had gone a bit stiff? Anyway, once your courses are going up and the HB on the lower courses has gone off, you can get a bit more vigourous with poking the mortar in to the gaps and you should find it goes in pretty easily.
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Post by cannyfradock on Sept 24, 2012 7:00:48 GMT
Pete A couple of little voids in the mortar shouldn't hurt, but do try to fill each joint as full as you can. I usually put more mortar on the bed than needed then squeeze the brick down to make sure the bed is full. The perps I put on the brick that was laid before...again with a side-ways motion squeeze the brick up against the previous one laid. Clean and point...or make good the interior of the bricks at the end of each day. It's a nightmare to clean them after a few days. Be as precise as you can with each brick. It won't be long before you are at the dome arch transition. Don't forget that the rear of the top internal arch bricks are also cut at an angle for this transition. It's a good idea to keep someone else's picture diary of a build in your "favorites" for quick reference on each stage. I use Charlie's build as a ref... picasaweb.google.com/115426447285405371194/WoodFiredOven My work is nowhere near as neat as his (nearly every brick has been cut with an angle grinder) but it's a good reference build. Fingers crossed for some kinder weather for you in the near future. Terry
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petec
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Posts: 232
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Post by petec on Sept 24, 2012 8:25:30 GMT
thanks guys.
I'll mix up some HB tonight a little thinner and back fill now that first course will have gone off and be pretty rigid.
All other courses I'll fill the beds and perps as I go.
Thought I might mix up the HB and use a piping bag type solution to get it into the gaps in the back of the first course !
Have been loaned large and small angle grinders as well, so shaping the bricks for hearth and for arch should be a lot easier now.
cheers Pete
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petec
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Posts: 232
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Post by petec on Sept 24, 2012 19:37:51 GMT
Well, interesting few hours after work !!! absolutely pouring down in leeds, but I have a permanent gazebo and inspection lamp rigged up now ready for the dark nights ahead - so i decided to brave the appalling weather and give it a go back-filling the gaps in the first course. I mixed the HB a bit thinner this time so it had an easier consistency. The piping bag idea was a total failure - laughable actually - but you probably would have guessed that ! Anyway - forcing the mortar in with pointing trowels seemed to do OK - except that I couldnt really get the HB into the narrowest part of the joint . I had quite a bit of mix left so I roughly mortared around the back of all bricks and the whole thing seems pretty solid now. i'm still a tiny bit worried that I will have some air pockets left in the perps of the first course and that these air gaps will get hot - but actually the gases will escape through the joints at the face of the oven I guess. Hard work in rubbish conditions - but very satisfied with my efforts tonight ! One thing I did notice was that a couple of bricks from the first ring that I did yesterday were easily dislodged when knocked a bit too clumsily - OOPS Question though - How long does 3-1-1-1 HB mix take to go off fully ? Rgds Pete
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Post by faz on Sept 24, 2012 19:46:39 GMT
All of my eft over HB was spread over the outside of the oven. I am pretty sure I even mixed up a batch or two at the end just to go round filling gaps in and evening up the outside of the oven.
I am not sure how long it takes to go off fully, but you can scrape away at it quite easily 24 hours after it was laid, so it certainly takes longer than that. I remember beig concernedinitially that it wouldn't cure as I could poke my nail in it, but it does set rock hard eventually.
If your mix was a bit dry this might also explain the slightly weak joint. Are you also soaking your bricks before laying them to stop them sucking the moisture out of the HB? They should be damp, but not totally saturated.
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petec
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Post by petec on Sept 24, 2012 21:10:10 GMT
Hi faz,
yes been soaking the bricks in the wheelbarrow for a few minutes , then letting them drain any surface water off before laying.
was noticeable how quick the bricks sucked up the moisture when backfilling the gaps. Was definitely easier to use a looser mix tonight to fill the gaps.
the weak bond was the bottom where the bed meets the thermalite - I didnt wet the therms as I had read on another site not to do this.
things seem to be setting pretty firm so I guess in a day or two it will be very tough, and with a few courses laid above the weight will make a solid bond too.
Going to lay out the entrance bricks for the base of the arch area tomorrow night and build a plywood former i think.
Cheers Pete
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Post by h12rpo on Sept 25, 2012 14:53:41 GMT
Thats a nice les paul sir, i have one too ;D
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petec
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Post by petec on Sept 26, 2012 19:19:22 GMT
Hi H12rpo,
good to hear ! the Paul is a Tokai LS-150 rather than a Gibson. (its a 2005 )
I've had a few Gibsons too but love the Tokai. One of my treasured possessions is a 1976 Firebird Bi-Centennial which I occasional gig with.
Do you get to play much ? Send pics of the guitar !! Love pics.
Guitar is my passion - until I caught the oven building bug !
Cheers Pete
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petec
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Posts: 232
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Post by petec on Sept 26, 2012 19:30:38 GMT
Hi again
Oven question time.......
Weather has stopped progress temporarily so Ive been planning the arch and making plywood formers.
My oven is relatively small - 31" diameter is most I could accommodate with 2" blanket and 4" vermiculite etc .
I want to build a 16" entrance with 10" arch - which is pretty close to 63% rule.
I have been trying to replicate Terry's build method for the entrance of his 90cm oven build thread, but as my diameter is different I found I couldn't place the arch pillars in exactly the same place as he did. So I've been trying to work out what the best way(where) to locate the arch pillars is.
My arch pillars will be made from half bricks laid on flat , and I think I have landed on placing the corners of the half bricks right on the inside diameter circle line. This way I think my dome bricks will meet all points of the arch nicely ( I hope ) . Would take pics but everything is covered up with tarps etc for now.
I hope that makes sense - but if anyone has any thoughts on what to watch out for when positioning the arch/pillars then let me know !
meanwhile I will keep looking at as many examples as I can find.
cheers Pete
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Post by h12rpo on Sept 26, 2012 23:19:10 GMT
Watching yr build closely pete cos mines going to be 32 inch as well but have only so far cast the base My passion also guitar/ harp/ blues - sing and play in a pub gigging band too . Will send some pics of guitars of which i have a few
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Post by faz on Sept 27, 2012 6:00:00 GMT
I just chucked my arch pillars at the end of the dome bricks! The one thing I will say, from seeing soe threads on FB, is that you need to make sure that you do not pull hem too far forwards (ie. towards the outside of the oven) as this will meanmake the arch sit too far outside the dome and make the arch/dome transition difficult - the dome bricks won't have a good seat on the arch.
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Post by bookemdanno on Sept 27, 2012 6:44:08 GMT
I think you can over think this bit Pete...i did!! Set the arch at the Chord point you'd decided, and cut a slight angle to the back of the arch bricks. Then it'll just be a case of cutting some brick slips to get the course heights to match, or if you're lucky it'll just be bang on! If i remember rightly, i'd planned on the near dome edge of the chimney to be on the line of the radius. Look at the Forno Bravo "how to guide" and the plan views of their ready made pompeii ovens. This migh help to set it in your mind. Good luck, this bit frazzled me, but was very satisfying when completed.
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petec
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Posts: 232
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Post by petec on Sept 27, 2012 16:28:38 GMT
Thanks Guys, think I am now sorted and settled on a layout after cutting a few bricks. I looked closely at pistolpete and LeeB's builds to see how they had done it. This seems to place the arch in a good position. You can see I have had to in-fill with some shallow firebricks as my brick ring wasn't symetrical and had different gaps on each side of the entrance. Still wont be visible so no problem. Cheers Pete
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petec
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Posts: 232
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Post by petec on Sept 29, 2012 20:13:49 GMT
A bit more progress this morning .... been cutting the floor bricks and dry laying out for fit. couple more to do tomorrow then time to get the sand/clay bed done. Also done the arch former and set out the opening. Need to make a few shims for the narrow fillets. Do people just use Homebrew to fill small gaps around the hearth edge ? Also I saw on one of Terry's photos that his apprentice was brushing sand/fireclsay mix into the hearth floor gaps, so planning to do that too. Meanwhile , homemade pizzas for tea - but baked in the Zannusi though..... pics : Cheers Pete
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Post by h12rpo on Sept 29, 2012 20:17:29 GMT
Whats the radius of the arch form pete?
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