New build - 1.2M dome

[jonv]

Droop? What droop?

I set the five bricks that span the arch, with some offcut wedges of brick underneath to correct the droop. I told the OH that clearing the arch is one of those big milestones in the build and we would celebrate once I get that far. I know I haven't finished the course yet, but there's a bottle of fizz on ice and I'm claiming it

Glad all the weird cuts are done for a while and it's a straight race to the keystone...

[jonv]

Yeah, I'm not too bothered about it - just funny that I didn't manage to avoid it even though I was looking out for it... Shows up a bit better in this picture:

[deejayoh]

That's nothing! I think I had to shim mine way more than that

[jonv]

Somewhat amused to find that, even though I knew about 'the droop', expected to encounter the problem, and thought I knew how to avoid it, the droop has appeared on the sixth course. Despite my best efforts to set the bricks adjacent to the arch without losing height, I seem to have failed.

The next course will clear the arch. The dome remains fairly good in terms of roundness so I will just need to adjust the bricks passing over the arch to correct the droop. I found a laser line useful for getting these blocks in the correct position. I still have to cut some shims to pack up the bricks on each side of the arch, but I should be able to bring everything more or less level on this course.

[jonv]

You would be most welcome

[UtahBeehiver]

I make it a point to visit wfo'ers when I travel so your build is on my hit list.

[jonv]

Thanks! Luckily, patience I have... the other skills I'm still learning

[UtahBeehiver]

One of the more nicer builds I have seen in a while, very nice brick work. Patience is a virtue.

[jonv]

I'm dreaming of jamming a whole pig in it sometime

I am expecting gravity to become a bit of a factor on the next course - I already noticed a couple of bricks drifting forwards slightly and needing to be held in place for a few seconds before the mortar grabbed hold. I'm using an aluminate cement rather than the homebrew. I suspect that it is a bit more tricky to use but it does set up much more quickly.

[deejayoh]

Bigger, yes - I can see that! you could live in that thing

Gravity can make it tricky, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well the homebrew holds the bricks, if you mix the consistency right. I found I never had to use any sort of support beyond a couple minutes with the IT.

[jonv]

That's true, although it is going to be much more tricky to work on when I get that high up. It looks so much bigger than it did on paper!

[deejayoh]

Looking good! It goes faster once you are over the arch. Smaller circumference, and the cuts are all the same. Tricky part is gravity becomes more of a factor

[jonv]

This might take a while... two more courses done.

[underpendle]

Looking good.

S

[jonv]

Thanks for the encouraging comments folks

First two courses are done... twelve more to go.