BenjaMia Bakehouse Project

[asudavew]

Re: BenjaMia Bakehouse Project

Nice find. That will look great.
James

Indeed.

How much did it weigh?

[SpringJim]

Re: BenjaMia Bakehouse Project

I dunno...it was heavy! Took two people to unload it off the back of the pickup and position it in place. I can lift one side at a time to set it where I need it and shim it up to the same level as the new floor.

[SpringJim]

Hearth time!

I mixed a bag of fine sand with a bag of clay and dumped it on the insulating layer. This was used to give some more thermal mass and level the hearth for firebricks. I used the dry method and it worked well (so far!)

[SpringJim]

Hearth

Finished the hearthfirebricks and laid out the first course.

[SpringJim]

The first course in process

so far so good!

[asudavew]

Re: BenjaMia Bakehouse Project

Looks good Jim.

Get some heavy cardboard and cover that floor!
Cut it to fit!

Trust me on that one....
DAve

[SpringJim]

Re: BenjaMia Bakehouse Project

I know, I know.....

[asudavew]

Re: BenjaMia Bakehouse Project

I know, I know.....

That's what I said....then spent many hours kikin myself in the crack and cleaning up mortar,

[SpringJim]

Re: BenjaMia Bakehouse Project

Dave, it's a technique I've used when doing stucco work on concrete walls. You're always spilling a bunch of the stucco.

It's so nice to lift up that ratty wet dirty nasty mushy cardboard and have a clean floor underneath.

I'll get right on it!

[SpringJim]

Perlite stucco

Here is the after and before shot....

I had some perlite mix left over so I filled the holes in the stand....was surprised that it worked so well!

[SpringJim]

Re: BenjaMia Bakehouse Project

The first skew course in in place and the floor still clean!

[SpringJim]

Re: BenjaMia Bakehouse Project

Finally put in the cardboard floor protection. Since the first course was set the cardboard was just pushed into place against the soldiers.

Laying the second brick course....I'm using a premix refractory to set the brick with the shim and then filling in with the homebrew refractory.

[SpringJim]

Doming

I mix the homebrew refractory in big batches to infill the bricks and joints using a mortar bag and trowel.

....then smear the remaining mixture over the dome for strength and some additional dome mass.

Now I need to do the arch and some additional buttressing!

[asudavew]

Re: BenjaMia Bakehouse Project

Looking good Jim.

It's about to get a bit more challenging.

Good luck on the arch. Have you got it figured out in your head yet?
That part about drove me nutz!
Not sure if I have it in my head YET........

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: BenjaMia Bakehouse Project

Arch-smarch! Cast a vent for better draw and easier construction. Since the front is going to be in the enclosed bake house, good draw is going to be important...

Drake