36" build in Tallahassee - AKA Bruce's Folly

[cobblerdave]

Re: 36" build in Tallahassee - AKA Bruce's Folly

Gudday Bruce
Checked out the pics on the link. 1/2 your luck haven't had a Vance to travell more than an hour or two away in mths life just gets in the way
You enjoy yourself now and stay safe on the roads
Regards Dave

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: 36" build in Tallahassee - AKA Bruce's Folly

Great that you can get away and see the country. Is that a WFO (UFO) in the background at Roswell?

[Bec1208]

Re: 36" build in Tallahassee - AKA Bruce's Folly

Gudday Bruce
Checked out the pics on the link. 1/2 your luck haven't had a Vance to travell more than an hour or two away in mths life just gets in the way
You enjoy yourself now and stay safe on the roads
Regards Dave

GPS just took us off I 10 and headed northwest. Only 1477 miles to go. We've been fortunate to have had a number of opportunities for travel the past several years. Safari in South Africa in 2008, Tuscany in 2009, Ireland in 2012, and a few weeks in Cabos, Mexico every year. Also have made several trips in USA including Seatle on 3 occasions, the western trip, New Orleans, Austin, San Antonio, and Memphis among others. I will start a thread on the travel section per Dave's earlier comment.

QUOTE=UtahBeehiver;153245]Great that you can get away and see the country. Is that a WFO (UFO) in the background at Roswell?[/QUOTE]

Actually, my theory is that the come to earth for the WFO pizza.

Bruce

[cobblerdave]

Re: 36" build in Tallahassee - AKA Bruce's Folly

Gudday Bruce
I think I might be on to something here to solve the problem of the non sticking mortar...... Brick dust .....read brick dust not bul@"$it.
I'm still on veneering my oven and I borrowed a chop saw to help with the cuts. I'm a bit " gun shy" of drop saws these days so I did most of the cuts with bulster for the main. Around the chimney I needed small slices to make it work so I cut them with the saw.
Went to mortar them next day first piece put the mortar on and be buggered it fell straight off! Tried a bit more mortar ...same result .
I felt the cut surface of the brick, it was slick , you would have thought someone had oiled it. Then it hit me. The brick dust! The mortar had hydrated the dust on the surface and then the mortar had no surface to key to just this greasy fine clay sludge.
No wonder everyone soaks there bricks to get them the mortar to stick! What there probably doing in some way is to wash that brick dust muck off the surface.
No wonder poor old bricky cannot understand why everyone soaks their bricks to make them stick!!!!
Anyway I scrubed and washed those brick pieces off. Problem solved.... That mortar stuck like " shit to a blanket"( anyone who has had a child will know this)
When you get home check it out I don't think it matters whether you cut wet or dry that slimy dust will be present
Regards dave

[brickie in oz]

Re: 36" build in Tallahassee - AKA Bruce's Folly

G
No wonder poor old bricky cannot understand why everyone soaks their bricks to make them stick!!!!

Dave, Ive laid dry cut bricks, and wet cut bricks, Ive laid bricks that have just dust on them and Ive never come across non sticking mortar.
Make the mortar to suit the bricks.

[cobblerdave]

Re: 36" build in Tallahassee - AKA Bruce's Folly

Gudday brickie
No one would doubt you could layer bricks together with dust off the ground and a bit of spit if you had to.
Same mortar, same brick, same mug on the end of the trowel the variable was the brick dust. I'm still suprised its effect.
No it didn't soak the bricks I washed them of and let them dry in the sun and made up fresh mortar.
Yes I did us a squit of dish washing liquid
Regards dave

[brickie in oz]

Re: 36" build in Tallahassee - AKA Bruce's Folly

Im wasnt chest beating Dave, I just find it surprising that ppl have trouble sticking mortar to a brick, if the mortar is fatty and plastic enough it will stick to anything.

[Wayne73]

Re: 36" build in Tallahassee - AKA Bruce's Folly

I dont think people soak the bricks to get them to stick, but soak them so the bricks dont suck all the moisture out of the mortar .

[Bec1208]

Re: 36" build in Tallahassee - AKA Bruce's Folly

Back in town, though rained off and on today. Picked up some modeling clay (ala kbartman) and did a rough layout of the next course. Worked pretty well, though I will need to do some custom cuts.. I also picked up some type N masonary cement and all purpose sand (I already have a bag of fireclay). I will try using home brew for the next course. We enjoyed the road trip, though good to be home for a while. Bruce

[cobblerdave]

Re: 36" build in Tallahassee - AKA Bruce's Folly

Gudday Bruce
Type N mortar should be premix Portland,lime,sand at 1:1:3 with the addition of 1 part fireclay to 5 parts N-type mortar you then have "home brew".
Sorry I didnt realize before that things usually come pre mixed in the states.
Regards dave

[Bec1208]

Re: 36" build in Tallahassee - AKA Bruce's Folly

Gudday Bruce
Type N mortar should be premix Portland,lime,sand at 1:1:3 with the addition of 1 part fireclay to 5 parts N-type mortar you then have "home brew".
Sorry I didnt realize before that things usually come pre mixed in the states.
Regards dave

Dave, I bought type N masonry cement (not mortar) which I believe is 1/2 Portland and 1/2 lime. So shouldn't mix be 2 parts mix:3 parts sand:1 part fireclay?

[Gulf]

Re: 36" build in Tallahassee - AKA Bruce's Folly

Gudday Bruce
Type N mortar should be premix Portland,lime,sand at 1:1:3 with the addition of 1 part fireclay to 5 parts N-type mortar you then have "home brew".
Sorry I didnt realize before that things usually come pre mixed in the states.
Regards dave

Dave,
We have to look at the "wording" very close here in the states. Type N mortar would have the sand pre-added. (just add water). Type N masonry cement would be 1/2 Portland and 1/2 hydrated lime (or the equivelant). The sand would have to be added to make mortar.

Edit: That is two posts that I replied to that ya'll have already been covered. Sorry .

[cobblerdave]

Re: 36" build in Tallahassee - AKA Bruce's Folly

Gudday
Thanks heaps for clearing that one up Gulf it really is all in the terms
Regards dave

[Bec1208]

Re: 36" build in Tallahassee - AKA Bruce's Folly

Rain finally passed through and sun came out today. Tried the home brew and was much easier to work with. Did most of the next course. Won't win any beauty prizes but should hold together.

[cobblerdave]

Re: 36" build in Tallahassee - AKA Bruce's Folly

Gudday Bruce
Back on the job. For a while there I thought you might be taking another holiday to get over the first holiday
Now your into IT territory I picked up on a comment by Greenman on another thread. Basically what he said is because the IT tool doesn't rotate directly on the hearth but on the old axle of the wheel of the caster it has a built in discrepancy. His figures ( from memory) was his build would be 10 mm out (approx 1/2 in) by the time he got to the top of the dome and he had made a 1mm adjustment to every course to compensate. Food for thought.
On the home front I have managed to finish the brickwork over the dome have also "brick tiled" the surrounds . Looks so much better balanced and I happy the go from one of the ugliest builds on the forum to one that I'm pleased with.
The girth of the dome has become a little more "portly" with the additional brick and now covers the stand edge to edge bar an in either side . I measured it at 1750 mm or 70 ins. Hard to believe there's a 42 in oven in there, suppose when you think about it 1/2 of it would be insulation.
Thought I might have to extent the chimney a bit but it worked out fine and with the buttressing is a lot better balanced.

Old photo of my oven :....pretty ugly hah
Regards dave