36" build in Tallahassee - AKA Bruce's Folly

[brickie in oz]

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

Gudday bruce
[ATTACH]37088[/ATTACH]
Here's a photo of one of my early morning visitors. I feed them a whole meal cracker and honey . If you ignore them they will fly up on your shoulder or head and pull your hair. They don't come every day as I am up and gone before they are out of bed. But the weekends they are always there.
Regards dave

Cheeky little buggers arent they Dave.....
We used to feed them here too until the cockies saw the free feed then it was all over.

The cockies stared to destroy everything in site and scared off everything else, I even made a feeder that the cockies couldnt fit into but the still managed.

[cobblerdave]

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

Gudday Al
I only feed these little fellas, we did do the bird feeder thing at one time but the undoing was the Peacefully doves not the Cockies. There a cute little bird that hangs around in prs and coo very softly. That's until the population explosion that comes about with the free feed. Then a suburban block has 30 prs and the little beggers fornicate on the tin gutter outside your bedroom window at 5 am on a summers morning. The feeding stopped and were back to just a few couples now ...and peace reigns
Regards dave

[Laurentius]

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

Gudday Al
I only feed these little fellas, we did do the bird feeder thing at one time but the undoing was the Peacefully doves not the Cockies. There a cute little bird that hangs around in prs and coo very softly. That's until the population explosion that comes about with the free feed. Then a suburban block has 30 prs and the little beggers fornicate on the tin gutter outside your bedroom window at 5 am on a summers morning. The feeding stopped and were back to just a few couples now ...and peace reigns
Regards dave

They're just giving you a little encouragement at 5am. Oh, I'm sorry that was jealousy, in that remark.

[Bec1208]

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

Gudday bruce
[ATTACH]37088[/ATTACH]
Here's a photo of one of my early morning visitors. I feed them a whole meal cracker and honey . If you ignore them they will fly up on your shoulder or head and pull your hair. They don't come every day as I am up and gone before they are out of bed. But the weekends they are always there.
Regards dave

Beautiful bird, wife loved it. Rainbow lorikeet based on google search. Brickie, are cockies cockatoos?

Worked on the oven today, filled in the dome. Any hints on doing keystone?

[brickie in oz]

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

Brickie, are cockies cockatoos?

Correct, they will eat all the timber around the feeding area, windows, decking etc, they are in plague proportions in some area due to the reliable water supply.

[Les]

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

Any hints on doing keystone?

Interesting shape. I think I would just fill it with mortar. If you have the patience you may be able to whittle a brick to fit in there.

[cobblerdave]

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

Beautiful bird, wife loved it. Rainbow lorikeet based on google search. Brickie, are cockies cockatoos?

Worked on the oven today, filled in the dome. Any hints on doing keystone?

Gudday
You'll need some one to give you a hand but hold a bit of cardboard up to the hole both sides and draw the shape. Can't find a pic of mine but it was pretty skinny and a pain to make, but I was determined to have a keystone... You feel a little ripped of by the pizza gods if you don't.
Regards dave
Sorry how that pic get in there bl&@dy I -phone

[Bec1208]

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

Interesting shape. I think I would just fill it with mortar. If you have the patience you may be able to whittle a brick to fit in there.

Gudday
You'll need some one to give you a hand but hold a bit of cardboard up to the hole both sides and draw the shape. Can't find a pic of mine but it was pretty skinny and a pain to make, but I was determined to have a keystone... You feel a little ripped of by the pizza gods if you don't.
Regards dave
Sorry how that pic get in there bl&@dy I -phone

Les, thanks for joining in. I think I may test my patience a bit and do so whittling. If the patience runs out, I hadn't thought that the plug could be made of mortar. When I looked at the picture of the hole I did think the easiest way to finish would be to fill with castable refractory. Do you change the mortar mix for filling gaps like that?

Dave, well the dome came together, hopefully it will hold. I had to do the last few rows partially blind, I couldn't see over the the upper perimeter of the bricks to the lower perimeter. Glad I didn't make the hearth any higher.

We have a small basin in the back of our yard that fills with water. Here are a few pics I've taken of birds in our backyard.

[Bec1208]

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

As long as we are sharing bird pics, here are two more.

[brickie in oz]

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

I did think the easiest way to finish would be to fill with castable refractory. Do you change the mortar mix for filling gaps like that?

The castable you need for a plug of that size isnt made from home brew, it would just crumble and fall out.

Stick the largest piece of brick, or even two pieces in the hole and bog up the rest with home brew.

Nice bird pics too.

[Les]

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

Les, thanks for joining in. I think I may test my patience a bit and do so whittling. If the patience runs out, I hadn't thought that the plug could be made of mortar. When I looked at the picture of the hole I did think the easiest way to finish would be to fill with castable refractory. Do you change the mortar mix for filling gaps like that?

I believe you add stainless steel needles. I never went that route but whole ovens have been cast. Should be no problem for your plug.

[brickie in oz]

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

I had loads of bird pics but my computer had a mental breakdown sometime ago, I was lucky enough to recover most of the files, some went to binary heaven.

Here is one pic I still have of a galah, nice birds, almost tame in the wild and very gentle.
They hang upside down on the power lines outside my place when it rains an chatter excitedly.

[Bec1208]

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

The castable you need for a plug of that size isnt made from home brew, it would just crumble and fall out.

Stick the largest piece of brick, or even two pieces in the hole and bog up the rest with home brew.

Nice bird pics too.

Thanks brickie, though I should know better than to start comparing wildlife photos with Australians.

I was wondering about the mortar, seemed like it would show up more on the site if there wasn't some reason for not plugging with mortar.

[cobblerdave]

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

Gudday Bruce
Problem is not everyone post there mistakes it seems . You have a goodly collection of brick slithers to pick from why don't you just par them down and pack that hole till it wont take any more. You have kept the mortar thin to date so why stop now and put a big blob in the middle.
Regards dave

[Bec1208]

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

Gudday Bruce
Problem is not everyone post there mistakes it seems . You have a goodly collection of brick slithers to pick from why don't you just par them down and pack that hole till it wont take any more. You have kept the mortar thin to date so why stop now and put a big blob in the middle.
Regards dave

Les, Dave, and Brickie - talk about an anticlimax. I took out a cup of coffee and it was still warm when I had the plug made to a decent approximation. I had the idea of filling the hole with modeling clay and made a quick form. I used calipers to measure the length and width at the top, middle, and bottom and marked a brick. Four quick cuts and I had a plug that slipped in with about 3/4" above the rim. Two quick nips with the saw and it fit.

By the way, I swear there is brick under the large areas of mortar near the plug.