Applying Chicken Wire reinforcing.

[KJB]

I am building over a gym ball. Plan is to lay about 2cm 3/4 inch of homebrew then apply chicken wire then 2 or 3 inches of perlite. I am at the stage of trying to pre form my chicken wire int a dome such that I can drop it over the homebrew at the appropriate stage. I am having all sorts of problems forming this. Using 25mm 1 inch chicken wire and squeezing with pliers to form with no success.
I wonder what methods others have used to form the wire?
I am started to wonder if cutting 2 inch strips might be easier to handle. A strip around the perimeter and a couple over the dome. Wonder if 12mm mesh might be easier to handle and offer greater strength.
Other option is to leave out and add prior to the top skim coat.
Or leave out totally.
Would be interested in hearing your technique and thoughts.

[david s]

2 cm thick homebrew castable is not thick enough to be strong enough IMO, but I’d love you to prove me wrong. If you want to reinforce it with chicken wire the reinforcement should be in the middle of the layer. As you have found shaping a compound curve with the stuff is difficult. I found that small pieces around 30 x 10 cm, placed as you go and overlapping was a better way to do it, but at only 2 cm thick it will be tricky to keep the stuff in the middle of the layer. Grabbing a bit with the nose of a pair of pliers and giving it a 90 degree twist will tighten that section and curve the chicken wire, but it’s so fiddly it takes ages. Using chicken wire for the inner layer has its drawbacks. The temperature of the oven will exceed the melting point of the zinc coating on the wire so who knows what will happen to it.