Tapir Force Steps up to the plate!

[Paul in Rockwall TX]

Re: Tapir Force Steps up to the plate!

Yes, we in north texas have had it all this week. lot's of tornadoes today, though none near my place. keeps you on edge, though. Springtime in Texas, as it always has been.

[Les]

Re: Tapir Force Steps up to the plate!

Robert,

Do you have a snow blower? I finally broke down and bought one and it quit snowing here - might work for you.

[azpizzanut]

Re: Tapir Force Steps up to the plate!

Hi TF,

Well, count your blessings. Them dry hands will have a chance to heal up good during the interim. BTW, what is that stuff covering your oven build and surrounding area? If memory serves correctly the last time I actually experienced something similar was as a youngster in Ohio when I was 11 yrs old. It's wet and cold and you have to shovel it, right? That was more than a half century ago. Now I'm plagued by abundant sunshine. You don't actually have to shovel it but it is good to sweep it off the patio on occasion.

Really though, when I built my ovens I was careful to keep everything dry and covered so it wouldn't get wet from an errant lawn sprinkler or too damp bricks. I'm not sure if I accomplished anything but peace of mind after looking at your situation. That's going to take some serious drying out before your first fires.

When is your "dry season"? Maybe you could wait until it has dried naturally before setting heat to a wet hearth and oven parts. On a positive note, you won't have to soak your bricks when starting again. I do wish you the best of luck and if you wish to send some of that cold, wet, stuff this way (when the thermometer is hovering around 115 deg f around here) I'd surely appreciate it.

Cheers,

[Tapir Force]

Re: Tapir Force Steps up to the plate!

Nut, I couldn't do the heat. That is why I will grouse a bit, but not complain loudly. The high here last Summer was 92 degrees. The moisture will disappear soon. It is hard to tell by the trees, but there is little precipitation in the Summer and Fall. Generally, the humidity is low. I agree, the thing should have been covered, but I will dry it out very slowly. Thanks for the tip.

Les, I could not live here without a snowblower. We live quite aways from any county maintained roads and the winters can be brutal. Even small snows can get caught in wind events and blow our roads shut. Reverse weather psychology is an art that I will leave to more talented people such as yourself. I have a hard time outsmarting ground squirrels.

Paul, I feel for you man! My people come from Hugo, Ok., Paris, Tx. and Murfreesboro, Arkansas. Storms there are something you can't describe; they have to be experienced. Keep your head down.

[Tapir Force]

Re: Tapir Force Steps up to the plate!

Finally got a break in the weather. I put up another course of bricks. It was cold, but at least it was not snowing. I also figured out my problem with the inconsistent sizes on my photos. My wife has been taking many of the shots from her iphone. She sends them to me in a reduced format and when I upload them they have been coming out smaller than I want. Brickie in Australia, I will take more detailed shots with my Pentax from now on.

Robert

[brickie in oz]

Re: Tapir Force Steps up to the plate!

Brickie in Australia, I will take more detailed shots with my Pentax from now on.

Robert

Much appreciated, nothing like sharing the love in with a few good pics....

[Tapir Force]

Re: Tapir Force Steps up to the plate!

I had enough time yesterday to get in the better part of a course yesterday afternoon. I wore shorts to put the Winter Gods on notice that the time has come to move south of the Equator. I also wore a coat and hoodie because it was colder than witches knickers. I did not have time to take pictures, but my wife was lurking around with her iphone and was seemingly amused at my discomfort. She snapped this off and I am posting it. As I have told Brickie in Oz on numerous occasions, the iphone does not allow for bigger images. This time, I am not apologizing for the smaller image as the size of the pictures is a bonus. If you had any greater resolution, the close-ups of my gooseflesh (wind chapped and trembling), might have caused the members viewing from afar to begin feeling queasy and lead to uncontrolled vomiting. That would be an egregious move on my part, as I have gained so much from the forum and would never wish to offend.

Robert

[Cheesesteak]

Re: Tapir Force Steps up to the plate!

Looking good. notwithstanding the cold weather - I envy you for having the time to work on your oven. it's coming along at a good pace.

The pics I've taken are also all with my iPhone and are quite larger. Perhaps sending them in the max size will help with sizing.

I'm off to my local supplier for more firebricks - I just called HC Muddox (around 30 minutes away) and they don't have "seconds" of firebricks anymore. :-( I hope to have my hearth done today and start on course 1 tomorrow.

You'll be cooking before I get my arch done.

[Les]

Re: Tapir Force Steps up to the plate!

I just called HC Muddox (around 30 minutes away) and they don't have "seconds" of firebricks anymore. :-(

Thats too bad, that was a great deal. They probably realized how much business they were losing. There are a few ovens in the Sac area.

[Tapir Force]

Re: Tapir Force Steps up to the plate!

I finally got a break in the weather. The temps were in the 65 *F range. I got a chance to make my final transition cuts and mortar them in the front where the arch and the dome come together. The transition, while not perfect is within my tolerance levels. I am pleased with the joints and cuts in the courses within both the dome and the entryway. I need to do some cleaning of excess mortar before I go to the next step. At this level, I am going to put in a false floor and build a sand dome to act as a form for the remainder of the courses. I will then cut the bricks and bring the dome portion of the build up to the key. I am very glad to have turned this corner. As many have stated, the transition between dome and arch is complex and sometimes frustrating. In addition to meeting this benchmark, I have been expecting my dome to take on a tear-drop shape. Once I cleared the arch of the entryway, bingo, the tear shape was noticeably present. I am not worried about it and from what I have read, I am in very good company. I should be able to make corrections over the next couple of tiers. My biggest concern at this point in time is that I am over-confident that this thing is strong and will not fail after curing fires. It is like a fortress in its sturdiness and mass. Over-confidence is not something I have in abundance, so this is strange. On a second topic, the diamond blades fron HF for my 10"brick saw are a very poor quality IMHO. I went through one in a couple of courses. Sometimes, you get what you pay for. Makita blades are twice as expensive, but many times better quality. Lesson learned.

[Tapir Force]

Re: Tapir Force Steps up to the plate!

Okay, now that I have had some time to think about it, I decided to put in a false floor at the equivalent of about course eight so that I might make a sand dome to act as a form for the rest of the dome. I put in bricks to hold up the floor which is cut fron 5/8"plywood. I used some plastic from old campaign signs to fill in a couple of odd shapes. I then sealed the floor with insulating foam from a can. It seems to be rock solid. I will now trim the foam and build a sand dome from wet sand. At that point I will start cutting the remainder of my brick courses and start printing pictures of my progress. If anyone sees any glaring errors in my construction process, please give me a heads up. I am capable of bone head moves that can only be described as biblical. I have to admit that I feel I am in the home stretch on the masonary portion of the build.

Robert

[Cheesesteak]

Re: Tapir Force Steps up to the plate!

Okay, now that I have had some time to think about it, I decided to put in a false floor at the equivalent of about course eight so that I might make a sand dome to act as a form for the rest of the dome. I put in bricks to hold up the floor which is cut fron 5/8"plywood. I used some plastic from old campaign signs to fill in a couple of odd shapes. I then sealed the floor with insulating foam from a can. It seems to be rock solid. I will now trim the foam and build a sand dome from wet sand. At that point I will start cutting the remainder of my brick courses and start printing pictures of my progress. If anyone sees any glaring errors in my construction process, please give me a heads up. I am capable of bone head moves that can only be described as biblical. I have to admit that I feel I am in the home stretch on the masonary portion of the build.

Robert

Wow - you're flying right along.

The only suggestion I'd offer is to make certain your mortar joints don't line up from one course to the next. In a couple of your photos - you can see joints that run vertically more than one course. (See attached pic) I believe this is a potential weak spot - one that will be prone to potential cracking.

At least I got my entry arch done before you finished . . . .

[Tapir Force]

Re: Tapir Force Steps up to the plate!

Cheesesteak,

There are three or four of those spots in my dome. I agree that these are potential weak spots, and I am certain that if they crack there I will be nothing short of upset. That said, I struggled with best practices vs. economy of materials. Every third course, I have been using the short end of my firebricks on edge so that they are not wasted. I cut those layers and wedged them the best that I could. I am going to be watching with my fingers crossed in hopes that my cuts and motaring were sufficient to the task. You have a really good eye to pick those out. I will let you know how they do in the curing process. This is a great site because of constructive criticism delivered without malice from the people who have this similar passion.

Robert

[Tapir Force]

Re: Tapir Force Steps up to the plate!

These are the shots that I took this afternoon after building my sand dome on the elevated false floor. The pictures show the next course with wedges sitting on the sand dome. I did not add mortar yet. I welcome any thoughts.

Robert

[azpizzanut]

Re: Tapir Force Steps up to the plate!

Hello T F,

Although you have a a few running joints shown in the photo, there are solid bricks above and below. A crack that appears there can't go to far. IMO, it is the multiple running joints that cause a problem and especially if you use soldiers at the base and a run of joints extending above them. I look at everyone's photos to see how many joints are centered and how many are perfect or acceptable. I can assure you there are not many builders who place all their bricks exactly right. I am guilty of that myself. Interestingly, I read comments about cracks from both kinds of builds. Cure your oven slowly and don't abuse it with loads of wood while there is any chance that moisture may remain in the brick, mortar, insulation or base. With these critical areas properly dried you will lessen the chance for serious cracks. Meanwhile, your oven is coming along nicely and I am confident it will hold up to your expectations. Keep the issue in mind for the remainder of your build. Have fun.

Cheers,