Need help with my next steps.

[ggoose]

Re: Need help with my next steps.

Yes, until they stop bubbling...

gene

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Need help with my next steps.

Any major cracks?

I haven't fired the oven yet so I can't report back. I will say that in the course of tearing out and re-mortaring the bricks that I felt needed to be re-positioned, those bricks that had sat longer seemed to have slowly absorbed the moisture from the mortar and pulled the portland into the brick, creating a suction-like bond.

[Omaharosario]

Re: Need help with my next steps.

I soaked my fire brick in buckets for up to 45min for my solider course. The mortar is cracking and not curing. Do I need to start over? Any suggestions?

[Omaharosario]

Re: Need help with my next steps.

Wet, yes, soak, no. You want your porous brick to absorb a little water from the mortar for an initial set-up. Mortar will tend to slip off a soaked brick.

What happens if you put no moisture on the bricks?

[dmun]

Re: Need help with my next steps.

Should you ever soak your fire brick before laying them?

Wet, yes, soak, no. You want your porous brick to absorb a little water from the mortar for an initial set-up. Mortar will tend to slip off a soaked brick.

[Omaharosario]

Re: Need help with my next steps.

I have kept a spray bottle next to the dome and sprayed both the anchor brick and the next incoming brick just so the homebrew mortar doesn't have all the moisture sucked out of it. This has made quick work of mortaring and the bricks have bonded to each other like superglue.

Any major cracks?

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Need help with my next steps.

I have kept a spray bottle next to the dome and sprayed both the anchor brick and the next incoming brick just so the homebrew mortar doesn't have all the moisture sucked out of it. This has made quick work of mortaring and the bricks have bonded to each other like superglue.

[Ken524]

Re: Need help with my next steps.

There is a bit of disagreement on soaking. The standard practice is to soak the bricks until they stop bubbling. The theory is that the bricks are very dry and will suck the water out of the mortar causing it to not cure properly. I soaked my bricks until they stopped bubbling, used HeatStop50 mortar and had excellent results.

As I said, there are other opinions on this, I'm sure someone will jump in with the counter-point.

[Omaharosario]

Re: Need help with my next steps.

Should you ever soak your fire brick before laying them?

[Omaharosario]

Re: Need help with my next steps.

I haven't heard of this. Fabricated out of what? Cast refractory arches? Sounds interesting.

Yes, refractory arches. We used 1a "1 Arches" To achieve our solider course. It looks great for our dry fit and has me thinking this may work for the dome also. We would set them long ways on their angled side and cut them down to make our circumference. Now how to do the math to know it will work is another question

[Ken524]

Re: Need help with my next steps.

Has any one ever built an entire dome out of fabricated arches, 1a & 2a so on?

I haven't heard of this. Fabricated out of what? Cast refractory arches? Sounds interesting.

[Omaharosario]

Re: Need help with my next steps.

Has any one ever built an entire dome out of fabricated arches, 1a & 2a so on?

[ggoose]

Re: Need help with my next steps.

72" - 4.5" X 2 (firebrick) - 3" X 2 (ceramic blanket) - 4" X 2 (steel studs and cement board or vermicrete or whatever you are finishing with) = 23"; So 72" - 23" = 49" for an maximum inner diameter. Decrease (X2) if you increase the abount of vermicrete, or vermiculite within an enclosure, or use some thicker material to enclose the dome (like cmu's).
Hope this makes sense...

gene

[ggoose]

Re: Need help with my next steps.

I used FB50 - 3 bags, and finished up with Heatstop 50 - 1 bag. Both are good; Heatstop is a bit easier to work with initially (creamier), but the FB is easy to work with once you figure out the proper consistency. The FB was cheaper for me even with shipping. I would use either again.

gene

[Omaharosario]

Re: Need help with my next steps.

I have 72"X72" Platform, I want to use this space wisely so what would the suggestions be for my ID? Also it is a corner installation.