36" Pompeii Build, West Lafayette, IN

[Cubslover]

Re: 36" Pompeii Build, West Lafayette, IN

Ok. Good to know. I might try workin on tapering my bricks for the next couple of courses.

The joints were about an inch wide.

Will thicker mortar shrink less?

[deejayoh]

Re: 36" Pompeii Build, West Lafayette, IN

I'm not so sure that's ok. Whenever I noticed something like that on my build, it turned out that the mortar hadn't adhered to the brick. I'd give those bricks a bump today and see whether or not they pop out. I suspect you'll find they are none too solid. Tapering will help to ensure that you don't have so much shrinkage.

[DavidApp]

Re: 36" Pompeii Build, West Lafayette, IN

You could try Buttering the bricks. I think that is the correct term for it. May help the mortar get a good hold on the brick. I soaked my bricks for a few minutes and then took them out of the bath and let them drain so they did not have a wet surface. Also if I was mortaring to a brick that had been in place for along time I would spritz the old brick.
I did use HS50 so my experience may have been a little different. I did find the 2 bricks that I had joined with home brew as a test and it took several hammer blows to break the join.

David

[Cubslover]

Re: 36" Pompeii Build, West Lafayette, IN

I will check these today to see how secure they are. I have been soaking my bricks, but not allowing them to sit a couple minutes. Hopefully that is the case with these. A little bit too wet after laying?

[Cubslover]

Re: 36" Pompeii Build, West Lafayette, IN

Only had two shrinkage cracks of what I'd laid so far. They were rock solid so I kept on. I laid all the bricks I had cut. Finished the 2ns course and started in the 3rd. I let the bricks dry a minute beige setting them and went back after 15 min or so and worked the joint just a bit. Haven't seen any cracks since. I noticed I need to do a better job of cleaning my brick faces after setting them.

One question I have is trying to tie the vent landing into the oven. I marked and cut a couple bricks how I best see the landing tying in. I know I need I extend the floor underneath on the left side. Does this look right? Wrong? It's 17.5" and planning on 10" high.

[sharptailhunter]

Re: 36" Pompeii Build, West Lafayette, IN

Hey Cub,

Nice work on your build so far. Sounds like you have some good references helping ya along. What are you using to cut your fire brick?

Alex

[Cubslover]

Re: 36" Pompeii Build, West Lafayette, IN

Hi Alex, thanks. I do have some great advisors here. Don't know where I'd be without them.

I'm using a 7" bridge wet saw and use 7" and 4.5" angle grinders with diamond blades.

I have the 4th course nearly complete. Finally starting to see aome angle on the dome. Real trick to trust the IT. 3rd course didn't seem angled enough, 4th seems like too much. I did have to taper a brick because of the tilt. I didn't like the gap it left with it's neighbor. Sucks when you're zipping along and have to pause to cut and shape a brick.

[Cubslover]

Re: 36" Pompeii Build, West Lafayette, IN

Not much more to report. Tried 3 different things for the entry. None looked right. Tried tying the entry bricks with the door lip into the dome curve. Didn't like it so I dropped back and punted. Using Unshaped bricks for the entry and I'll shape small bricks to tie the dome and entry together at each course.

Hot sun made for a real pain mortaring bricks and my patience added to it. I wanted to lay brick after brick, but wound up knocking previously mortared bricks loose as I tapped them level.

Found that adding sand has helped my shrinkage cracking a bit.

Getting in the shower now, will post pics in a bit.

[Gulf]

Re: 36" Pompeii Build, West Lafayette, IN

I tied my dome and entry bricks together for a few courses. And, I would do that again. But, that will get more difficult with each course. Three or four courses is about all that is reasonable to attempt to fit.

I feel your pain on the knocking previously laid brick loose. That is a bummer. One thing that I learned from others, was to lay a starter brick in the back for the next course. That is to be done at the end of the day or when taking a break during the day. It will be set firmly when you return. Lay one brick to one side of it, and then one to the other. By the time you return from one side to the other, the preceeding brick should be set firmly.

As for as shrinkage is conserned, I used two different types of mortar on my build. One initially for setting the brick to accomodate the tighter inside joints. And another for the wide joints to outside of the dome. The brick cuttings from your wet say are perfect for the outside joints. I filtered mine through an old window screen. The bulk of it will not be as fine as the bagged clay. I substituted another part of it for one part of sand to do the outside joints.

Also, you can use "slivers" of cuts to help fill in the increaslingly wider joints that you will soon see.

[Cubslover]

Re: 36" Pompeii Build, West Lafayette, IN

That is reassuring. Thanks for the feedback. I was hoping I wasn't doing something wrong. The laying of the 1 brick on the next course is a great idea. I'll do this.

Do you happen to have any pics of your entry tie-in? It would help immensely. I'm still not sure I'm doing what I should.

Pics after today's work.

[Gulf]

Re: 36" Pompeii Build, West Lafayette, IN

Actually, I should have said that I tied my entry "arch" bricks together with the dome for a few courses. I installed a heatbreak between my entry arch and outer arches. During my build I lost a whole memory card of pics. But, If I were you, I would still seek out someone's build that tapered there inner arch to help in fitting the upper dome brick to the inner arch. I did not do that. But, I will do it on the next one .

[NCMan]

Re: 36" Pompeii Build, West Lafayette, IN

That's great advice, setting a brick at the end of the day or when taking a break. It can make your job a bit easier when getting back at it. Then you can tap the next brick in place w/out worrying about it shifting.

[NCMan]

Re: 36" Pompeii Build, West Lafayette, IN

Here's the best photo I could find from my build showing how I tied the arch and dome together. It's just one way of doing it, I guess. Maybe it'll help, not sure. Best of luck to you.

[Cubslover]

Re: 36" Pompeii Build, West Lafayette, IN

Thank you for the picture. That looks about like what I'm planning and have started. Does that arch follow the radius of the dome? So that it isn't straight vertical?

[Cubslover]

Re: 36" Pompeii Build, West Lafayette, IN

Also, I may change out my clamp on my IT for a piece of angle iron. This thing doesn't work the greatest and sometimes moves the brick as I release it.