George's Pompeii progress

[Frances]

Re: George's Pompeii progress

Actually the final row looks a lot like mine did, except your bricks are cut more cleanly.

Hey, I thought I'd be looking at all finished dome pictures here today...
No seriously, good for you for not rushing the keystone. Not long to go now...

[Les]

Re: George's Pompeii progress

This is my ugly hole (hmmmmm) after the first row of the day.

George - it looks like something from a Star Trek movie - I love it!!! It's going to work , and god speed.

Les...

[sarah h]

Re: George's Pompeii progress

Wow, looking good, and we're running neck & neck here - I'm at the exact same stage - keystone cut but refinement needed before it's mortared in!
Good luck - hopefully by this time tomorrow we'll be looking at each other's finish pix!!

Sarah

[gjbingham]

Re: George's Pompeii progress

Ahh, check that. Paragraph 4 should read "photo # 2" (vice 3)

[gjbingham]

Re: George's Pompeii progress

Frances,
I know, I know. I love 'em all.

So.... I did a row of 1/3rd bricks this morning. I had to custom cut every one to try to minimize the mortar joint. Like Frances, I found that a trapezoid shape with the top angles cut off seemed to work best, but without a computer program working the angles for me, it was a little ugly when all was said and done.

Here's a pic of the shapes I started with and modified from there. Because I was out of round anyway, it was kind of an "anything goes" affair. Whatever it took to fill the gaps while keeping the bricks hanging.

Second pic: This is my ugly hole (hmmmmm) after the first row of the day.

This afternoon, I put in a row of 1/8th bricks and ended up with. Walt and I spent about 45 miutes cutting the keystone for that row. What a pain!!! A very convoluted shape, as you can see in photo #3. All in all, it turned out alright. Not great, but alright.

I thought I could fill the final hole with a single brick, but when we cut it, it fell right through. I tried cutting it in half and using a shim between the two pieces, but decided to not push finishing the dome too hard and end up with a questionable result. I mortared in 1 of the two halves and ended up with this smaller hole.

I roughed out a final keystone, which doesn't fit quite yet, but it's close. Tomorrow, tomorrow!

Rain is in the works, but not for a couple of days yet. I'll get this thing wrapped up before the endless clouds and rain begin. Just one more morning of waking up early from endless dreams about cutting bricks and figuring angles, and I think the hard part is done!
George

[Frances]

Re: George's Pompeii progress

They only start out small and sweet you know

[gjbingham]

Re: George's Pompeii progress

Ha! Just what I need. Another woman telling me what to do!
G.

[Frances]

Re: George's Pompeii progress

Great, another keystone comming up! It gets more complicated towards the top, but I don't think your joints don't look big at all on the inside, which is what matters after all (...or at least that is what I kept telling myself)

And I think your work supervisor looks every bit as competent as mine do... I'm sure she'll have you doing whatever she wants in no time at all.

[asudavew]

Re: George's Pompeii progress

Awesome George!

Your hole is much rounder than mine was at the same point!

Dave's tip for the day: take your time curing. I may have pushed mine a little hard, a little fast.
I've sustained a few cracks, but nothing I can't patch and live with. I'm hoping you can avoid it by going slower than me.

BTW- those leaves....burn em for kindling, dry leaves burn fast and hot!

[rlf5]

Re: George's Pompeii progress

Wow you're flying! You may be done today!

[gjbingham]

Re: George's Pompeii progress

Last one. This will catch me up to date.

I used Dave's patented stick under a brick method to get started with this row. I couldn't make that first brick stay for anything! After that, it was pretty smooth sailing, but very slow backbreaking work.

The mortar joints are getting really big, and the angles at which the bricks meet makes it difficult to use half bricks. I cut a bunch of 1/3rd bricks and used them almost exclusively. It certainly isn't great work, but as Dave says, "it's mine". As long as it stands and bakes pizza a bread, I'll be estatic.

I love this shot inside the oven, up through the hole. I've seen so many of these on this site, but it's really cool to see your own, finally understanding how much work it takes to get to this stage.

I'm outta here. Back to work.
George

[gjbingham]

Re: George's Pompeii progress

More stuff.....

My neighbor Walt has been coming over every day to help with the dome. He's gotten intrigued with the project. He's a great help and always offers good advice on problems. He normally butters the bricks and passes them up to me. I place them, check the angles, pray a little, then move on.

We're bouncing a brick every now and again. I can't help but rest my arm on some brick that was placed 20 minutes ago and invariably, boing!! There may be a few dings in the oven floor when this is done.

Here's my supervisor. She has less experience than Frances' twins, so I can get away without wearing all my safety gear sometimes.

I waited almost 49 years to have my first child. Katherine is definitely by best piece of work (though my wife would have problems with that statement, as she did all the work!)

So I believe this is row 8 completed. This row is not quite as pretty, round, and certainly not as level as the lower ones when seen from the side. I can live with it.

We're just packing tons of mortar on the outside as we go, trying to create some type of suction or bond to keep those bricks up there. Very ugly indeed.
G.

[gjbingham]

Re: George's Pompeii progress

OK, the leaves stay where they are. More brick today.

Frances, I spent a couple hours messing around with those bricks trying to get that thing right. I hated the way it looked, but after spending all that time and having a workable solution, I just went with it.

Do you guys/gals have problems with the "Post Reply" suddenly disappearing on you while you are working on a post? It may just be this old computer, but I've lost 2 nearly completed posts with attachments. I'm forced to start over again!
George

[Frances]

Re: George's Pompeii progress

What leaves, where?? Ha, you should see our garden right now (only I'm not showing )

I like what you did with the top of the archway. I never thought to set the bricks up on their sides - man, THAT would have made cutting them easier!

[rlf5]

Re: George's Pompeii progress

Looking great! Forget about the leaves! Once you pick them up, a whole new batch will fall down!