36" Pompeii Dome Chicago

[Karangi Dude]

Nice brickwork Ricky,
It is all looking good nice clean job well done so far

Cheers Doug

[Chach]

Nice brickwork Ricky,
It is all looking good nice clean job well done so far

Cheers Doug

Thanks Doug! next for me is to clean the cooking floor and add the plywood I cut then i dont have to be as careful with my mortar slinging.

One thing i wish is that the fire bricks I purchased jad 90 degree sides...last year when I did the fireplace the bricks were top notch almost flawless. this year from the same supply house bad batch...my floor has gaps in it and there is nothing I can do but just wait for it to fill with ash..I do need to buy more fire bricks. I wonder if they are better if its worth swapping the floor out. should be easy especially if I just chamge the full bricks and leave the cut bricks alone.

[Karangi Dude]

Ricky,

If the new bricks are better it is probably worth a try, the least amount of ash in your oven when you are baking bread the better as the ash absorbs the moisture and you need moisture for a good crust

Good Luck
Doug

[Chach]

Ricky,

If the new bricks are better it is probably worth a try, the least amount of ash in your oven when you are baking bread the better as the ash absorbs the moisture and you need moisture for a good crust

Good Luck
Doug

Point taken. I also left a gap where the floor meets the dome wall, do i need to fill that with something? Like fire clay?

[RandyJ]

Hey Rick make sure that you keep the gap around the edge. I used cardboard to keep a constant gap. Then just leave it be. Good luck trying to get the bricks out if you try.

Randy

[Karangi Dude]

No that is there for any expansion, I was referring more to the gaps in between the hearth bricks, but having another look at it, I really don't see it as a problem but as I said if the new bricks are better it is worth a try just replacing a couple of the worst ones, now would be the time to do it as when the dome is complete it would be a lot harder to do

[Chach]

No that is there for any expansion, I was referring more to the gaps in between the hearth bricks, but having another look at it, I really don't see it as a problem but as I said if the new bricks are better it is worth a try just replacing a couple of the worst ones, now would be the time to do it as when the dome is complete it would be a lot harder to do

Thanks again Doug. I understood what you were saying I was just asking if I should do something around the perimeter...Ash will just fill in there I suppose.

Ricky

[Chach]

Hey Rick make sure that you keep the gap around the edge. I used cardboard to keep a constant gap. Then just leave it be. Good luck trying to get the bricks out if you try.

Randy

Yeah that sand fireclay mix really sticks I had to pull one out becuse it interfered with my it until i finished the 2nd row. it was really stuck but omce you get one you cn get them all out. if in the future if a brick needs replacement its probably better to install a tapcon in the brick so you have something to grab on to and pull up otherwise your destroying the bricks next to it trying to pry the one out

Ricky

[JRPizza]

One thing i wish is that the fire bricks I purchased jad 90 degree sides...

I noticed you didn't taper your arch bricks, but if you decide to taper the ones for your outer arch the non-90 degree sides can give you fits when you cut the tapers. I had to sort thru my bricks and save the "square" ones for my arches. Biggest problem I had with my floor was varying thicknesses - had to sort for that too.

[Chach]

I accomplished a little more today.

[JRPizza]

Looking really good! One thing I figured out a little late in my build - I can see you have a smaller "filler" brick I can see on the 5th row in the left of the picture. It is better to keep these as close to the arch as possible, as having them out where they are visible will give you fits trying to keep your vertical joints equally spaced.

[Chach]

Looking really good! One thing I figured out a little late in my build - I can see you have a smaller "filler" brick I can see on the 5th row in the left of the picture. It is better to keep these as close to the arch as possible, as having them out where they are visible will give you fits trying to keep your vertical joints equally spaced.

Thanks JR! I see what you mean. That brick was just cut to stop the joints from lining up because the next brick would have been right on top of the one below and the joints would have been stacked. I guess I should of trimmed all the bricks like a 1/4" and it would of served the same purpose and gave you the illusion of full bricks. Now I'll have to pay more attention.

[JRPizza]

Yeah, the trick is to make the width across the bottom of a brick for a given row same as the top of the row below it if you are going for the best aesthetic. That is another thing I didn't figure out till I got up a few rows. It wastes a little more brick and I am not sure how much it matters, but it does make for good beauty shots My oven eventually cracked and when it did it split one of the bricks right down the middle, so staggering the joints is no guarantee of a crack free build.

[Chach]

More progress! Getting close to the finish line! So far not that bad to build. I have a few bricks to finish for this course and the arch is cleared. I see how the droop can happen and I may have to take 1 brick off to correct it but not sure yet.

[Chach]

When do you usually start using 1/3 size bricks instead of half bricks?