42” Pompeii in San Felipe, MX

[modified9v]

So I swear that there was a “Must See” video in regards to putting down the FB insulation blanket. I can’t find it. Anyone able to point me to it? Is it really necessary?

[modified9v]

Thanks Ricky... wood is expensive here... good point. I didn’t think about that. I will gladly gift the lime. I will put the fireclay in my horseshoe pits. The sand and portland will get used up I’m certain. Thanks man.

[Chach]

That would give you more thermal mass but possibly longer heat up time and more fuel usage. You did a great job and I was glad you ended up taking those bricks off an redoing your flue gallery because now you don't have the what if factor on your build.

Ricky

[modified9v]

OK... thanks guys. I will start the insulation process tomorrow after I get the heat break sealed up. I can do a vent thing no problem.

I do have a question: So, I’ve got almost a full bag of fire clay, portland, lime and sand left over. Is there any benefit to just mix it up and coat the dome and arch with it? This stuff will just get funky in the garage here once the humidity rises. Is it worth the effort?

You guys are the best. Thanks,
Mikie V.

[UtahBeehiver]

I am a big proponent of having insulation of the dome before you fire. This reduces the heat differential between the inside of the dome and outside of the dome temps, reducing expansion and crack potentials. But don't stucco until the curing fires are done.You also may want to consider some type of vent at the apex of the dome so any water vapor and release out.

[JRPizza]

Looks good - nice clean joints!

[modified9v]

Time to break out the premium tequila. I hope I never have to cut another firebrick again. Feels good to be done with this phase. I’m paying the locals to do the stucco. LOL. My back cant take anymore. What a pain in the butt that last bit was.

I went through so much trouble to make the anchor plate level, and it was... but the part of the pipe that twist snaps in is not true to the plate from the manufacturer. It’s only out 1/4 of a bubble side to side and the stucco buy will fix that. Overall I’m very pleased with the job so far. I’ve learned that I’d never make it as a mason.

Tomorrow I will install the ceramic rope gasket and seal the little gap at the reveal. I need to search curing fires. I’ve seen some that insulate before the fires and some that don’t or didn’t. I want to do some small fires that are pretty smoky to make sure my gasket and sealant will at least keep the smoke back. I get that once flames wick up at that heat break will be a game changer, but if there is anything blatantly wrong I wanna fix it before I put this thing under a blanket

Thanks everyone for all the help along the way,
Mikie V.

[modified9v]

david s thanks!!! I like the cardboard idea. Excellent idea!

[david s]

Yes, I think that is a better solution. Regarding the stucco supporting the flue pipe, it is also a problem area for cracks and water entry. A solution that works pretty well is to wrap some box cardboard around the pipe that you can stucco up to. When the stucco has set hard remove the cardboard and fill the gap with high temperature silicon. This deals with the pipe expansion wanting to crack the surrounding stucco and provided the seal is maintained, prevents water running down the pipe from entering into the insulation layers. Just be careful, crazy flames up the flue (like my wife did one day when firing up) will kill the high temp silicon, but not too hard to redo.

[modified9v]

So, after thinking more about this I’m not liking the slotted brick idea and here is why. If the metal expands at a rate faster than the brick, and it will, there is a chance that the brick would snap off at the slot. I had intended to leave some clearance but the amount clearance potentially needed would leave me with a loose chimney pipe that would really load that slot when the wind blows hard (like it does everyday) here. Also, to do the slot thing is going to take some serious precision cuts and trimming to make it fit right and even then it may not work period.

What I plan to do instead is sandwich the plate between bricks. I will allow for a little clearance but I feel better about this then the slot idea. Also, wanted to mention that eventually the whole mess will be inside an enclosure but that is down the road... in the mean time it will all be stuccoed on top of 2 layers of insulating blankets. I suspect that stucco will stop the swaying of the vent pipe. I think this method will be quicker, easier and more effective. Also, it’s been done in many builds and I haven’t seen any one post of failure.

The picture attached is not mine, I snagged it off of JRPizza’s build... I think credit goes to Russell. If anyone see’s a problem with this, please let me know soon. LOL

Thank you, Mikie V.

[modified9v]

I’m gonna go for it. I really wanted to do the bolt up but figured with mortar gaps and my lapse of paying attention there was no way to get the holes to line up with the bolts. I hope this works. If not, I’ll get some bolts and 4 more bricks. I still reference your build. Thanks for all you do JRPizza.

[JRPizza]

The slotted bricks are an interesting idea. I considered just buttering up both sides of my adapter and making a sandwich between bricks, but I had concerns about adhesion of the mortar to the stainless and didn't want to have a compromised joint. The slots take care of that concern!
I did use slots though, as keeping the bricks exactly where they need to be during the mortaring process is not an easy task and I had to slot my plate slightly to get the bolts through the adapter

[modified9v]

Thanks David, if I proceed with the slot I will for sure cut down the plate... the slot won’t be very deep at all. I really don’t want to do the bolt together deal. I did make a sample hole with a masonry bit and it wasn’t so bad to drill... just concerned with the thermal expansion deal. I appreciate your quick reply. You have been an amazing asset to my build. Thank You So Much!!!

Mikie V.

[david s]

I think your solution is better than drilling holes in the bricks, although cutting deep slots in the bricks is also tempting them to crack where the slots are. Trimming the anchor plate and shallower slots would be better. Many ways to skin a cat, good luck.

[modified9v]

Oh, I wanted to add that I’m not opposed to drilling and bolting the plate down... my thoughts on that are that once I drill all four bricks and place stainless bolts in the holes, recessed to accommodate the bolt head, it would be super hard to get the spacing right so the holes line up with the anchor plate. I guess a guy could drill new holes once all the bricks are laid if the holes don’t line up.

One more stupid little thing that could have saved me a bunch of time... I’ve been struggling with the wet saw from day one. When I rip a long cut the blade have never cut a perfectly straight line. Today, I found the adjustment to fi that. I feel like an idiot. After all, I’ve worked on machines and fabricated metal for 40+ years. WOW... what a time to figure that out. It was too simple.