42” Pompeii in San Felipe, MX

[JRPizza]

Speaking of reminders - watch out for the dreaded droop. If you aren't purposefully lifting the bricks adjacent to the arch slightly, you will end up with droop around your arch. It is a subtle cumulative effect that is hard to see coming if you aren't watching for it. Attached is a graphic I made to try to show what is happening. As you build up your dome the same mechanism that creates the increasing "inverted vee" - a tilting up of adjacent bricks, does not happen automatically at the end of a row. I was placing my level side to side and did not see the droop coming. If I had placed it from the brick adjacent to the arch to the rear of the dome I might have noticed.

[modified9v]

Thank you JR for the reminder... curious though, how much do you raise them? Is there a way to use the IT or is it a “Wing-It” thing? I’m already getting up there as I made some good progress today.

Update: The high winds kicked up while I was in making a sandwich and my easy-up (POS) took a big hit. I will be able to make it usable again but it won’t take much of a breeze to take it completely out. The forecast is calling for more and stronger winds over the next few days.

I only have three arch bricks left to mortar in. I always try to stay two bricks ahead on the arch verses the chain and so far it is working out pretty good. When ever I get ready to mortar I always do the arch bricks first and then move on to the chain bricks. I also keep my diamond blade close by just in case and that has paid off. Also, I was reminded by a member to always set at least one brick on the next chain as an anchor so to speak and I’ve been pretty good at making that happen and it really is nice to something “in” to work off of.

My hands are turning into ground beef. I do wear latex gloves when mixing an applying mortar, but for the hand cuts I don’t wear them. 35 years of old school mechanicing will do that to ya. Speaking of the hand cuts, I sure wish there was an easier way to nibble the corners of the bottom of the chain bricks to minimize the horizontal “V”. Everyone of them is different. I’m getting better at setting up the saw to sort out the vertical “V” and it has paid off... but still, I have to test fit and mark every one of the chain bricks. It takes forever to cut and fit a complete chain... the mortaring in goes very fast.

Anyway, thanks for the tips and warnings or just following along. I’m starting to feel like it is really going to happen.

Mikie V.

[Gulf]

..

...... curious though, how much do you raise them? Is there a way to use the IT or is it a “Wing-It” thing?......

Check out this technique by oasiscdm (Colin).

[modified9v]

..

Check out this technique by oasiscdm (Colin).

Something must be wrong with the way I’m viewing things. When I went to the link you posted it took me to Colin’s build but no where on his build thread do I see anything about a “Dreaded Droop”. It takes me to page 26 of 34... the build starts on page 34 already past the build... starts out basically when he starts curing fires.

I’m finding this on almost every link some one posts.... Do I have a setting wrong or something....

Aside from that, were you referring to a laser on a tri-pod?.... I know I saw that somewhere...

Thank you Gulf, Mikie V.

[Gulf]

Yes, you should be viewing Colin's (new build in werribee) build page 26, post # 381. I think that the phrase dredded droop was a few pages before. The link that I am referring to is a simple way of preventing. the dredded droop. Though, It was also Colin's way of recovering from the droop.

....I’m finding this on almost every link some one posts.... Do I have a setting wrong or something....

You may need to do a reset of some kind and delete all of your old cookies to get back in sink with the forum.

EDIT: I believe the term is reset the cache on what ever platform that you are using.

[modified9v]

Okay Gulf... I cleared it all out... still didn’t work right. I then logged in as a guest and it works perfect. When logged in I don’t see post numbers. Very strange. I’ll try on another device tomorrow.

[oasiscdm]

Nope Gulf, dredded dropp was in that post. Shit that was so long ago. still haven't started new oven, need to complete the base and render. Then hearth base and away i go.

[Chach]

Speaking of reminders - watch out for the dreaded droop. If you aren't purposefully lifting the bricks adjacent to the arch slightly, you will end up with droop around your arch. It is a subtle cumulative effect that is hard to see coming if you aren't watching for it. Attached is a graphic I made to try to show what is happening. As you build up your dome the same mechanism that creates the increasing "inverted vee" - a tilting up of adjacent bricks, does not happen automatically at the end of a row. I was placing my level side to side and did not see the droop coming. If I had placed it from the brick adjacent to the arch to the rear of the dome I might have noticed.

Yes your first instinct is to cut the brick to match the side of the arch but your doing that without having the brick in it's correct angle and pitch is what gives that droop. I put the brick in the IT and set the brick next to the arch and scribe your cut then come back set it in the IT and see if it works if not shave a little here and there to make it fit but always use the IT it will keep that brick to it's correct angle and pitch. You do that you will have no problem. I cut my brick to match the arch and set it and I was like what the heck didn't look right until I used the IT to keep the brick at it's correct position and make the cuts.


Ricky

[modified9v]

Wow, thanks everyone for the support on the droopy chain bit... I think I kinda have it coming. As you can see in the pictures I wayyyy over compensated on what you see in the left, the one on the right is perfect in the IT. I’m sure I can fix it but this is the second time that that side intersection has been a bugger. I’m sure it will be all good, but it’s frustrating when you are looking for it and it still doesn’t go where I thought/mocked it to be.

All in all I’m pretty happy with the overall results so far... funny how you forget about a brick you set the other day that gave you a fit... there is always another, until there are no more. LOL

Second picture is where my question comes from... I have never mortared in a brick like this... How do you get the joints full of mortar and glued together real good? I’m thinking that the mortar will need to be super wet/soupy and the bricks very wet...



Thought? And thank you, Mikie V.

[Chach]

Butter the brick both sides with mortar keep bottom clean so your brick sits down all the way..makes sure your brick and adjacent bricks are damp enough so it doesn't suck the moisture out of your mortar. set brick in and use a backfiller tool which is a 1/4" - 3/8 brick tool to pack the joints with mortar. Point the joints and then your done. You can always just set the brick without mortar and pack it with the the trowel and push the mortar in with the backfiller. Just make sure the motor starts losing out the other side so you know you have all of it inside there.

Ricky

[modified9v]

Thanks Ricky!!! That’s kinda what I was thinking but man, my mortar only seems to stay fluid enough for a few seconds once it makes contact with anything. Like when I set a chain brick... I have about 10 seconds to get it where I want it and after that it is not movable without breaking it completely loose. The one time I didn’t have that issue was when there was standing water on the brick I was mortaring to. Maybe that is the key???.

Maybe I’m just not getting these bricks wet enough and my mortar is too dry. When I watch YouTube videos of guys laying brick it seem like they can move their bricks several minutes after setting them, and their mortar looks drier than mine. Maybe it’s the lime and fireclay in the Homebrew.

I just can’t imagine being able to stuff that 3/16” gap full of mortar before it starts to go off.

I also wanted to add that after looking at that keystone sitting on top of the arch form the top join is smaller than the bottom join. I’m thinking that the wedge shape is wrong. I will shave the keystone so the join is wider at the outside than it is on the inside before mortaring it in today.

Thanks, Mikie V.

[slschoming]

Throw TDC into a bucket of water and leave it there for a couple minutes. While that is soaking, mix up some mortar, I would go a little wetter than usual, and spray L8 and R8 with a mist from your garden hose. Try to saturate those adjacent bricks (L8 and R8). Once you feel they are saturated pull TDC out of your bucket and give it a shot. I had to GENTLY tap my last dome brick in with a rubber mallet. I don't know if that's advisable, but it worked for me...

Also, how fine is your sand? I would be tempted to use as fine of a sand as you can get your hands on for this one as well.

If you get it positioned where you want it and have some mortar holding it in place you can always remove your template and point from below.

[modified9v]

Also, how fine is your sand? I would be tempted to use as fine of a sand as you can get your hands on for this one as well.

Attached are photos of the sand... seems pretty fine to me.

I have been spraying L8 & R8 every 1/2 hour this morning... seriously, within seconds those bricks are dry to the touch and will continue to take more moisture. Those bricks were soaked for over an hour yesterday before I mortared them in. It has been windy, warm and dry here the past few days. The tarp I had on it over night was torn to shreds by the wind overnight.

I’m going to follow your suggestions and give it a whirl.

Thanks SLS for chiming in... I appreciate it.

Mikie V.

[slschoming]

Attached are photos of the sand... seems pretty fine to me.

I have been spraying L8 & R8 every 1/2 hour this morning... seriously, within seconds those bricks are dry to the touch and will continue to take more moisture. Those bricks were soaked for over an hour yesterday before I mortared them in. It has been windy, warm and dry here the past few days. The tarp I had on it over night was torn to shreds by the wind overnight.

I’m going to follow your suggestions and give it a whirl.

Thanks SLS for chiming in... I appreciate it.

Mikie V.

Yeah, that sand looks good. I went through a couple bags of sand that weren't quite as fine, which was ok for larger gaps or where you have wiggle room on one side, but it made it difficult to squeeze the last brick in on a chain. That fine sand should make it a little easier to slide that puppy into place! Good Luck!

I hear you on the wind as well, I just did a layer of stucco yesterday and the wind was drying it so much faster than usual..

[Chach]

Yeah the firebrick suck up a lot of moisture I threw mine in a bucket for an hour before using them...you would see them bubble as they took the water in. you need to have these adjacent bricks wet as well no doubt about it. you can get the mortar in there..push it down from the top with the side of the trowel or backfiller. turn the trowel or backfiller sideways and use it like a knife and push the mortar down then add more at the top and push it it down until its full. It will ooze out the front and back. kust keep doing it until its full.

Ricky