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BrritSki's Build in Italy

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  • BrritSki
    replied
    Re: BrritSki's Build in Italy

    Originally posted by BrritSki View Post

    Pictures have been uploaded to the Hearth and Stand category and included in an album entitled "BrritSki's Pix".

    Ciao Rog
    Hi James, I was looking at my posts in the forum last night, but I could not find the pictures I uploaded. The pics attached to my posts are there, but not the album.

    Admittedly this was about 3 years ago and I haven't logged in much for various reasons, so maybe there was a re-org or something.

    Not a problem if they're gone, I still have the originals.

    My oven was finished back in 20009 as far as pizza making was concerned and we really enjoy it and the food it produces. The mosaic covering was completed in 2010, but the rest of the surrounds are still to do when we've got some spare money ! When it's all done I'll post a complete set of pics of the whole build.

    Ciao Rog

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  • BrritSki
    replied
    Re: BrritSki's Build in Italy

    James, sorry to ask you this directly, but as you've looked into this stuff in Italy, do you know the name that the Insulfrax blanket goes by here ?
    My builder was talking about rock-wool, but I'm pretty sure that's not the same stuff....

    If I can't find this locally, does the UK FB store carry it ?

    I'm really up against it timewise due to illness mentioned above and only have until Sep 6 (son's wedding) to complete the dome (currently on course 7) and cure it.

    Do you think that building in hot, dry, breezy conditions would make it possible to start curing fires as soon as the dome is complete ?

    Thanks in advance for your help and for a great resource

    Ciao Roger
    Last edited by BrritSki; 08-24-2008, 08:35 AM.

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  • BrritSki
    replied
    Re: BrritSki's Build in Italy

    Quick update, cut a few bricks Thursday morning but then started to feel ill. I've been in bed for the last 3 days (when I've not been sat on the loo) with gastric flu - chills, sweats, aching limbs, headache, stomach cramps, it's really
    unpleasant. Wife knows I'm ill as I've only had 1 slice of toast in all that time!

    Feeling a little better now, but not great. Hope I can get back to it tomorrow...

    Leave a comment:


  • Les
    replied
    Re: BrritSki's Build in Italy

    Originally posted by egalecki View Post
    sorry, meant to attach a picture. I swiped the idea from someone else, can't remember who. He used a different shape clip, but the idea works well. Just don't trip on the brick counterweight!
    Since I wasn?t using mortar to hold the bricks in place, I used hot melt glue. But hey, it was good enough to hold them to the last course.

    Les...

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  • egalecki
    replied
    Re: BrritSki's Build in Italy

    I was particularly impressed with the woman who was an alternate on the British equestrian team's performance in the eventing! What a wonderful job she did!

    Leave a comment:


  • egalecki
    replied
    Re: BrritSki's Build in Italy

    sorry, meant to attach a picture. I swiped the idea from someone else, can't remember who. He used a different shape clip, but the idea works well. Just don't trip on the brick counterweight!

    Leave a comment:


  • james
    replied
    Re: BrritSki's Build in Italy

    Way to go Rog,

    Keeping your brick and mortar wet/damp is so important. Are you dunking them in the water as you work?

    How about that Brit Olympic team -- ahead of Italy, France and Germany. Excellent.

    James
    Last edited by james; 08-20-2008, 12:05 PM.

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  • BrritSki
    replied
    Re: BrritSki's Build in Italy

    Originally posted by egalecki View Post
    It's looking very good. When my courses got high enough to want to slip forward, I used an L shaped bracket, string and a brick- the bracket went over the edge of the brick, tied to the string, and the string was tied to a loose brick at the base of the oven. This held the newly mortared brick in place long enough to set, and then I moved it to another brick. I had three of these set up and it was plenty good enough until I got to the really vertical places, then I switched to using bamboo sticks to prop up the bricks.
    Hmm, sounds like a good idea, but I've got most of the polystyrene former cut out now and only need to tape it together...

    Maybe next time

    Ciao Rog

    Leave a comment:


  • egalecki
    replied
    Re: BrritSki's Build in Italy

    It's looking very good. When my courses got high enough to want to slip forward, I used an L shaped bracket, string and a brick- the bracket went over the edge of the brick, tied to the string, and the string was tied to a loose brick at the base of the oven. This held the newly mortared brick in place long enough to set, and then I moved it to another brick. I had three of these set up and it was plenty good enough until I got to the really vertical places, then I switched to using bamboo sticks to prop up the bricks.

    Leave a comment:


  • BrritSki
    replied
    Re: BrritSki's Build in Italy

    Yesterday wasn't great - 6th course went up OK, but then it was the dreaded 7th course and the bricks don't stay in place on the wooden wedges at that angle (surprise surprise !).

    Played around with different things and got a couple of bricks to stay in place and started work on a polystyrene form, but had lots of interruptions (including Olympics - go Team GB!) and had to stop early as we were going out, so I didn't get it finished.

    Today was a beach and shopping morning, and then lots of emails to deal with - organising a wedding in another country is fun - so another late start, but decided to try a different approach and it works.

    As I'm sure all you experienced builders know (and it IS mentioned in the plans and lots of threads and I should have remembered from my brick-laying course), having damp bricks and sloppier mortar really helps, so I used a little hand sprayer on each brick and it's destination first, and then mortared them all in place individually, just using a thick stand-alone wooden form to hold it in place for a minute or so for the mortar to "grab".

    Worked a treat, but ran out of cut bricks so closed down for the day, but when I measured the angle of the bricks on the 7th course they're almost exactly 45 degrees as they should be - hurrah !

    Tomorrow should be an early start and I aim to finish the 7th course, finish the former and get a couple more courses done with the aim of finishing on Friday.

    Wish me luck... Ciao Rog

    Leave a comment:


  • BrritSki
    replied
    Re: BrritSki's Build in Italy

    Just completed the 5th course and decided to cut bevels on alternate bricks. Seems to work OK.

    Any reason why I shouldn't continue doing this - seems too easy ???

    Leave a comment:


  • BrritSki
    replied
    Re: BrritSki's Build in Italy

    Completed course 3 on Saturday and then more progress today with course 4 done and also the inner entrance arch.

    Very lucky on that - I cut the corners off the 2 upright bricks just by eye and the arch then took 7 bricks exactly. It even stayed in place dry when I took the form away, but I put it back before mortaring up and will leave it there for a few days.

    At least 1 more course this afternoon, but can't decide whether to start bevelling the brick edges or not on this course or the next. Will go and have another look and a measure and see what is best.

    I did a quick spreadsheet to calculate the diameters (centimetres) of the top of each new course, but my measurements show that my actual diameters are less than calculated. Are my calculations wrong (reduction = sine of angle * brick height), or (more likely), are my wedges a tad more than 7.5 degrees ?

    Brick height 5.8 Radius Crs Diam. Measured
    Angle Radians Redctn 1 95.0
    07.5 0.13089969 0.76 2 93.5
    15.0 0.26179939 1.50 3 90.5 89.5
    22.5 0.39269908 2.22 4 86.0 84.5
    30.0 0.52359878 2.90 5 80.2
    37.5 0.65449847 3.53 6 73.2
    45.0 0.78539816 4.10 7 65.0
    52.5 0.91629786 4.60 8 55.8
    60.0 1.04719755 5.02 9 45.7
    67.5 1.17809725 5.36 10 35.0
    75.0 1.30899694 5.60 11 23.8
    82.5 1.43989663 5.75 12 12.3
    90.0 1.57079633 5.80 13 0.7


    Ciao Rog

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  • BrritSki
    replied
    Re: BrritSki's Build in Italy

    More progress today, slow but sure.

    First a bit of carpentry to make the wooden former that will support the entrance arch so that I had something to hold the entrance uprights in place. Then I made a load of 7.5 degree wedges.

    First course was then mortared into place, but this was my first foray into using refractory mortar and following the instructions on the packet for the amount of water it turned out much too sloppy. Never mind, it wasn't too bad to work with for that first course.

    Once that had set a bit I then placed the second course and mixed up some more mortar. I held off on the water this time and got a much more usable mix.

    With the excess mortar I "plastered" the left hand side of the dome, but didn't have enough mortar left over to do the right hand side. Is it really necessary to plaster over everything - does it add significantly to the strength of the dome - or is a minimal mortar approach better ?

    Ciao Rog

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  • BrritSki
    replied
    Re: BrritSki's Build in Italy

    Originally posted by james View Post

    Your vermiculite layer came out very smooth. Nice. How would you describe the Italian vermiculite? Was it fine, or a little bit lit porridge (Scottish Oats?)?
    Vermiculite was probably a little bigger than oats, but not by much.


    Originally posted by james View Post

    How's the weather when it isn't raining?
    Haven't had rain for some time now. Nice and hot, but not too bad under the tarpaulin shade and with a breeze most of the day. Plus when it's too much I just go and take an outdoor shower and jump in the pool

    Ciao Rog

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  • BrritSki
    replied
    Re: BrritSki's Build in Italy

    Good day today - floor laid and first course laid out dry ready for mortar tomorrow.

    I had real problems with the paste - I used the mud from brick-cutting mixed with very fine sand and some pounded brick offcuts. It was very hard to mix (separated out into water and solid fireclay/sand layers) so maybe I got the proportions wrong, or maybe it was all too fine.

    When I spread it out on the concrete floor I couldn't get a nice comb effect either - it was either too dry and I scraped it all off or it was too wet and it just settled back into a level layer of gloop. I eventually just got it to about the right thickness and then put zigzag lines into it with the edge of the trowel to allow for some tamping down with the rubber persuader (aka mallet). It's not perfect, but it's close enough - level and flat with no raised edges to catch the peel.

    The two bricks on end define the inner entrance, they are 18" apart and 11" high, but there will be a very gentle 1/2 brick deep arch to raise the height to 12" in the centre.

    The rest of the oven opening will be 2 bricks deep, set back an inch to give a reveal. The outer entrance will be 1/2 brick deep and will have the same arch height as the inner entrance as I figure I can tilt the fire-door forward to clear the front arch as it goes in or out.

    This will leave an inner slot 1/2 brick deep (plus mortar) which will taper up into the chimney.

    Ciao Rog

    Leave a comment:

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