BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

[Bandrasco]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Really like the double arch. It all looks like its coming together really well.

I agree - totally love the Chicago bricks!!!!

Better hurry to get the bricks laid and enough curing for Dec 13th!!!!

I'm in Orlando week after Tgiving - let me know if you need any help!!!

Christo

Thank you Christo!

I'm trying to hurry but not too much. I think I can get the dome complete in a day or so but this time of year gets so crazy.

If I cannot get what I need done in time I may just take you up on that help! I'm 45 minutes from Mickey Mouse.

Thanks again,

[Bandrasco]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Hi Elizabeth,

Thanks for the kind words. I like the bamboo stick idea, I was looking around for something to use, that may just be what I use. I thought about simply hot gluing small blocks or pcs of cut brick on the faces of each brick with a small lip sticking up. That way when I set the next row they cannot slip down and I can also clean up without anything in my way...

About the cold; we live in Florida for a reason....NO COLD... I had my fill of that mess up north. When it gets below 50 I get grumpy and sometimes downright nasty. Well at least you were able to come home and have a nice glass of wine along with your team winning!

Thanks again,

[Bandrasco]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Love the double arch!!!!

Thanks!

I went down to Ybor city a week ago and took a good look at how they did their arches back in the day. Almost of them were doubled up. (I love Ybor City. If you ever get a chance to come to Tampa a trip there is a must. Go to the Columbia restaurant; they just celebrated their 100th anniversary; tons of brick work) I absolutely love this look. I took the design, changed it so the second is recessed, and then the next row that will lock in the arches along with tying in the chimney may be recessed yet again. I have to pull my screen string (thats the one running horizontal in some of the shots) and see where it is going to hit so I can make the proper adjustments.

Today I hope to get the chimney up (first section) and then another row.

The Christmas tree is going up today along with starting on the exterior illumination project that will be visible from space... I just love getting on the roof when it's 35' high with steep pitches ... Oh yeah, and 30 mph winds and 55 degrees out. HO Ho Ho

Thanks again,

[Bandrasco]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

I continue to be impressed by your workmanship and how clean you keep your work area.
The oven is looking very nice.
Don

Hey thanks Don,

I appreciate the kind words. I try to do what I can with what I have. I told my wife yesterday when I explained the string method that the Romans had little more than this technology and look what they did. She's still convinced that aliens helped them but hey, that's a whooooole nother thread.

Honestly I think that this is the first project that I actually tried to keep somewhat clean along the way. Probably because it's literally just outside our sliding glass doors to the pool deck and I need to keep that area safe and somewhat in order (plus it's the first one I posted on the web ). If I had built this out back like I had originally planned it would look like a post war zone I'm sure.

Thanks again,

[mfiore]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Bill, the HeatStop does setup nicely to allow for quick work, even on those top, near vertical courses. I tried numerous things, and what I found helpful was to use those Irwin Quick-Clamps. Just held the brick in place until I got the next one set. I used two clamps. Onec the second brick was in place, the first was set enough to release the clamp and move on.

[Artichoke]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Your work looks fantastic. How exciting for you you should be very pleased with that level of craftsmanship.
Cheers
Joe

[christo]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Ha Ha Ha - I used those clamps too!!!! really worked like a charm.

I spent most of today working on the outdoor kitchen and tonight am soldering up some control boards (I whipped up - and have no idea that they will work!) for this years christmas display. I have to get some disipline and stop working on the oven and get Christmas going!!!

Our decorations better be visible from Space!!!! Actually a surprise for my wife this year for Christmas - is to get a pilot friend of ours to fly over the house in a small plane and let her see it all lit up. We have a 25 ft Snowman and a 30 ft tree - (rotating I hope - that's what the control boards are for!!)

Christo

[mfiore]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

"Christo Griswold!"

[exceloven]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Chirsto Griswald! Classic. LMAO

[egalecki]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Dang. I better not let my daughter see this one... she never met a Christmas light she didn't want to put up somewhere. She did the front porch several years ago and I had people I didn't even know asking me about it. Seems they could read by it across the street with all their lights off in the house...

Now she's in engineering, and I suspect she would go nuts with control boards and rotating trees...

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Mike (mfiore) and Christo, I have a stupid question about the ERWIN Clamp: Is it used to clamp a fresh brick to the dried brick next to it or is it used to hold just the brick you are attaching and long "stick" end rests on the oven floor while the clamp end just keeps it up there? (I know, you are rolling your eyeballs at this point but just wait until I start construction...you'll be slapping your forehead as well).

Bill: what a beautiful arch! You also look like you a have a nice big vent cavity that should trap the smoke nicely. I'm going to go over you pics again in case I missed it but be sure take a pic looking down and up into it. Also, what is length and width of it? Thanks again, and your craftsmanship is terrific!

-Dino

[christo]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

nope - no stupid questions here. In my case - just ones I wished I'd asked earlier!

For me - I used the clamp to to clamp new bricks to old ones as you suggested. As a former woodworker - I have a lots a clamps (you can never have too many!!)

Somewhere on the site - someone took Hendo's gauge to a new level and fastened one of the clamps to the end of it.

Christo.

[mfiore]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Dino. Keep the questions coming. Makes me feel useful!

I used the clamps to hold the new brick to the old. The bar was not used to prop the contraption in anyway. It just provided an extra set of hands.

[Bandrasco]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Bill: what a beautiful arch! You also look like you a have a nice big vent cavity that should trap the smoke nicely. I'm going to go over you pics again in case I missed it but be sure take a pic looking down and up into it. Also, what is length and width of it? Thanks again, and your craftsmanship is terrific!

-Dino

Thank you Dino; I hope it cooks as good as it looks

The clamps are to be used to stop the bricks from sliding off. If you clamp your first brick in place (after correct angle and edge placement have been achieved) you start adding more precut bricks and then if needed you can clamp the last one set... Hard for me to explain but I can tell you that I have not used them yet. Take a look at the pictures below. The Heatstop-50 has such an amazing holding power without any sliding yet. I mixed it a little on the thick side (thick peanut butter), key it in to your bricks (very important) on all three sides (bottom, left, right) and then place the amount of mortar you think it will need for the angle (determined by the string in my case). Push the oven side of the brick down until it is sitting on the bricks below it and then push the back of the brick down until the string is flush. It's way easier than you think.

Defying Gravity. These were just installed without clamps, forms, etc. The mortar is holding them in place.

Blimp shot, almost closed in.

Sitting area shot...

Plumb and level line in place ready for more Old Chicago bricks! The level line also shows me the screen location; It will land just behind the top row of bricks on the arch... I love it when plan starts to come together

[Bandrasco]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Dino. Keep the questions coming. Makes me feel useful!

I used the clamps to hold the new brick to the old. The bar was not used to prop the contraption in anyway. It just provided an extra set of hands.

Yeah, what Mike said...