dusty dome is done!

[dusty]

Thanks for your input Goerge. I agree with you. Plus, my mortar joints are very small. Few are larger than 1/8" and most are smaller than that. The lower 3/4 of my oven LOOKS dry - that is the bricks are dry and the mortar is light grey. the top looks dry on the outside but the mortar on the inside is still a bit darker in color. I plan to figure out a way to start curing it this weekend. Meanwhile, I need to decide what to do for a chimney.

Jim,
Do you plan to insulate before you cure?

dusty

[asudavew]

Hey Dustman!

Great looking Keystone!

Dave is slightly jealous.

But happy for you!

So how are you going to celebrate the New Year?

[dusty]

Good to hear from you Big Dave... and thanks for the kudos. Much appriciated. Glad to be done. Looking forward to borrowing a few of those reciepies and tecniques from you soon.

Looks like the party, if you can call it that, is at the Cabana club ( hokie li' swim and tennis club in our neighborhood). Probably be about 10 - 15 of us sitting around the fire pit tellin' lies and stuff. Bought the celebratory pack of the good stuff, PBR's, since it is a special occasion. At midnight, we set off a couple of model rockets packed with explosives and then off to bed. Kinda slowin' down a bit in my old age, but haven't completely stopped yet!

I suppose you're firing up the badWoFo right now. Have an ice cold one for me and Happy New Year to you and your family.

dusty

[jcg31]

Originally Posted by dusty

Jim,
Do you plan to insulate before you cure?

dusty

Yeah, I have been back and forth on that a bunch to the point of procrastinating. I decided to take Ken's lead, found 100 sqft of Kaowool 1", 8 density, blanket in Milwaukee for $130. So my plan (unless someone here has some better thoughts) is to get my thermocouples in place, wrap it in the blanket, tie down with thin wire anchored to the vermicucrete (that will be easy to remove). Go through the curing fires and when I think all is cured, remove the blanket to inspect the cladding for cracks. Now, I say that having zero experience with handling kaowool pre or post heat applied. But in asking the supplier he thought it would go back in place after inspection with little difficulty and in the same fashion as first applied.

Jim

[gjbingham]

Originally Posted by Acoma

George, I was laughing when I saw the prior to curing pic. Forget the smooth cladding, go mountain terrain style. Maybe a ski chair leading to the top, some people jumping on the bumps

yeah, we were laying it on thick, not believing that those bricks were going to stay up there without a little extra goo.

Cool keystone Dusty. I hope you dispatched a salmon with it (bonk on the head) prior to setting it.
G.

[dusty]

Still a little early to know for sure, but I think it is going to be a great year!

dusty

[Acoma]

Dusty, you cleaned the inside of the dome very well. Well, now you will hopefully have no issues with cracks, just good cures, then insulate. Good luck.
Robert

[dusty]

Originally Posted by Acoma

Well, now you will hopefully have no issues with cracks Good luck.

Thanks Robert. Today's fire, the first, was very small and brief - almost seemed like it didn't do anything. When I stuck my hand in there, it was hot, but it was the kind of hot that you would get from sticking your hand next to any fire. Half an hour after the fire went out, the top of the dome wasn't even warm inside. I will let tomorrow's fire burn a bit longer and so on.

Batten down the hatches and stay safe this weekend. From what I'm hearing you may have to go outside and shake a bunch of snow off of that tent. This one is supposed to be packing quite a punch.

dusty

[gjbingham]

Awesome work, Dusty,
That brickwork from inside is beautiful! Here's a pat on your back from the NW (pat, pat)!

I love that little fire. It's gonna be many more of those before your cooking, but it's fun to see, huh?
G.

[Acoma]

Dusty, be sure you have some type of device to tell you internal temp. There are reasons they say 100 degree incriments. Too much work getting to where you are now not to do this one crucial detail.