Air pockets

[Mark CH]

Howdy All,
I've just started construction of my dome (36") and have a question about air pockets.
I'm using a very fine refractory mortar for the small joints lining the oven with the bricks held in place with shims (as per plans) then backfilling with a coarser refractory mortar that is designed for larger joints.
I've tried to be very careful poking and prodding with my fingers to eliminate air pockets in the mortar, particulalry where the 2 mortars meet, but I'm a little worried that there may be some small ones in there that I obviously can't see.
Are these going to cause me any issues later on or should I continue and not be too concerned about it. I figure that there will inherently be some air in the mortar anyway and I'm hopeful that the minor bubbles that I can't get out won't cause me any issues later on once we start to cook in the oven.
Cheerio,
Mark

[david s]

The mortar is fairly porous so air pockets won't really be a problem although they do reduce the strength a little. Don't worry you'll be fine.