18 June 2022

After levelling the floor the insulation brick layer is laid over aluminium foil as an added membrane to prevent air getting up into the floor of the kiln and oxidising pots (one of the problems from the old chamber and hopefully this layer is a solution).

Next the hard brick floor is laid as square as possible. Then the walls start with the flue exists the most important part to get laid accurately. I’ve also started the adobe coats on the chimney, this first mix is based on Calcium/Alumina cement and pumice sand acting both as a seal and key for the next layers. I’m starting now as I have easy access, once the walls are built this area is hard to get to.

The walls are built up first with the inner hard brick layer before the insulation layer follows. The part of the walls bridging over the top of the throat arch is cast from a 45% Alumina castable. This header course also includes the first soda ports and spies.

The rear and sides of the chimney now have their first adobe coat and it’s soon followed by the first clay/sand/vermiculite/sawdust layer.