Wednesday 2 March 2011

Insulation, and hot faces

With the blockwork done, we were almost finished with the firey end of things. When the mortar was dry we first tipped several hundred litres of loose fill vermiculite into the void:

Then we screeded the hot faces of the fireplace, the combustion chamber and riser sleeve:

And lastly we topped up the insulation, and screeded the whole top:

With all that done we are waiting for delivery of the steelwork. In the meantime, I'm making a workbench. So far I've spent 2 days on my knees with a plane and a sander, smoothing the work surface. That makes it sound like a chore and several people have told me to use a floor sander. But actually it's very satisfying, just the right combination of physical work and constant judgement. Also, every hour that I spend doing it will make my baking life more enjoyable; at this point I am really looking forward to baking again.

3 comments:

  1. Hello - me again with my hand up - why do you only screed these particular bits? Catherine.

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  2. Hello Catherine. The blocks are not heat proof. The screed is heatproof, meaning that it won't deteriorate with direct heat. So the screed is only necessary to protect the blockwork from flames - so we only need to screed the bits that have direct contact with the heat.

    Matthew

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  3. Hi Mathew,
    looking good, keep up the diary.
    will arrange a visit once complete.then you can show off all your hard work!
    regards,
    neil from the doorstep bakery

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