Stoke Hold Doors finished

Wow - it's been more than a week that I posted a blog. I was in Medford last weekend for Clayfolk annual Holiday Show. A good time and a chance to meet again with many pottery friends.

Yesterday, the day before Thanksgiving was a big kiln work day. Howard came over and the stoke hole doors were assembled - they are such a cool design. They will work very well, we decided, after seeing them put together. The design is very similar to one I saw in Daniel Rhodes The Kiln Book. I have great admiration for someone who can take a photo in a book and transform it into something that really works.

I purchased 4 - 6' lengths of threaded rod for the stoke hole doors & chimney. Shorter pieces are needed for different places on the kiln, so we took measurements to decide what lengths to have cut from each threaded rod. Claude did the metal cutting & brought the pieces back so the stoke hole doors could be installed in the afternoon. In the photo on the right, that is threaded rod at each end of the horizontal arms connecting the corner of the kiln and running vertically through the stoke hole door. The door can then pivot at each threaded rod.

Photo on the left shows the upper sheet metal (with kaowool insulation underneath) on the front & side outer walls. Howard screwed the sheet metal in place, while I held the pieces. The top peep hole was marked in the upper back wall sheet metal, but Umpqua Sheet Metal closed early before the holiday, and will not be open until Monday, Nov. 30. I still need another large piece of sheet metal for the main door.

This morning, Thanksgiving day, I was at the kiln early to cut bricks. I had picked up the brick cutter at A-1 Rentals yesterday morning, but there were too many other kiln things to do while Howard was here. It took awhile to get the feel of the brick cutter, but once I caught on to it, I cut every broken edge brick I could find. First, I cut bricks for the chimney, that I had marked ahead of time. As the chimney gets corbeled in (decreasing the width of the chimney by 3/4" each side per row), there is not an even number of whole bricks to fit a complete row. Bricks have to be cut to make a snug fit. Second, I cut the good partial & half bricks I had set aside. Last, I scoured the grounds for most every brick with a ragged edge to cut it smooth. These bricks will be of use later on with smooth edges, no matter the size.

The brick cutter is a big & heavy piece of machinery. It took 2 of us to unload & load it back up to be returned early tomorrow morning. I'll be pouring wine the next 2 days, and unless the winery also wants me on Sunday, I'll be mortaring chimney bricks that day.