Kiln Door & more

The short story is the photo on the right. Soft bricks were mortared next to the corbelled chimney bricks and against the kiln wall. This is the only place on the side walls that did not have kaowool (fiber insulation) for added insulation.

On the left, is a brick-up of the kiln entrance. Hard bricks are next to the hot-face interior of the kiln, and soft bricks are the back-up layer. If you look close, you can see that I ran out of soft bricks half way up the doorway. I still have some soft bricks, but they all need to be mortared together. That means they are halves (or in more pieces). It took many tries of bricks going up and down to come up with what is pictured. To get the peep holes in position to line up with the holes cut in the sheet-metal/kaowool door cover was one obstacle.

I had not planned for the number of half bricks I would need in the door. Renting a brick saw, hauling it out here, then back to town just to cut a small number of bricks seemed like over-kill and a lot of time spent for a little amount to get done. Sutherlin Rentals was open on Monday's holiday, and consented to let me bring my bricks in to be cut. They knew me from previous rentals, and set up the brick saw in back. It didn't take me long to cut the bricks I needed (and a few spares). Not watching the time, I can't say for sure, but I'm sure it was not more than 15 minutes.