Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Barley barely there

The barley strip is coming in very weak.  I don't know if the seed is rotting or just taking it's time due to the cold.  At the far South end there was enough water during the rains that the clover seed floated up and formed a big clot of clover.  No need to panic yet, we'll see what happens.

I tested the new brick oven last night.  It heats up much faster than the old one and really does a nice job.  This oven is stronger and better built than any I have made before, but I still have room to improve.  Despite having a full two weeks of curing time it's clear that the mortar was not dry yet.  Although two weeks is said to be enough time, I think the cool Spring weather makes it more like 3 or 4 weeks.  I'm not real happy with that refractory mortar from Menard's in any case.  It does not seem to be as strong as the stuff from County Materials and even can be scraped away with a fingernail.  The heat formed several cracks even near the face of the oven.

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