On wrong sand, uneven bricks, and the lessons that only show up halfway through.
I was able to get quite a bit done on Ana the wood kiln. I had to place some better bricks and also secure and level the walls that the arch for the ware chamber would go on. I found I had the wrong type of sand and had to drive to the landscaping store to buy the correct kind. The sand I had was too coarse. I needed fine sand, the kind used for pool filters. I bought two bags and mixed it 50/50 with fire clay in a pail to a milkshake-like consistency. I then started stacking bricks. About halfway up I realized that the bricks may not be even and that it may all need to come back down so I can correct the issue.
When stacking bricks, if something on the bottom is uneven, as you stack it becomes more and more of an issue, and now you have uneven stacks in seven rows rather than just one. If I had been a little smarter about it all I would have discovered it at one row rather than at seven. On the bright side it did give me practice on brick stacking and also on the proper thickness of slurry to put between the bricks. Safety is a real concern, as bending down to lift the bricks can be hard on the back. I piled the ones I would need waist-high to cut down on being sore from ergonomic issues.
By the time evening came I was quite tired out from going up and down the ladder hauling bricks. It sure was good exercise, but I need to think of better ways of carrying and stacking them. I may watch some bricklaying videos to learn some better techniques. Fire brick weighs at least nine pounds, so if a person were to carry five at a time to stack things it can add up fast over time, especially if you have about eighteen rows. I was only a little sore today from all the brick hauling up and down.
My next big goal will be to take down the mistake and then start building up the other side of the arch. I think that by the time my next day off from the big paper factory I might be able to put in the center key brick and hammer it in with a rubber mallet. Concentrating on just a single task was quite relaxing, and I realized I need to do work like that more often. I felt great after working on the kiln and listening to a good audiobook. When doing the arch it takes one hour to stack each side. Doing it so much will give me practice, should I ever need to make repairs.
If I were living yesterday a second time: I would have checked the level at row one instead of row seven. Every brick stacked on an uneven base carries the mistake upward. The earlier you catch it the fewer bricks come back down.
Things I am grateful for: Fine sand from the landscaping store that mixed to the right consistency. The practice I got stacking seven rows even if they have to come down. A body that was only a little sore after a full day of hauling nine-pound bricks up and down a ladder. A good audiobook that made the hours pass. The realization that concentrating on a single task is the kind of rest I have been missing.
If I get to live to be 86, I might only have: 12,646 days left. One of them went toward seven rows of brick, a drive for the right sand, and a lesson I will not need to learn twice. That is a full day.
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