Dear Allan,
don't feel the urgue to answer me as soon as possible. I can wait.
Like I once mentioned before, I really appreciate your comments !
Ianto is in his book mentions about how to construct the first cleanout/ashpit :
use scraps of 1/4 " or 1/8 " hardware cloth or expanded metal lath or scrap sheet metal. Curve the lath into place to fit the shape using several small pieces, and then plaster
your sand-clay very carefully over its surface. Add extra volume of space at this location, as it is a prime candidate for ash build-up and blockage. If possible leave an ash pit
here up to one-gallon cappacity. An alternative ---if less aerodynamic --- approach is to rough out the box in brick, then plaster it inside and out with cob, really smooth.
Not easy to construct in my firt opinion, so if there is an another alternative to it, then I would welcome it.
I was curious about your remark : 'about using 2 elbows where a single much
straighter one would be the way that I would have gone from the transition zone/clean out/Ash pit'
But I did not understand your explanation.
The easiest alternative I see, is as seen in :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4usXIAoy9us , which is a removable upper barrel. Therefore the first cleanout/ashpit can be left out.
Allan, 'for the good craft', take good care of your self, take your time and answer whenever fits you. I can wait.
Warm Regards,
Johannes.
