Matt Walker tiny cookstove build in Portugal

Some pillars have put in an appearance, to help support the three bits of granite.



It's starting to feel like it's getting close to the finish line!

A few more bricks laid!



He's very hopeful that the brickwork will be completed this afternoon. Then there will be some touching up to do and making sure there are no leaks. Then maybe we can put the granite slabs on top.

I wonder if it should stay looking like bricks or if it should have a layer of something on top...

Burra Maluca wrote: ... I wonder if it should stay looking like bricks or if it should have a layer of something on top...

Wall is brick, stove is brick, so here are the factors I'd consider;
1. Are you bricked out?
2. Does the brick colour fit nicely with the granite slabs?
3. Is the bench brick colour just slightly 'off' the stove colour? In a complementary way, or in, it's just not right way?
4. What are your affordable options, and do you want to put the money/work into it?
5. If this is an area you're still working on/renovating, consider waiting to make a final decision until you have other colours/patterns sorted?
6. What does Austin think?

Brickwork all done!



As to whether or not to cover the brickwork with something, here are some thoughts...

Jay Angler wrote:Wall is brick, stove is brick, so here are the factors I'd consider;
1. Are you bricked out?

All the walls are going to be rendered with something down there at some point. It's just a bit too much like the goat-shed it always used to be down there, and I want it to be a kitchen and lounge area.

2. Does the brick colour fit nicely with the granite slabs?

The granite is still outside, but I think they're neutral enough they'll go quite nicely with the solid clay bricks of the rocket mass heater itself. I'm hoping that maybe tomorrow, after the mortar holding the bricks is thoroughly set, we can bring the granite in and start getting them in place so we can have a proper look.

3. Is the bench brick colour just slightly 'off' the stove colour? In a complementary way, or in, it's just not right way?

Right now, in my mind the 'clash' is more with the bricks in the wall behind. But that's going to be covered. That particular bit might have wooden paneling! Plans aren't fixed yet.

4. What are your affordable options, and do you want to put the money/work into it?

We'd probably have a mild squabble about either whether to use reboco, which is a cement based render you can buy by the 25kg sacks for around €4, which would be more than enough to cover the bench. Or I might push for gesso, which is more natural (though I've seen less natural versions of it lately) which is a similar sort of price. I'm a tightwad, but even I'm not going to argue about spending a few euros to make the bench look awesome. Austin will probably do the work either way. Or if he doesn't feel up to it I might attempt to persuade my son, who's getting quite experienced at such things and could probably do it in far less time.

Part of the function of this particular rocket mass heater has always been as a bit of a showpiece to encourage people to look at it and say 'Oooh I'd like one of those - much better than those ugly barrels that I thought you always had to have...' Because I've heard the comment about ugly barrels far too often, and especially I've heard it from women who have vetoed the idea of an rmh because of them despite their other half's wanting one. I see this particular design as a way to get the technology into many more homes and make it far more mainstream. And I've also heard a surprising number of people look at that lovely clay brick that I drool over and say it would look better with something covering it. So my personal feeling is that if I leave the stove itself with visible brick, it would be good to have some nice attractive rendering on the bench so I can say 'Oh but you could always cover it in something like this!' But then we'd have to research appropriate materials that are easy to source here and will stick on and cope with the heat.

5. If this is an area you're still working on/renovating, consider waiting to make a final decision until you have other colours/patterns sorted?

Absolutely! We're likely to go for very neutral colours. Wood and white are my go-to colours. Austin veers towards yellows for some unknown reason, but hey, we all have our little quirks...

6. What does Austin think?

He seems to think it will be best covered with something. Which probably pretty much seals the deal!

I'm not quite sure how he's going to make an air-tight covering that fits this bit. I suspect he already has a good idea though...

Austin had to work first thing this morning, which meant we couldn't immediately start playing at putting the granite on the new bench. So I grabbed a few shots of what's been happening outside instead, including the stash of granite.

This is the current view just outside our front door.



It seems to be all covered in brick dust and offcuts of hollow bricks. With a stray bit of blue insulation, and Rock for scale. Who is looking more sheepish than sheepdogish, which I suspect is related to the black smudges that have appeared all over his face, the source of which I'm as yet unaware of.



Just up the path next to the prickly pear is another supply of blue insulation offcuts, which will likely be the bits used to insulate between the stratification bench and the outside wall of the house. I want to warm the inside of the house, not the outside, after all. Rock is still looking a bit sheepish and slightly guilty...



I don't think I've ever seen him looking this guilt-ridden before. I wonder what he's been up to...

Anyway, these are the bits of granite. I wanted to show you the colour but the top one has been placed upside-down, likely because I'm a stickler for them being stacked shiny-side to shiny side so the shiny surface doesn't get scratched. I'll try a close up...



Hmm, the middle one has been stacked rough side down, on top of a shiny side. I think I'll just pretend I haven't seen that... But you can see the colour - nice and neutral. I doubt it could clash very much with anything really.

I was also very pleased to note that the edges are all cut square. This stone was originally used on kitchen worktops and I rather expected that one edge of each piece would be rounded off and was fussing a bit wondering how to make those edges, which would now be crossing front-to-back on the bench, look good and also not allow air to pass up from the stratification chamber. I was envisioning having to grind them off or something equally drastic. But for whatever reason these bits never had their edges rounded off. I think they were added as an extra on top of relatively modern kitchen units to cover the synthetic top that was already there, so maybe they were just purchased as slabs rather than special kitchen worktops.

I picked some lovage to go in with today's black-bean stew, gave Rock his breakfast, went back indoors and Austin arrived home just as I was putting the lovage in the stewpot. Will keep you all informed if we do anything with the bench today!

OK, Austin just went out to bring one of the bits of granite in to test!

Aaaaaand he decided that he's gonna wait until my son is home and can help. They must have gotten heavier or something...

He's got some sand and clay mortar stuff mixed up ready that will just need damping down a bit. Not sure when my son will be home from work but let's hope he's not doing anything too strenuous and has a bit of energy left, which might not be the case.

You are using the granite as the top of the bench? I did that on one of my builds, nothing over or under it. Looks great, but  heats up REALLY hot when the system is running- the clients have to keep cushions on it most of the heating season to make use of it.

Though I suspect Rock would love to have access to the surface if you get any cold weather...

Coydon Wallham wrote:You are using the granite as the top of the bench? ...heats up REALLY hot when the system is running- the clients have to keep cushions on it most of the heating season to make use of it.

Yes, the granite will be the top of the bench.

Good to know about how hot it might get. We do have a big cushion, originally from a caravan bench/bed, which will fit perfectly on the granite for when we want to sit on it. I want to record temperatures at different times and gradually come to sensible decisions on when to have the bench uncovered, when to have the cushion in place, and maybe also when to have a thinner layer of something like a blanket on top to slow the heat loss a little bit. I was recently given a huge load of blankets and tablecloths and I suspect at least one of the tablecloths will be converted into some kind of thinnish cover to lay on top.

One of the 'functions' of the bench will be for airing off laundry during the rainy season and I think a layer between the granite and the not-quite-dry clothes would be sensible. But until I get a feel for the temperatures involved I'm not sure if I should just fold the tablecloth in half lengthways or if I should put a layer of old blanket or some such in the middle. Experiments will ensue!

Though I suspect Rock would love to have access to the surface if you get any cold weather...

Rock is very much an outdoor dog, but he turns 10 very soon and is getting a bit grey around the edges so this may change, especially when we have the downstairs area vaguely organised.

Oh, and a progress update. No progress...

The day I was hoping my son would arrive home early because he was working just up the road, he put in a load of overtime to get the job finished and crawled home at 8pm having been labouring hard all day. So no way hauling slabs of granite into place was going to happen.

Then yesterday he turned up bright and relatively breezy at 5 pm but Austin had been working all day and didn't get back until around 7 pm, by which time he was tired and it was dark. Maybe this evening, but it all depends on timing and how the boys feel. It might be prudent to wait until the weekend.

Oh, and when my son came home early yesterday, he showed up with these little beauties!



And the little one fits inside the fire-box of the rocket mass heater!  Which means that if I clean it up and find it a lid and figure out what I want to cook in it and how to get it in and out of a hot firebox, I can cook in the residual heat after the fire has died down. I'll grab a photo later if I remember...

Now, what to cook in it...

at 30c outside and Austin is working on the stove ---he is a better man than me ---i would be outside ---sitting on my old  garden chair ---cooking peri peri chicken on a bed of coals  ---sipping cool white wine---some olives a bit of oil dipped bread----making outrageous promises and assurances that i will get on to it soon-- very soon --any day now---and hopefully the warm weather , cool wine and tasty meal --would work its magic charm until another day---instead i must now chop kindling and bring in the evenings timber ---- soon that nice granite will be in place --well done

My son just showed up at a sensible hour, while there's still a bit of daylight.  And he's not too exhausted for once!

They've just gone outside to do battle with the slabs of granite...

OK, we have some progress!

My son brought the first bit of granite in and laid it in place. But he bumped one of the pillars a bit and it turned out the last bag of mortar mix we'd used was no good and the pillar wobbled rather drastically. Then when they checked the other pillar that one wasn't sound either. So Austin had to rebuild the pillars using a fresh bag. Much to the amusement of my son who had been building a ring beam all day with another man mixing cement all day long for him, so watching Austin mix up a teeny bit of mortar in one of my plant dunking trays on top of the washing machine seemed almost silly to him.



So now we wait for the pillars to set in place again, hopefully properly this time, then we can put some sand-and-clay mortar under the granite slab and fetch the others in.

Maybe Saturday, because tomorrow is Friday and the boys go shopping on Friday evenings.

The granite bench top is in place!

Sand and clay mortar being put in place.



Ready for the third and final slab.



All down!

I think I need to give them a good clean up at some point...



And that just leaves a couple of inches at the end and the bit that joins the input-output-flue-thingie to make a lid for. There are some granite offcuts that could be pressed into service, and some more bits of that thin insulated brick stuff. That's a job for tomorrow though.



We are getting very, very near the time we can do a test burn!

Which is just as well because it isn't really 30C here during the days any more, and far less at night.

It's done!

He used another one of those salvaged weird great long insulated brick things cut to size to fill up the gap and cover the bit where the hot gas enters the bench and the cool gas leaves it. Which I think means that the whole rocket mass heater, complete with bench, is officially finished!



It still needs a good clean up - I dragged a wet finger through those worrying marks on the granite and it looks like it will all come off with the help of a damp sponge. At some point we'll insulate behind the bench and probably put a layer of rendering over the sides, but that might wait until we render the actual walls of the 'kitchen' down there.



And now we wait for a suitably cool day to light a test fire and check that it all works the way it should and start taking some temperature readings off the bench...

I had a rummage through the bag of tablecloths that had arrived with the stash of blankies that I was given a couple of months ago, thinking I could modify one with a bit of blanket inside to use over the granite bench when I want to air clothes off during wet weather when I can't dry them outside and they're taking too long to dry inside. I used to use a heated blanket during really wet weather to finish drying them off, but since installing the rocket mass heater I haven't bothered putting it on the bed. And it seems silly to use electricity when there's a heated bench downstairs that is likely to be in use at precisely the times we need to dry clothes.

I picked out a couple of potential ones but then Rosa, my little pink dragon with an obsession for pink, flowers, and all things pretty and made of thread, reminded me that somewhere there was a bag full of old hand-made lacy things, including some kind of white crocheted table covering with pink roses and hand-made lace edging.



And she was right! It's fairly thick, cotton, with rather faded pink cross-stitched roses embroidered on top. It doesn't completely cover the granite, but I think it will be a suitable layer between the hot stone and the clothes that need drying off. And whilst it does feel a bit sacrilegious to use such a beautiful thing for such a mundane job, it's probably better than spending the next twenty years shoved in a bag and forgotten.



Plus it keeps Rosa happy. And it's easier than modifying a tablecloth by padding it out with a bit of blanket and hand-sewing it together. This thing can be used as is.

Yeah Rosa!  Burra can always rely on you to come up with a beautiful solution!

Hmmm, we tried the pretty lacy thing on the bench and while it would work, it's a bit small and leaves more than one entire slab uncovered. Which means I won't be able to spread out a batch of damp laundry. She says it does look very pretty though and I could probably use it for things like seed starting or raising bread. But let's face it, mostly she just thinks it's pretty...

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Rosa had another think and remembered something a bit special I've had tucked away for a while - not a freebie or amazing bargain this time, but something I'd bought myself as a treat because I loved it and the price was good and it came with a nice story.



This is a hand made pure wool Arraiolos carpet, as per the video below.



Actually strictly speaking it's not a genuine Arraiolos as it was made a bit too far away to officially count, but it was made by the great grandparents of the guy who sold it to us. He had inherited too many and wanted to clear a few out. Apparently his great-grandparents would work on them together, sitting facing each other and working from opposite ends of the carpet towards the centre. Which is just too beautiful an image to not see in my mind's eye every time I look at it. I find it a bit slippery to use as rug, but a bit stiff and heavy to use as a blanket. So it's been sitting in my heap of stuff for a couple of years waiting for a purpose. Maybe draped over the rocket mass heater bench can be its new life! Then if anyone wants to rest down there, they can use the caravan cushion on the bench to lie on and use this as a blankie. I think I'm going to have to build a shelf unit at the end for storing cushions and blankies and pretty pink crocheted things aren't I...

Have you considered some sort of drying rack on or suspended over the mass like in the fisher price house and the solarium?

Coydon Wallham wrote:Have you considered some sort of drying rack on or suspended over the mass like in the fisher price house and the solarium?

I have, and I have a kit to make one stashed away somewhere. But I'm also thinking that one day (hahahahaha....) there's going to be an extension to the downstairs, which will have great bit areas with no wall or glass, just fly-screen, ie lots of air passing through, that I want to use partly as an outside kitchen and partly for a plant propagating area, and I think I'd like the pull-up rack to be in there. I figure it will be shaded from the intense summer sun, protected from rain, and have a lot of air flow so it won't make the place damp. When it rains here, it tends to be for six weeks at a time, usually once a year but sometimes twice, and it's during those weeks that it gets difficult to dry stuff. I've never owned an electric clothes dryer and I really don't want to start now! Using the bench to dry clothes is really just for the final airing off, which during the wettest parts of the year can take about three days if I just leave them lying around on a rack.

But yes, I have considered a rack above the bench and it might happen. I just want to take things slowly and see what I actually need rather than what I think I might need.

Rosa thinks it's time to check up on Cuca, the dragon who lives in the rocket mass heater.



Cuca is very shy and lives just round the bend, out of sight if you open the door. But Rosa thinks that if she plays a pretty tune on the recorder then she might be charmed and say hello. Cuca spends all summer sleeping and recovering in there, re-growing her ears and getting ready for winter.

I suggested Rosa learns a few bars of Knights in White Castle...

I'll report if there's any news...