thomas rubino

Another winter project completed!
I held off last year on mudding down the tiles over Shorty's core. I wanted to confirm there was no cracking or leaking from the firebrick top.
We also had a repair to make in the core that might have required partial disassembly.
Luckily, the repair was made without a teardown.
I did discover that the ink on my Tree of Life tile couldn't withstand the high heat.
I asked Liz for a replacement tile this Christmas, and this time I placed it on two pieces of Superwool Gasket, for a full 1/4" of protection.
Monday, I mixed up some clay-heavy mortar (2 scoops of clay & 2 scoops of sand)
I taped and papered as much as I could to mitigate the mess, but I still had a big clean-up anyway...

I have more cleanup to do on the mortar between the tiles, but this job is 98% complete.

Shorty be Styling!

Fluffy leaves no doubt about what to do with 2025!
Happy New Year 2026

Hi Austin;
I suspect you are correct that your sand is not sharp enough.
I tried using different sands over the years, and I had cracking or popping issues every time.
For a straight mortar, I use one scoop of dry clay and three scoops of medium-graded sand, pure white and completely uniform.

I have had top bricks that got bumped, and they pop loose. I scrape off the dry clay to rehydrate, mix some new up, and reattach.

Nothing wrong with using refractory if it comes free; try to clean the refractory off, or use a new  brick.

Thank You, Carla!
Happy New Year to you and John, and the puppies as well!

Yesterday, I finished my Montana Masonry Drain (much better than a French Drain...:)
Last night, typical winter returned with a low of 14°F and a high today of 23°F, brilliant sunshine though.
This morning, on my way to the shop, I peeked into the smoke shack, just to see how things were looking after the freeze-up.
I was floored by what I saw!  
The floor inside was completely dry!!!
Yesterday, the left side by the cheese smoker had a growing wet spot, and the right side wet spot was almost to the front wall!
This morning, much to my surprise, BOTH sides are now DRY!!!
I did not expect this. What I expected was a frost heave at some point this winter, certainly not dry floors in less than 24 hours.

Obviously, a Montana Drain filled with broken brick chunks is the Cadillac of drain fields!

Hi Jackson;
The location does not matter at all.
The entire cabin, including all the many additions, is evenly toasty warm!
They absolutely were not with the old metal wood burner.
So far this year, we have burned less than a third of a full cord.
We constantly have windows cracked to let in fresh cold air.

Today I hauled the last of the gravel, and I reassembled the cheese smoker.
I know that the new Montana Drain is working.
The new drainage pond remains full and is leaking across my trail. I spread gravel over my path to the shop.
Better a soggy trail than a listing Walker Black And White!
She may list this year, as it is already soaked, but perhaps once it dries out it will stay that way!

Hi Ian;
I guess I worded that wrong.
The temperature and the efficiency of the burn are the same with a whole batch or a  half batch.
Total heat output varies by the type of wood, its dryness, and how much weight you place in each load.

Hi Ray, are you using a temp gun to take your readings?
With pipes, they can be very misleading. I suspect you are getting higher temps than that.
However, until the internal gas temperature exceeds 130°F, condensation is an issue.
Yes, your cob can take quite a while to dry out, and it will leak water in low spots until it does.

For internal pipe temperatures, I have a similar unit to this one. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071V7T6TZ/ref=sspa_dk_detail_7?sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWw
Very easy to install (drill a 1/16" hole) and reasonably priced.  I find it invaluable in shoulder seasons, when the mass is cool.

Go for it, Tyler!
It really is easy once you get started.
Get all your materials on hand.
Dive in and get muddy!
You know where to reach out if you are unsure or want to check!
Looking forward to your future build!