August 20 2015

Chris bought a bag of cement and spent a couple of hours laying some stone.  Check out the results!

The new stones are moss and lichen free.  (Not for long!)

Cinderblock Chimney? A July 11, 2015 idea

The chimney project is a slow one.  Surrounding the chimney flu tiles with native stone takes a long time.  The stones must be selected, placed, mortared. The mortar has to dry before going too high.

Given the limited time that stone masons (all amateurs, with the exception of the exceptional Bob Stafford) spend on the island, the project could take years to complete.

No fires can be built until the project is complete.

Recently, Bob proposed a solution that would hasten the project forward.  Once the smoke box is completed, which is tentatively scheduled to happen later this summer or fall, two solutions could be finished in an afternoon (or two).  That means fires in the fireplace!

Quick Solution # 1:  The metal-and-asbestos solution.  On top of the smoke box, a metal tube rises up to the roofline and above it, fastened to the siding with arms every few feet.  Ugly, perhaps, but cheap.   Here are a couple of examples.   

Since we already have ceramic flue tiles on the island, Bob recommends a different solution if we want to go the "quick" route:  cinder blocks that can be stacked.  Here are some pictures as examples.

This picture shows a cinderblock with the ceramic flue liner inside it.  Note:  we already have the ceramic flue liners on the island.

Prices for these cinder block chimney pieces are about $10 apiece.  I estimate we would need 30 or 40 of them.  They are pretty easy to install.  

June 26-28, 2015

The island chimney project moved forward last weekend.  Participants:  Bob, Patience, Chris (c'est moi), Josey, Jill, Nancy, John, and Leah.

inside

Bob connected the damper control lever, which will open and close the damper.  We found these items (the sleeve, the rod, the brass handle) in niches around the chimney.

Close up of damper control rod being installed.

 Notes:  The connection between the damper rod and damper has not been found.  Searchers should look for the spiral-looking thing in this picture:

Bob adds a course of stones on a bed of mortar.  

Almost done.  

Finished!  Now it's time to let the mortar set.  

Ready for a mantelpiece.

outside

Bob added 4 stacks of bricks that will support the smoke box.  You can see 3 of them just above the native stone.  I've circled one of them.

Side view.  The stacks hold up the first course of bricks that form the smoke box, which will rise above the damper.

Bird's eye view.  The damper is now surrounded by a course of bricks.  The square surrounding the damper will rise and narrow to form the smoke box (aka the "throat") that feeds into the flu that will rise above the roof line.

Closeup:  Bob lays the first course of the smoke box.

Closeup:  the interior stone gets backed up by a course of brick.

Closeup: damper open.

Closeup:  damper closed.