technē and poiēsis

It works. I feel like the cave person who discovered fire. After all these months, now I finally see it come together. One of the decisions I made recently was to have a stovepipe instead of a brick chimney. I am very glad I did. The black metal contrasts nicely with the brick and it leaves the point open for the view to the field. The other part I am working on is the door to the fireplace. Here I have it in place, but it fell apart when I tried to lift it back.  What you can't see from the photo is the smoke coming out of the chimney. It draws the air through, under the floor. I spotted some small smoke leaks but I can fix those with mortar. Next step- sleep in it! It has been so warm here these days that I barely need the fire though.

Do something 1300 times, and you will definitely do it differently at the end than at the beginning. I just picked up a brick from my very first batch in July 2012 and compared it with the last batch I made a couple weeks ago. The difference in quality is amazing. I learned, as I was making, how best to scrape the mold so the edge stayed crisp. I learned how to use sand sparingly but effectively to keep the clay from sticking. I learned not to put so much sand in the mix, because the less sand, the stronger the brick. I learned to pack the mold so that the sides come out smooth and even. The latest bricks are still not perfect, but they are many times better than before.