Today’s talk is a Homemade Fire-Resistant Cement Recipe. This is going to start a 3-part series on How to Build a Smokehouse.
We had originally wanted to do this in one talk but it was just way too long so we have split it up into three parts to make it shorter and easier to follow. Please stick around for all three parts so you can see how Popi made his own Homemade Fire-Resistant Cement Recipe in order to Build a Fire Box for the Homemade DIY Smokehouse and How to Build a Homemade DIY Bread Oven.
It just seems best to start with the Homemade Fire-Resistant Cement Recipe. We will show how Popi built a fire box for the DIY Smoke House, so when we get to the Build a Homemade Smokehouse, and Build a Homemade Bread Oven you will already know what Popi used to put it all together.
We will go into more depth with the DIY Homemade Smoke House in part two. But for now, we will start with the first piece of the Smoke House, the Fire Box floor.
The Homemade Fire-Resistant Cement Recipe is actually not complicated but you do have to keep the correct ratios to get it to work. After all, if it is not fire-resistant it will not work for a firebox.
Of course, you can make as small a batch or as large a batch as you need, keeping the ratios the same. Popi did not need a large batch for the fire box but he did make larger batches for the DIY Smoke House Floor and for the DIY Bread Oven.
First things first, you will need to build your brick or block form.
This will be a quick set of pictures to show what Popi did to prep the ground and build the form. We will go into more depth with this in the next talk. But for now, here is the way Popi made the firebox.
1. level the ground.
2. level the bricks or blocks.
3. Add sand to fill the spaces.
4. Tamp the sand down to get a good pack.
When making Homemade Fire-Resistant Cement, the process is pretty simple.
1. Mix your dry ingredients making sure you have a good blend.
It is important to get the dry ingredients mixed before you add any liquid.
2. Add water.
The amount of water you will need depends on how large a batch you are making and a bit on the weather. Have a bucket of water so you can add bit at a time to get the consistency you need. You want a nice thick cement, not too watery that it will not set but not too thick as to make it hard to spread.
3. Blend until you have a smooth cement.
Some cement recipes call for small pebbles but this one does not. You should end up with a smooth, soft, cement that is easy to spread.
5. Fill the blocks with the Homemade Fire-Resistant Cement.
Be sure to get all the corners and block holes so you have complete coverage.
6. Place the second layer of bricks.
7. Fill the form with the Homemade Fire-Resistant Cement.
8. Smooth out your top and let it dry.
It generally will take several days to get a full cure on the cement. That does depend on the weather and how sunny the area is.
9. Continue the brick layers and cement as it goes.
10. When the fire box is finished, give the whole thing a good covering of Homemade Fire-Resistant Cement.
11. Secure the heat-resistant, cement pipe to the fire box with
the fire-resistant cement.
12. Place metal plate on top of the fire box as the top.
13. Add a metal door to the fire box.
Now that we have explained the process Popi used to build the firebox for those who can see it in their head, here are the step-by-step pictures for those of us who need to see it.
Popi continued the fire box with several layers of brick and cement to fill and seal the bricks.
Popi also used a cement pipe for the smoke tube that goes from the firebox to the Smoke House. The Homemade Fire-Resistant Cement was again used to fix the pipe in place and seal it.
When the firebox was done, Popi put a good layer or fire-resistant cement on the outside to be sure the bricks were sealed and ready to withstand the heat.
The fire -resistant door was made of an iron plate, hinges and screws. Popi had to drill into the brick to secure the metal frame into the brick.
To seal the firebox and prepare for the third stage, the bread oven, Popi finished the fire box with a steel plate for the top.
Popi wanted to be sure the metal plate was sealed and up to task with the heat that would come from the firebox and into the bread oven so he treated it with an oil mix. This mix is one that we make to season our cask iron skillets. We did a talk on that some time ago, feel free to check it out, How to make and use a Cast Iron Skillet Seasoning Oil.
And there you have Popi’s firebox made with Homemade Fire-Resistant Cement Recipe.
We are sure there are other ways and more elaborate ways to make a firebox but this is a simple, straightforward one. It is a basic firebox but it will do the job.
We hope you have enjoyed this talk on a Homemade Fire-Resistant Cement Recipe and firebox. Please stick with us for next week’s talk on How to Build a DIY Smoke House and the third part of this series How to Build a DIY Bread Oven.
If you are interested in other DIY projects Popi had made around the farm, please check out these below.
How to replace a broken tool handle
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