Sweet business!
I love the cobbing around the front of the core, and how the cob is such a different color from that stuff we see out west.
I have cast a test core (that's what I'm calling it in case it isn't awesome... My son was in my ear to get going so instead of doing my best work, we worked together and can't go wrong since we have other stove plans, like an outdoor beater...) and drying it out now with a makeshift heat riser out of half fire bricks.
I used 1:1 fire clay & furnace cement, and then 1:1 that to vermiculite. It was a workout mixing, packed nicely, let it sit for nearly 24 hours and then put some heat to it. It's drying out but not rock hard yet, it's really cool watching the progress, listening to the material change in tone and seeing the dryer color.
I'll get some pics up after my apprentice is back in school, we are playing hookie tomorrow as I have a teacher workshop day (Ed techs stay home) and then the week picks up.
It's really amazing how inspiring this is for me, what fun it all is. Most of the plywood is out and working on the chunk of 4x4 at the end of the burn tunnel for the curved corners and a turbulator...
Hope everyone's having having a lovely long weekend, ultra stellar weather here in New England~p.