by matt walker » Wed Apr 02, 2014 1:38 am
Ah crap. Well, there's the downside to casting with the elbows. They are too rigid and when the clay shrinks around them the results are the same as trying to cast brick or anything else in there. I suppose in the risers I make the single round section is weak enough that it gets compressed as the clay shrinks, or something.
Anyway, man, I think you can salvage that and be just fine. Cob is your friend, and it's why I call these a core. Mine are always cracked, not like that, but none of them that I've ever made have been solid enough to stand on their own, and I don't think it's worth trying to build one that will. Just pack mud all around it and you'll never know it is cracked. If you aren't happy with cob, you could build a metal surround, or hardiboard box that you could tile, or a brick surround, or something like that. Give it a little extra room and pack all around that thing with perlite/fireclay. It will be just fine.