Mending a bread oven roof

[TheSpid]

I got brave and removed some more stone that weren't weight bearing in our bread oven opening. It has been well and truly mucked about battlements are still there. What is obvious now (because we can now see and get in properly to further back) is that some of the roof brick are rather loose, in fact one fell out when I gently touched it. How would I 'mend' this. What is the chance of the whole thing collapsing? It is mainly the outer bricks near the door that seem looser. They are mounted in lime mortar - is it just a case of replacing this and somehow supporting the bricks in place as the mortar dries?



as a reminder this is what it looked like before



Oddly it is now the same width as my fireplace puzzle opening underneath.

 

[worms]

I guess you might need to specify whether you are looking for a cosmetic fix, or a proper repair that would see this reinstated as a working bread oven. For cosmetic fix, then any standard, soft lime mortar should be fine - assuming the stones/bricks are supported by each other mechanically. If the whole thing is going to get really hot, you might need something like fire-clay.

 

[88v8]

-We have two ovens, one little used and in good nick, the other older and with a very precarious 'roof'. It all needs taking down and redoing.
I had pondered how to repair it, not that I will.

So... pack the inside with clay, so it supports the roof. Let it harden. I presume this is how it was built in the first place.
Now at the front, take out the stones/bricks above the roof so you can get your hand in.
Remove the rubble that's on top of the bricks.
From above, remove the roof bricks one by one.
Check the profile of the clay support lump and remedy any deficiencies.
Now put the bricks back on top of the clay, with a generous dollop of lime mortar between each brick. Given that the joints are wider at the top, the mortar can only be put in effectually from above. The bricks need to be damp of course.
As you complete each row of bricks, pack and make good the mortar joints.
After a few days remove the clay - the curve of the roof should make it self-supporting - and from beneath clean up the mortar joints.
Replace the rubble on top, perhaps with a weak mortar mix. Rebrick the front.
Leave a bowl of water in there for a few days to help cure the lime mortar.

All of which sounds very easy. I wonder what mortar mix to use. Flexibility I guess is important, if one wants to use the oven.

Repairing from below, hmmm. Access is a problem otherwise you could use some of that two-pack injectable resin.
I suppose as a bodge that might work, you could use resin putty, ram that into the joints. But I suspect it would only be a cosmetic fix.
https://www.amazon.com/slp/two-part-epoxy-putty/v92gw3utvn5v8v6

Ivor

 

[TheSpid]

AH thanks both - cosmetic repair only - no access from the top at all and not sure my skills will stretch to rebuilding the whole roof 88v8. Just something to keep it stable and not falling down around my ears is enough. I'd rather not have to remove too many bricks but just mend those that are loose only. Hmmm.