Mucky Brick Wall

[Lady_Mari]

Can't get pic to paste as greyed out so's here's the link..

http://www.photogalaxy.com/photosfull/mehoward-1.jpg

As discussed in my previous post, we've removed the render & found this very nasty brickwork in the recess beside the ingle. It smelt damp & there was a large concrete patch (another one can be seen on the adjacent wall), we chipped it out & found it was there instead of bricks & the outer brick course (now revealed) shows blackened bricks (possible original fireback?). We were told there used to be a Dutch oven there once whatever that is.
The lime mortar was soft & wet & the bricks cracked, crumbly & loose, we have replaced some to stop the rest falling out but should we remove the rest of the broken ones?

Meanwhile, going outside the house, we hastily fixed the loose ones back in & discovered this whole wall has been coated in a thin cement slurry & then painted with Weathershield.

We are intending to get this off but believe it was done as the bricks here had become porous. Unfortunately, this treatment had sealed the damp in.
We intend to re-point with lime but are concerned about the state of the bricks.
Advice please.

 

[MdB]

Not sure if photogalaxy likes deep linking so this might not work.

 

[Nemesis]

Dutch oven:

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/domestic_appliances/1962-322.aspx

Alternatively (slang usage):

Dutch Oven n to fart in bed and then push your partner under the covers to enjoy the atmosphere

 

[Lady_Mari]

MdB
Thanks for getting the image for me - still a mystery to me despite reading the foolproof guide.
btw, what's deep linking?

Nem
He wouldn't dare - else I'd kick him out.

 

[Nemesis]

And of course ladies don't...

 

[Lady_Mari]

Certainly not! Ladies fiff

 

[DaveBrigg]

Dutch oven:

Alternatively (slang usage):

Dutch Oven n to fart in bed and then push your partner under the covers to enjoy the atmosphere

Thanks Nemesis, I've just spilt tea all over the keyboard :lol:

 

[Nemesis]

You can always rely on me to lower the tone...

More to educate you:

http://www.sillyjokes.co.uk/fart_machine/fart_slang.html

 

[Lady_Mari]

Confirming my view about ladies ...... no fiffs

.....but what about my poorly bricks?

 

[NT]

Confirming my view about ladies ...... no fiffs

.....but what about my poorly bricks?

The brickwork in the photo looks perfectly functional. A small percentage of broken bricks in a wall is no need for worrry, unless theyre all in one long line.


NT

 

[Lady_Mari]

ok, so what about the outside, re porous bricks?

outside the house, we hastily fixed the loose ones back in & discovered this whole wall has been coated in a thin cement slurry & then painted with Weathershield.
We are intending to get this off but believe it was done as the bricks here had become porous

 

[Nemesis]

Until you get the stuff off (if you can) you can't really tell, can you?

 

[Penners]

You'll need to proceed carefully, when you try to get the cement render off the outside of the bricks. If it's well keyed into them, you could cause damage to the face of the bricks.

As regards the inside, I agree with NT. It looks pretty serviceable.

 

[Penners]

Dutch oven:

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/domestic_appliances/1962-322.aspx

Nem - this link doesn't work.

I'd always understood that a Dutch oven is a sort of iron cookpot. A bit like a French marmite.

However, I also know about Nemesis's lavatorial connotation. I think it's dreadful to introduce such vulgarity into a thread.

 

[Nemesis]

That's odd - it works for me!

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/domestic_appliances/1962-322.aspx


Picture (a large metal oven on legs, front open to the fire, door at rear in order that meat could be basted, hung from bottle jack in the top) ) and this text:

Dutch oven, a device for speeding up the roasting of small meats in front of an open fire, with basting spoon and with brass spring-driven bottle jack by Mather and Armstrong of Newcastle, English, 1850-1900

Vulgarity? I posted it as it was of academic and scholarly interest of course. I appreciate how delicate are your sensibilities Penners...


I'd try gently to see if cement can be removed. If not, leave it there and mend from the interior.

 

[MdB]

Works for me too.
Here is the pic (if the science museum allow deep linking... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_linking))

 

[Nemesis]

Ta!

Hang small joint from bottle jack, wind up, place in front of fire, and watch it rotate and roast.

The juices fall to a tin in the bottom, open door and baste joint at regular intervals.

 

[Lady_Mari]

Whilst interesting I don't think this was the Dutch oven that was in our cottage.
On the os map an area of approx 3.5 x 12 ft projects from the back wall of the cottage, this is no longer there & the opening has been bricked up. On the pic its the area that is on the right where the concrete patch can be seen.
When we asked what used to be there we were told that was where the Dutch oven used to be. We were told that it was brick built & the fire would be made up underneath a brick shelf.
So why are the inner layer of bricks in the recess to the left of this sooty & blackened?

 

[Nemesis]

It wasn't then Dutch oven - simply a normal bread (and other baked goods) oven. The fire would be lit within the cavity itself, the opening closed, and when the chamber had reached the desired temperature, the ashes raked out and the bread etc put in to cook.

A Dutch oven is a free standing one as pictured.

The rest of the fire opening/hearth would be used for other cooking purposes. Fires weren't only for warmth.

 

[Penners]

I agree with Nemesis. It was a bread oven that you had. Probably rather less fancy than this, but along the same lines: