Cob cob and cisterns

[Vernon B. Johnston]

>Doesn't Khalili fire some ceramic structures from the inside, build it with
>unfired bricks and then build a hot fire inside to fire the bricks from the
>inside.  Since this is a sweat lodge, you should have a fire hole in the
>roof anyway.  Seems like this would be a good application for Khalili's
>fired ceramic structures.
>
>Allixandria Sherral
>allixes at sprynet.com
>Wolfforth, Texas
>
>
I am not familiar with Khalili ceramic firing, but if it indeed turns a
material to ceramic then I would want to be very careful going into that
sweat.  It gets very hot and that hot would make a ceramic like material
dangerous to the touch.  If you can somehow cover the fired material with a
more forgiving substance, then maybe that would work.
    Also, my cob swauna does not have an exhaust hole designed into the
structure.  I thought of putting one in, but in my experience with sweats,
there has never been a "chimney,"  Plus,  where the chimney would be is
exactly where the key cob goes.  This locks in the whole structure, much
like a key brick or key stone in an arch.  And... I suspect like a key ice
block on an igloo.
    Anyway... that's my 2 "sense."   -   Vernon