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Post by DCish on May 3, 2014 10:30:52 GMT -8
In my area (DC) there are lots of places that install counter tops and end up with literally tons of scrap cut-offs that are dumped. I had hoped to use soapstone scraps as bell material, but it turns out that very few installers do soapstone, and those that do have low volume, and in 8 months of trying I've netted only a paltry few scraps. So I'm considering granite as a second best choice. My idea is to cut it into 3- to 4-inch wide strips, roughen the surface, and stack them like bricks using clay slip as mortar. Any thoughts on issues i may encounter? Specifically, How early in the system would you think I could use granite? Ideally I'd like to do a batch box core followed by a small cook top for instant heat, then a bell. I'd think it would be fine in the bell area, but do you think it would be OK to use immediately after the core as cook top support material? Does anyone see problems with using clay slip as mortar with it (e.g., differing expansion rates between the granite and the clay slip)? Many thanks in advance for your thoughts.
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Post by Daryl on May 3, 2014 16:19:31 GMT -8
Soapstone scratches easily. That is why it not used often for countertops. I have no idea how it holds up with stoves.
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Post by DCish on May 4, 2014 4:41:15 GMT -8
I'm currently heating with a soapstone box stove (Hearthstone Heritage), and as far as I can tell, soapstone is pretty much optimal for stoves because it can handle high heat well, and holds heat second only to water. Too bad I can't get much of it. I'm just not sure how well granite will work as a substitute.
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Post by satamax on May 4, 2014 6:10:05 GMT -8
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Post by DCish on May 4, 2014 16:18:39 GMT -8
Er, well, I guess I could try quarrying my own soapstone...
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Post by satamax on May 4, 2014 22:39:51 GMT -8
Er, well, I guess I could try quarrying my own soapstone... Well, i have some not far from me, and i have been thinking about it! I've done slate and some layered limestone, with a lump hammer and wooden wedges dried in the oven. When you wet theses, they expand, lifting the stones. I have also used metal wedges for splitting wood.
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Post by DCish on May 5, 2014 2:57:39 GMT -8
Fascinating idea! The granite countertop scrap is so easily available, though, it's hard to pass up. Do you think there would be any problems with different expansion rates between clay and granite that would get in the way of using clay slip as mortar?
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Post by satamax on May 5, 2014 3:12:42 GMT -8
Fascinating idea! The granite countertop scrap is so easily available, though, it's hard to pass up. Do you think there would be any problems with different expansion rates between clay and granite that would get in the way of using clay slip as mortar? Dunno! Do a double layer bell if you want a bell, otherwise, with solid mass, you coulkd always patch cracks!
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Post by DCish on May 5, 2014 3:35:18 GMT -8
Hmmm, that might be the way to go. Dry stacked inner, outer mudded together
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Post by DCish on May 6, 2014 2:58:07 GMT -8
Karl, Donkey, Peter... Any ideas on whether clay mortar to stick granite "bricks" together in a single-skin bell would be a worthwhile experiment, or fatally doomed from the start? I don't think anyone has tried it yet that I've seen here, so there may be no clear answer, but I would value your informed speculation.
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Post by smarty on May 6, 2014 6:37:18 GMT -8
Isn't talc closely related to soapstone? Couldn't talc be used as a filler for a cast slab using Alumina cement as a binder and some kind of crushed soapstone as aggregate. I should think that small chippings are easier to get hold of in bulk than larger bits.
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2014 7:50:55 GMT -8
Isn't talc closely related to soapstone? Soapstone is composed predominantly of talc, up to 100%.
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Post by DCish on May 6, 2014 12:32:02 GMT -8
My main problem with the talc idea is sourcing any form of soapstone. No quarry even remotely nearby. On a whim i just did a search for "soapstone" on Craig's list and two "soapstone or concrete" utility sinks are up for sale relatively cheap... could be a good source of material if confirmed to be soapstone.
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Post by smarty on May 7, 2014 9:57:04 GMT -8
Perhaps just the talc then. you can by this in 25kg bags in the uk. add some limestone chippings as used on top of flat roofs and some alumina cement and I should think you could cast something up that had at least some of the properties of soapstone.
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Post by mintcake on May 7, 2014 10:03:49 GMT -8
Karl, Donkey, Peter... Any ideas on whether clay mortar to stick granite "bricks" together in a single-skin bell would be a worthwhile experiment, or fatally doomed from the start? I don't think anyone has tried it yet that I've seen here, so there may be no clear answer, but I would value your informed speculation. According to engineering toolbox... I'm not sure: Granite
| 7.9 | Clay tile structure
| 5.9 | brick masonary
| 5.5
| concrete structure
| 9.8 | concrete | 14.5 | cement | 10 | steel
| 13
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It looks like it's going to be less expansive than concrete but more than brickwork. I've listed steel, because I've heard people say "steel expands at the same rate as concrete" which doesn't look quite true according to these numbers. Margin for error?? But maybe that only holds true for flexible steel. I'm not aware of anyone claiming granite is that flexible. If the difference between "clay tile structure" and "fired clay" were the same as "concrete structure" and "concrete" then I'd say you'd probably be in the right ball-park. According to some pottery websites I've just looked at, it seems like expansion rates of clays vary even between different batches from the same supplier. Another question... Are these granite worksurface slabs real granite? I know there's some which are sold as granite but are actually reconstituted granite bits/dust with a bit of epoxy or cement binder. It would be a shame to find that they're stuck together with something which melts at stove temperatures.
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