Little secrets, big work.
A homemade muffle furnace is assembled as follows. First, we prepare a cylinder from a sheet of galvanized steel, the diameter of which corresponds to the diameter of the casing. Its height should be about 30 cm. We attach the legs from the pipe to the cylinder. From the bottom, from the end of the workpiece, we make holes and draw a wire mesh through them, which will hold the filled and hardened solution of heat-insulating and heat-resistant material. In the same way, you need to make a cover for the furnace, in which it is necessary to provide a hole for ventilation of the structure.
We place a heating coil in the grooves of the container so that the turns of the wires do not touch, the ends of the wire are led out through the ceramic tubes. It is necessary to bring wires to them and test the resulting design. (See also: Laboratory ovens)
The final stage of work with ceramics or photoceramics is the firing of finished products in a special muffle furnace at very high temperatures, on average, from 800 to 1000 degrees Celsius. In this way, porcelain, enameled, fechral items, ceramics, tablets, photo ovals for monuments, etc. are processed. There are two types of electric kilns for firing: chamber kiln and muffle kiln. The difference between them is that in a muffle furnace, the heating elements encircle the muffle (chamber) made of refractory material, and chamber furnaces have a heating element inside the chamber. As for heat loss, the muffle furnace has a slightly higher one. However, the muffle furnace for ceramics has obvious advantages. Most branded furnaces on the market today are small, standard sizes, and if you make a muffle furnace yourself, you can make it according to the dimensions that production requires.
If you need a muffle furnace for firing ceramics, then an ordinary electric stove, or rather its nichrome spiral, is suitable for creating a home-made design.
Sauna stoves
Sauna brick stoves-heaters have slightly lost their positions to modern metal stoves. But they will always be appreciated by lovers of a real Russian bathhouse and dry steam. The main positive quality of brick sauna stoves is their high heat capacity. Such an oven does not cool down for a long time, and given the high humidity that is present in the baths, this is an important detail. A warm oven dries the walls of the bathhouse, thereby preventing the occurrence of mold and fungal formations.
The construction of a brick sauna stove is also justified by the fact that there is no smell of burnt metal in a bathhouse with such a heating agent. There is one more big plus: such furnaces, in terms of fire, are safe. Their designs are almost the same, the difference is only in size, so the oven must be adjusted to the size of the bathhouse.
Finnish sauna stoves are also suitable for sauna stoves, which create a very high temperature and dry light steam. Building a stove for a sauna, like for a bath, requires a higher skill of the stove-maker, because a small mistake and you will lose the opportunity to get light steam. The brick sauna stove is installed in such a way that the walls of the stove heat not only the steam room, but also the dressing room and the recreation area. (See also: Do-it-yourself oven in the yard)
Steam in saunas is formed due to normal, natural atmospheric humidity and needs less artificial humidification of hot air.
Do-it-yourself oven masonry features
The construction of brick ovens is becoming increasingly popular, as is the desire to have your own private home. No matter how well-appointed and good a city apartment is, a country house with a small garden and a beautiful front garden will always be a desirable place where a city dweller aspires to get away from the hustle and bustle.And what is comfort in a house without a stove? Now there are no educational institutions that teach the profession of a stove-maker, most often this craft is done by craftsmen who want to do everything with their own hands, and understand the principle of a brick oven. Some owners of a brick oven in their own home are proud to have installed the oven themselves. (See also: Do-it-yourself slow-burning stove)
Building a stove with your own hands requires a person to focus and concentrate. It is desirable to design it at the design stage of the house, but in no case should the foundation of the stove be connected to the foundation of the house. Before starting the construction of the furnace, you need to decide on the model and prepare the order of the furnace. Ordering schemes can be found in books and the Internet. For an inexperienced builder, orderly laying the stove is the only way to properly fold the stove. Such a stove that will justify its purpose, where the fire burns, does not smoke, and the walls and the whole house are heated.
The preparation of building material, which must be of the highest quality, precedes the stages of building brick ovens. Modern building materials allow you not to mess around with clay and sand cleaning. Everything is sold ready to use. There is no need to soften the clay, wipe it and wait for days for its readiness. In order not to suspend work in full swing, experienced builders pre-purchase all the necessary building material and pre-prepare the tools.
Building a stove with your own hands is a serious, but the right decision, because a brick oven has great advantages. Constantly given off heat from the furnace, relieves the room of excessive dampness. And the result will always be the pride of the builder and one of the reasons for the good health of the inhabitants of the house.
Other ways to classify stoves
Brick ovens can also be classified according to their shape:
- rectangular;
angular (forming a triangle);
round;
ovens with many corners;
furnaces with a complex design.
Not all stoves have the same movement of gases in the channels. According to these features, furnaces are known with:
- one or two turns in parallel channels;
multi-turn channels with serial connection;
without channels, the so-called bell-type furnaces;
combined turnover systems.
According to the degree of heating of the outer walls of the furnace with: moderate heating - 60-90оС; increased heating - 90-120оС; high - more than 120 ° C.
They can also be classified according to the exterior finish of the stove into:
- lined with tiles, and tiles;
plastered and painted (whitewashed);
masonry with grout;
laying "for jointing".
Symbolism of images of birds in the ornament of Russian tiles
Tiles on Russian stoves and facades are often full of colorful birds. It is not surprising, because the bird symbolizes the spirit and freedom, in the context of religious interpretations, it acts as a messenger of divine powers and a symbol of paradise. In the painting you can find a variety of birds, including mythical ones, but for the most part they are small birds like nightingales, colorful peacocks and proud eagles.
Russian style tile, 16th century
Fragment of facade decoration, XVII century
The nightingale is a symbol of talent and tenderness. His image was intended to give the house good luck and peace. Happiness and success in the family was trusted to bring a peacock. He was often compared with the firebird, the heroine of Russian fairy tales, capable of granting wishes. The eagle, on the contrary, personified firmness and masculinity, was called upon to show strength and inflexibility. That is why it is the most used image in heraldry. The image of this mighty bird was often used for tiles in Russian architecture.
Fragment of a ceramic frieze, Merchant Igumnov's House, Moscow
We have considered only one of the main elements that are used in the ornamentalism of Russian tiles.In the general mass there are a great many of them, the interpretation of some of them can vary significantly. Even the position of the figure or the location of individual lines, as well as the color of the painting, can influence the value.
Decorative finish of the stove
In order to give a newly built furnace a pleasant appearance, there are many ways, it does not make much sense to describe each of them, so we are becoming the most popular and common. (See also: A simple do-it-yourself oven)
- Furnace tiling. Perhaps the most versatile way of decorating stoves, due to the widespread use of ceramic tiles, this method is gaining more and more popularity among people who do not strive for historical matching of the stove and love simplicity. But such a finish has several drawbacks, one of which is that under the influence of temperature, the tile warms up unevenly, which causes small deformations and the tile “looses” its fastening. After several cycles of heating, such decor may begin to fall off and will have to be re-installed.
The use of tiles for decorating the stove increases its beauty and reliability of the coating several times. These custom-made ceramic tiles require specific installation skills, and their price is quite significantly higher than regular tiles.
The simplest and most affordable way to give the structure a “commodity” look is to whitewash the stove with chalk, which allows you to get an attractive and inexpensive coating without resorting to significant costs. The downside of this decor is the need for periodic updates.
(See also: Do-it-yourself stove painting)
Another way that does not particularly bother the owner of the furnace is painting it with ordinary floor paint. The method, it would seem, is simple and reliable, but after 2-3 months the entire gloss of the coating begins to fade and peel off, and it will have to be completely renewed at least once a year.
The meaning of the colors of the painting of Russian tiles
Since the 16th century, red has been the most common color in folk crafts. Since the time of Ancient Russia, he was considered a symbol of life and health, denoted the feminine. And despite the fact that the opportunity to use it appeared much later, it was this color that became the main one in painting tiles for Russian stoves.
In the painting of Russian tiled stoves, red was often used in combination with white, the color of purity and light. He was considered the strongest amulet that could protect the house from evil spirits and evil thoughts. The meaning of color takes its origins from the Slavic tribes who believed in the existence of Belobog and Chernobog, thanks to which the opposition of white and black in the role of good and evil appeared.
However, black color may also be present in the painting, which in this case loses its negative meaning. The Slavs associated this color with the earth. In this regard, it was used in the pattern in the form of straight and wavy lines, symbolizing a fertile field.
Blue is the color of truth and wisdom. One of the most common pigments for painting tiles in Russian architecture. The blue pattern can be seen on the facades of residential buildings, departmental buildings, palaces and estates, cathedrals and churches.
Ceramic frieze, Merchant Igumnov's House, Moscow
Another popular color of facade ceramics is blue. This color in Russian culture has always been associated with the sky, it was believed that it has a connection with divine power. It is for this reason that it is the most common color of ceramics for the decoration of churches and cathedrals.
Facade decor of the Tikhvin Church, Yaroslavl
Ceramic decoration of the central pillar of the Calvary Church, New Jerusalem, Moscow region.
Of course, folk ornament is not complete without the color of youth and spring, shoots in fertile fields - green.The Russian stove with green tiles, according to legend, brought abundance to the house. The second meaning of green is associated with higher powers. It was in this interpretation that it was used in icon painting and switched to facade ceramics in church architecture.
Tiled stove, 17th century
Armed with some knowledge before you buy tiles for a Russian stove or a Russian-style tiled fireplace, you can not only bring warmth, comfort and beauty to your home, but also enrich them with secret signs that give happiness and good luck. Well, if you do not believe in symbolism and the influence of signs, then they may simply inspire you to new decor ideas in the spirit of folk art. After all, Russian ornaments have been at the peak of popularity for a long time and fit perfectly into the most fashionable interior styles.
Heating and cooking stoves
The most popular in Russia are other types of stoves. Almost 90% of furnace buildings are heating and cooking furnaces. Such stoves are in villages and in private sectors of cities. Of course, the efficiency of such ovens is an order of magnitude higher than that of heating ovens, because in addition to heating functions, they allow you to cook food and bake various goodies. Heating and cooking stoves are necessarily equipped with a cast-iron stove and an oven, boilers for heating, and Russian stoves also have chambers for baking bread, and stove benches. Almost all heating and cooking stoves also have niches in which you can dry firewood. The efficiency of these furnaces reaches 60%, they have stable traction and high heat capacity, as well as heating furnaces for a long time give off heat to their entire array. These stoves include "Swedes", Russian stoves, etc. The construction of a Russian stove is quite a costly business, but it pays off with its functional diversity, and the stove bench, a favorite place for older people, who thus treat themselves for pain in the back ( lower back) and legs.
The next type of stove, which is often found in our homes, is a stove with a heating shield. These stoves can be called an economical version of heating and cooking stoves. The laying of such a furnace is inexpensive, a lot of materials are also not required, and the efficiency is quite high. The varieties of such stoves are endless. (See also: DIY brick oven)
