Carefully closing the dome

      Prepping for the leaning arch is under way. I need to get the dome a little closer to the doorway and a little narrower and the leaning arch can connect and begin. Yesterday involved quick thinking and too much ambition. Today was making sure everything was still on track and looking good. A leaning arch is somewhat improvisational and not based on a compass. I only did 2 mini rows today because they needed time to dry.

The gap is almost closed! 

Symmetry 

So close!

Top rows ned to be thinner, it makes them wider and lighter, but still very strong!

Also a slightly wetter mix allows for less force in tamping and the extra water packs the material down. Just a tiny bit jelly roll. Leaking water but not jelly.

Creosote sandwich

The rows are flat on top...

But the underside sags. The rows you see at the top are spilling over each other on the underside. But they are totally supported.

The rows cannot fall in to the dome, like how children's stacked rings cannot go inside each other, the previous one is supporting the next one and so on.  

You can see how at the base the entrance is "woven " into the dome.
Once the rows got so narrow, I decided that the monolithic rows would add extra strength and buttress the door.

Imperfectly perfect.

Patience exercise. 

Trip down the well.

Extra mix is fortified with another small bucket of cement to bring it to roughly 20% and applied to the top row of pond liner foundation. This is just to keep the pond liner safe from puncture.