Masonry Heater Workshop with Albie Barden

Masonry Heater Workshop with Albie Barden
Conway, NH, October 1 - 7, 2000
Report by Gary Hart

The masonry heater workshop went off without a hitch. Korey and I arrived in Conway, New Hampshire Saturday, September 30th. Sunday, Albie, Korey and I, Dave, Ken, John, Joe (a chimney sweep) and one home owner (future masonry heater owner) started building the block foundation for the heater. In a flurry of activity, we built the foundation up to the ceiling line and got the slab poured before crashing for the evening.

Our host and hostess, Andy and Andria plus baby Fiona provided us with a hot meal and pleasant conversation.

Monday found us back at the job site bright and early. Work began on the heater. The custom built heater followed Albie's Albie Core design but was hand made. Ken built the forms for the castable bake oven top, diverter wedge and capping slabs. Albie hand carved the mantel below the oven door out of granite and the finished capping slabs out of granite. By Saturday evening, we had the heater up and approximately 11 feet of chimney. Korey had the opportunity to do some carving on granite.

The hands on training that everyone received was top notch and invaluable. Albie is an excellent teacher, and took a lot of time to answer questions. He spent a lot of time explaining the design and principles of what was going on and why. During the work week, we had the opportunity to visit some of the heaters that have been built in the area. I was impressed with the heaters and envious of the talent.

Fall colors were everywhere. What a beautiful time of the year. Albie, Thank You for the workshop and tutor age and thanks for sharing some of your life experiences.

Gary Hart