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Re: Viennese Pizza...OK, so it's in Vienna, VA.
The last two weeks have not been too kind to the effort, at least from the available-time perspective....there is something about getting a daughter off to college that seems to put a brake on other efforts. But it?s all good, and I actually have managed to make some progress.
I got the vent arch built, and installed the clay flue. I did the arch using splits of brick instead of whole bricks to get the 6 1/2 x 11 1/2 inch opening I wanted, and in the interest of smaller mortar joints. Given my excellent mason skills, the resulting arch isn?t truly symmetrical, but I figure it will be fronted with a decorative stone arch so that failing will ?disappear? (assuming an improved skill level!). I cut wedges of brick the width of the vent, ground out a curve in them, and cemented them in place at the sides of the vent to provide a flat surface on the top of the arch for the flue to stand on, and did the same for the rear of the vent opening where the flue rests at the juncture of the dome and the vent arch; and notched out a 1/2 inch ledge at the front of the vent opening. This worked to give me a level base, and I cemented the flue in place with Heat Stop. I then poured a 3 1/2 inch high collar around the base of the flue for stability. My plan is to pour a 4 to 1 perlite cement casing around the flue (lighter than using brick), and later face it with thin veneer stone.
I had placed two cinderblocks on either side of the vent arch, thinking both to buttress the arch and because it gave me the square look from the front that I wanted...Well, that I thought I wanted until I did it. After looking at it for a couple of days, she who must be obeyed invoked the ?in-process design change? rule, and decided that it was too big and square, so I plan to cut away the outer half of the top block---gotta love that trusty $19.95 HF angle grinder! The resulting step up from 8 to 16 inches across the front will, I hope, end up being better looking.
And with that done, I got to light my first curing fire! Hot damn! Now it is on to insulating the dome, and covering same.
Photos are attached for those with strong stomachs. The third picture shows the oven at the point before I cut away the outer half of the top CMU?s.
The last two weeks have not been too kind to the effort, at least from the available-time perspective....there is something about getting a daughter off to college that seems to put a brake on other efforts. But it?s all good, and I actually have managed to make some progress.
I got the vent arch built, and installed the clay flue. I did the arch using splits of brick instead of whole bricks to get the 6 1/2 x 11 1/2 inch opening I wanted, and in the interest of smaller mortar joints. Given my excellent mason skills, the resulting arch isn?t truly symmetrical, but I figure it will be fronted with a decorative stone arch so that failing will ?disappear? (assuming an improved skill level!). I cut wedges of brick the width of the vent, ground out a curve in them, and cemented them in place at the sides of the vent to provide a flat surface on the top of the arch for the flue to stand on, and did the same for the rear of the vent opening where the flue rests at the juncture of the dome and the vent arch; and notched out a 1/2 inch ledge at the front of the vent opening. This worked to give me a level base, and I cemented the flue in place with Heat Stop. I then poured a 3 1/2 inch high collar around the base of the flue for stability. My plan is to pour a 4 to 1 perlite cement casing around the flue (lighter than using brick), and later face it with thin veneer stone.
I had placed two cinderblocks on either side of the vent arch, thinking both to buttress the arch and because it gave me the square look from the front that I wanted...Well, that I thought I wanted until I did it. After looking at it for a couple of days, she who must be obeyed invoked the ?in-process design change? rule, and decided that it was too big and square, so I plan to cut away the outer half of the top block---gotta love that trusty $19.95 HF angle grinder! The resulting step up from 8 to 16 inches across the front will, I hope, end up being better looking.
And with that done, I got to light my first curing fire! Hot damn! Now it is on to insulating the dome, and covering same.
Photos are attached for those with strong stomachs. The third picture shows the oven at the point before I cut away the outer half of the top CMU?s.
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