The Badger Build

[thebadger]

The Badger Build - First Fire

Gang,

Put my blanket on and thought why not fire her up!!! It's been 2+weeks since I finished my brickwork.

I only used newspaper and did a burn for about 1 hour... The dome did hit 450+ when the paper flared up at one point but I realized I could keep the flame under control if I rolled the paper tightly. I don't think the dome got above 275 for any sustained amount of time. I could have sworn I heard some "clinks" but didn't see any cracks on the inside.

I figure I'll do this for a few days even before I use wood - don't want to rush.

Thanks
Dick

[asudavew]

Re: The Badger Build

Looking good !

Take your time curing.

Avoid the temptation for plasma!

[Frances]

Re: The Badger Build

The concrete turned out a nice colour, that'll look great when its polished up.

I'll bet your looking forward to the cure! ...Don't forget to take some nice fire pictures for the rest of us.

[gjbingham]

Re: The Badger Build

Nice jog Dick! I'm thinking these days that doing the cure before finishing the oen is the best way to go. One last chance to fix any problems before you insulate the dome.

[thebadger]

Re: The Badger Build

Gang,

No "real" progress that most (except you guys and gals) would notice.

I added a layer of concrete to my hearth to make it level with the perlcrete base and tried some coloring that I plan to use for the final counter that will be poured on top/front of the oven (much like Ken did). Don't worry about what it looks like on top. The color on the side is what we'll end up with. I think its one bottle of "buff" quick crete color to 1 80 lb bag.

I also (per Ken's instructions) installed my chimney plate. I used some Blanket between the plate/brick and some tapcon screws. Hopefully it won't crack.

I did "buttress" the sides with extra firebrick. Turns out I should only be using about 7 feet (not 8) of chimney plus my cap so I think I'll be okay...

Next weekend - CURE!!!!! (assuming the weather holds out )

Thanks
Dick

[dbhansen]

Re: The Badger Build (finished the vent/chimney transistion)

At what point do we "christen" our ovens - I'm assuming the first fire???

Would your dome withstand the "whack" of a champagne bottle? Maybe that can be the new strength test.

[Frances]

Re: The Badger Build

You make it all look so easy! If I built another oven I think I'd follow your pictures...

Christening.... depends what you mean by that. First pizza? First time you bake something in the oven? First time you invite all your friends round and drink to the new oven?

One tip: keep something small on hand to bake during the first few fires... people have tried to wait until the oven's ready for pizza, but usually end up putting some deep frozen conveniance food in, because they can't stand to wait

[gjbingham]

Re: The Badger Build

Really nice work Dick! I don't see any reason to do a second cure after adding a second blanket. Go slow with the heat early on. Let it do its job. A second cure, to me, seems to be a waste of wood and time in the early stages during the second round of fires.

Once the moisture is out of the oven, do the external finish and you're done. You can actually tell when the oven's finally cured by the rate at which it heats up and holds heat, and how much wood it takes to get to a certain temp. Also, if you can still see your mortar joints from outside the dome, they continue to look wet for quite awhile, which is a great clue as to the moisture left in the dome and mortar.

Regarding your earlier questions about the chimney - moot point? Looks like it. Once again, nice work!

[thebadger]

The Badger Build (finished the vent/chimney transistion)

Gang,

Made a lot of progress. I guess for all purposes I'm done with the "firebrick" portion of the oven. (I still need to install an outer arch of regular bricks).

Not to be one to go "off plan" but I was thinkining more about the curing process. I won't be able to take anymore time off for "all day" cures so I thought of the following for my curing process...? Put 1 blanket on and follow the revised curing process, then insulate (2 "blanket/3-4" of perlcrete), then re cure again. I figure the first cure will drive moisture from the dome and the second from the perlcrete. What does everyone think?

At what point do we "christen" our ovens - I'm assuming the first fire???

Here are some pics.

Thanks
Dick

[thebadger]

The Badger Build (Vent/Chimney

Made some more progress today.

Put some extra bricks on the inside and top vent section/archway to help channel the smoke. Worked on the bricks for the chimney base. Gotta love my cheap HF 4 1/2 grinder. I was able to grind away to match the curve of the arch - actually worked out well. I still need to do some final fittings but I'm thinking this will work.

One question - should I add a row of bricks (on their side) to the sides of my vent walls for extra support. I'll have 8 ft of duravent chimney on top to clear my pergola. I thought it weighed more but a 2 ft section was about 8-10 lbs (so I'll have about 40 lbs of chimney). I'm thinking the arch will support it but I know others were concerned about weight of just a 4 ft section?

One more question - any issues with using that "black fireplace caulk" under the metal chimney to seal the plate instead of using HS?

The next step should be a final fitting then mortaring everything together. Once it dries I'll use "Tapcon" screws and brick wedges to hold the chimney base in place.

Thanks
Dick

[thebadger]

The Badger Build (Vent/Chimney)

Here are some pics of the boys - if only they could mortar the joints from the inside

Don't tell social services I am putting my kids in "an oven."

Dick

[thebadger]

The Badger Build (Front Arch)

Update,

Regarding the HS on the interior dome top - Sounds like 1) don't do it 2) it shouldn't be too much of a problem - maybe just some flaking. I'll let everyone know if I experience any issues.

I took the day off but the weather turned bad however I did manage to get the front arch done. I also picked up some more HS (I'm going through a lot of HS) and some bricks for the outer arch like George did (these are housebricks that will be exposed to the elements).

I'm hoping to finish the arch/vent this weekend. I need to install ~8 feet of chimney due to my pergola so I'm thinking about adding another row of bricks to the outer side of the landing for extra support.

Thanks
Dick

[thebadger]

Re: The Badger Build

Ken

Oops "done" There is HS on the inside top...

Didn't really mean to but when I was filling in the inside joints with HS I was having too much trouble getting the mortar off of the brick facings since it was so rough and even. If it's a problem - don't tell me as I don't know how I can get the stuff off.

Dick

[Ken524]

Re: The Badger Build

Ok... I thought you meant you wanted to add a coat of HS to the inside of the dome. I definitely wouldn't do that. Outside is optional. I left mine clean.

[thebadger]

Re: The Badger Build

Ken,

Thanks - that a huge compliment coming from you. Your oven was truly a work of art! - I didn't add any more HS to the outside of dome. When I filled in the joints on the inside it was impossible to "clean" the mortar off due to the "dried" mortar on the brick facing so the top courses got a light coating when I filled everything in... It almost looks like it was "cast" vs individual bricks now.

Dick