Adobe Pompeii

[marklewis]

Re: Adobe Pompeii

Awesome oven. I am also building a clay oven but using "wet" bricks. Have you had much trouble with cracks and do you just fill and let re-dry?

I think your dried firebricks mortered with clay mix should work better to minimize drying cracks than my oven. (mine is still drying)

Also, what did you insulate with and how are you protecting the oven from the elements?

Here is my thread with pictures:

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f43/...ild-12388.html

Thanks for your response in advance.

[GlassKitchen]

Re: Adobe Pompeii

What a time for your post.. I just worked on it for the first time this year last week

I did the unthinkable.. I left it uncovered. Being in NC, you know the winter we have had. I figured, it's just mud, slap some on to fix it. Or maybe it will collapse. The rains came in fall, and it looked a bit rough. Then the freezing came.. huge cracks, but only in the last applications of the mud, 1" down. After this horrible winter, it was down to the point where some of the original adobe bricks were visible, and some almost spongy to the touch. It seemed to be in bad shape.. but the structure was there and very stable, and the inside of the oven was fine.

Last week, when it was finally warm enough to put hands in mud, I took a leaf rake and raked the surface to remove loose stuff, not much at all. Two trays of the same clay dirt, mixed with some long, dried grass from the edge of the yard, and it is back to its original form. 30 minutes of work. Its looks as good as new.

The chimney and the sill of the oven opening are the two places I used a sifted dirt and portland cement mixture. They have no cracks, and there was no visible degradation at all. Once this last round of adobe dries a bit, I'll cover the whole thing using that portland/clay dirt mix. Then 5 months of cooking, and we'll see how it goes next winter.

I should have got some pics before I started fixing it up. I will get some from here on out. We are so excited to start using it again! I'm even happy a large maple fell in our yard last fall.. more wood

Chris

[marklewis]

Re: Adobe Pompeii

Very Cool. I plan to build some simple covering when done. I'm glad your oven is still intact after all the wet weather. So do any mountain biking around the NC mountains? I've been to Henderson & Brevard and adore the mountains. Later.

[GlassKitchen]

Re: Adobe Pompeii

Yes, a cover is a great thing! Wasn't in our budget or time.. but would love to get around to something this summer. You are taking a lot more care in building yours.. can't imagine leaving that beauty to the elements.

We are about 12 miles from DuPont Forrest, so great MTB'ing (and road) right out the door

Chris

[GlassKitchen]

Re: Adobe Pompeii

Here is some video of one of the first times using the oven..

YouTube - More Pizza Pizza

YouTube - Wood oven pizza

YouTube - Bread!

Even a tribute to the Pizza pizza! guy on you tube I had a little too much fire going on, but it was a blast.

Chris

[DrMike]

Re: Adobe Pompeii

Hey chris! now Im really kicking myself for not getting in touch with you when I was in asheville. This sounds like a good design for me because I am a renter and dont want to invest a lot of money in building an oven that wont be mine in a year or two. Your creativity is just awesome. Not only do you make beautiful glass work but an awesome design for a cheap wfo....Dr mike (blackstoneglass)