Red Clay Brick Oven in the Philippine Islands

[Lancer]

Re: Red Clay Brick Oven in the Philippine Islands

Gudday

So .... Grab a sheet of newspaper roll yourself a log of the rice hulls twist the ends some tape /rubber bands. ( I just re read this I'm willing to bet it will attract a comment.) Delievery system again ,keep it simple ...a soft underhand throw into the middle of the fire in a hot oven. That puppy will burn I promise you.

Done! That's a good piece of advice. Then again we don't get the paper, I might get the bucket built as a backup for when we're out.

Thanks for your kind words Dave.

[cobblerdave]

Re: Red Clay Brick Oven in the Philippine Islands

Gudday again
Brickie right if you just chuck it loose on top it will just choke the fire by-depriving it of oxygen. The rolled up newspaper was to get it to the fire in one solid piece, well not that solid.
That seems to be the sticking point ...the solid bit.
I make blocks of seed for the bird life. Seed ,watered down PVA wood glue (its safe ) into a container with a bit of wire .... Let dry and its done. And they love it.
Not saying wood glue is common but why not something local ,flour and water, it doesn't have to be to strong just enough to hold it. Set in some container perhaps a bit of bamboo.
Taking that solid bit a little further consider just wetting the husk and using some mechanical means to compress it . I don't mean anything to complex like hydrolics levers and man power have been around forever. A simple device like those old aluminum can crushers that use to be around.
A way of making that husk into a solid fuel could be usefull to the community like the coconut husk coal.
Anyway I hope something here is usefull
Regards dave

[Lancer]

Re: Red Clay Brick Oven in the Philippine Islands

Dang Dave, you are a wealth of wisdom. Between you and Brickie this problem will get this figured out yet! The bamboo is a great idea. I can cut it into its natural sections do that each has an open top and closed bottom and pack it full of husks and toss it in, problem solved. Between that and old newspapers I think its resolved.

Regarding compacting down into say pellet stove pellets, rice husks are so dry that they lack any resin which is what I think holds such together.

Its good I discussed this with you guys. I'd never have imagined one could smother a fire in an 800 degree oven. Astonishing!

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: Red Clay Brick Oven in the Philippine Islands

There will be a special place in heaven for you by helping the locals and taking in the children. Good luck with your build, will be watching with much interest

[stonecutter]

Re: Red Clay Brick Oven in the Philippine Islands

.... So, watch out if you build a pool, the kids come next.

We have a pool..nothing great, but we have had it for 2 years so maybe I dodged a bullet. Then again, when we found out a little one was due in 9 months, I had just started an oven at my home. That was almost 6 years ago, and I am building another oven at a different home....

Uh oh.

[david s]

Re: Red Clay Brick Oven in the Philippine Islands

I recall seeing a video where the cook would occasionally throw a handful of what looked like sawdust into the hot oven. It immediately burst into flame and lasted about 5 secs, just to boost the temp a tad. So long as you don't dump in too much at a time, this works pretty well and will not smother the fire.

[cobblerdave]

Re: Red Clay Brick Oven in the Philippine Islands

Gudday
I did a quik goggle on rice husks and came up with a some interesting points
By itself in its natural form it doesn't burn well without a stream of air to keep lite something to do with the shape. There is a stove out there that gasifies it to run a burner. There is a processs to convert to solid logs for burning but this seems to be for large applications rather than domestics.
One thing that that stood out that caught my eye was that it has a high silica content. Makes it great for refractory materials and the ash can be used for high temp insulation but to have that released in the air might be a bit dangerous to your lungs . Like I said a quik goggle search but still warrants more investigation.
Davids I like throwing flour into the flames in a hot oven. It bursts into flame before it hits the burning sticks and adds a bit if theater to pizza parties. Appears this stuffs shaped wrong, a would guess something like throwing leaves on a fire it smothers it at first till it heats up and the oxygen get through.
Anyway it's all supposition I would love to get some to play around with but for now I'll have to goggle more
Regards dave

[Lancer]

Re: Red Clay Brick Oven in the Philippine Islands

Thanks UtahBeehiver!

david s, that's a good idea to boost temps really quickly. :b:

cobblerdave, yes better watch how many stoves you build or you'll have a house full. I'm aware of the burning characteristics of rice husks and am going to get a hot fire going with wood and sustain it with husks. Even if something doesn't burn well if the oven is 800 degrees it might be persuaded to do so, at least that's what I'm counting on.

[brickie in oz]

Re: Red Clay Brick Oven in the Philippine Islands

Even if something doesn't burn well if the oven is 800 degrees it might be persuaded to do so, at least that's what I'm counting on.

I tried this with sawdust, not real fine stuff more like shavings.
I put it to one side of the fire and it just sat there smouldering on the top until you disturbed it, then woof, then back to smouldering again.

[Lancer]

Re: Red Clay Brick Oven in the Philippine Islands

Was it dry? Sawdust can be wet because the sawmills use sprinklers to wet down lumber so it stays straight. The rice is laid out in the sun on tarps until it is very dry and then goes to the mill. This drying is done by the owner of the rice, the husks are dry when I would get them and feed them into the oven. I have hope it will work out. Did the sawdust steam?

[brickie in oz]

Re: Red Clay Brick Oven in the Philippine Islands

It was straight from my own thicknesser air dried to 12%, so it was dry.
No matter how you look at it, it wont work, if it worked there wouldnt be a mountain of rice husks free for the taking.

[Lancer]

Re: Red Clay Brick Oven in the Philippine Islands

I'm stubborn.

[cobblerdave]

Re: Red Clay Brick Oven in the Philippine Islands

Gudday
I can just see in my mind eye those pile of shavings smoldering away like brickie said. Poke them introduce that air and you have some combustion. The google I did said this morning was to do with the shape of the husk that it needed air to be introduced to burn.
A WFO breaths. All to do with the 63 per cent entrance hieght to dome height. Light a fire in a cold oven and the smoke hovers in a layer about a third of the way up the bottom third is clear. Reaches a point where the heat builds up and gets reflected back ..... Suddenly the smoke clears and the fires away burning efficiently. It's all a balance between air being drawn in at the bottom exiting at the 63per cent of oven hieght entrance . Add an internal chimney without some form of control or introducing an air flow would upset the balance of how these ovens "breath" and regulate themselves. Same with a forced air flow to induce you husk to burn.
Just some thoughts and suppositions for the moment ....all ideas are good ones if they lead to some more and finally a solution maybe

Regards dave

[Lancer]

Re: Red Clay Brick Oven in the Philippine Islands

"63 percent entrance height to dome height."

That's good to know. Have a question. I'm 6' tall, any idea how high the floor should be? I was considering 4' 6" though I could easily lower that to 4'. Any other handy specs would be very helpful.

Regarding the husks, even if I was 99% sure it wouldn't work I still have to try. The high cost of wood, the fact that husks are free, and the ideas presented here by you guys, wrapping in paper or packing in bamboo, the benefit of free fuel however unlikely must be tried. For one thing, the attempt costs so little particularly since you guys have talked me out of attempting the shute.

[cobblerdave]

Re: Red Clay Brick Oven in the Philippine Islands

Gudday
Think it's about time you downloaded the forno free plans.
Go to the forno online store load a set of free plans in the trolley and they will be e-mailed to you. Everything's in there except rice husk fuel

Regards dave