Hola! From Hell Paso and beyond

[texmex]

I'm Reesa, and I am going to build the cheapest WFO I can create. Hopefully it will be a work of art for edible arts, and it will stand up to whatever I throw at it.

I have become passionate about baking and pizza in general after running across a strange contraption I found at pizzamaking.com which many of you are already familiar with, and others may be interested in (The Little Black Egg).

Only recently have I decided to build a WFO using found objects, and will most likely use a little bit of knowledge from all over the web to consolidate into a workable oven for my backyard. I am inspired by every method found here...true artisans in every sense of the word, whether building with cob, brick, or castables.

From all that I have read and tried to absorb, I sense that this is a giving community, and can't wait to begin building and picking y'alls brains, once I have gathered many of my materials.

[Lburou]

Re: Hola! From Hell Paso and beyond

Welcome Resa, dig in!

I used recycled firebricks for my oven. Keep an eye on craigslist for inexpensive tools and materials.

[RTflorida]

Re: Hola! From Hell Paso and beyond

Don't skimp on the insulation, stick to what has been proven to work - perlite/vermiculite concrete, refractory fiber board & blanket. If you shop around you can find reasonable pricing on all.

RT

[texmex]

Re: Hola! From Hell Paso and beyond

Thanks for the welcome.

I have slowly been gathering items for my build...craigslist is definitely a help. I am just about set to start building the base next week...but it has been raining a lot lately, so I may have to wait.

I will build my base using the earthbag/sandbag method and have just found that my wish for barbed wire to tie the sandbags together has been granted! (plenty of it and free). I already have a stockpile of sandbags, and I will seal the outer surfaces of the build with chicken wire covered by concrete and stucco (which has been sitting in my storage building).

I have around 70 to 80 insulating firebrick which I will use for under the main deck. I may have enough leftover to make a layer of insulation over my cob dome as well, and I want to try this method to see how it works, and not because it is tested, tried and true...I don't doubt it will work just swell.

I do have a friend in construction who is avidly searching for firebrick for my deck. I wish I could just go to McKinney Wrecking and get some of their $1 salvaged firebrick, but I know a ton of those bricks came out of ASARCO, and I just can't chance dealing with bricks used in a Copper Smelter...too bad they can't tell me where each brick came from. New bricks will cost me $2.50 each here if I cannot find them in the wild.

I purchased 100 pounds of fireclay powder for 40 bucks. We have an abundance of good varieties of desert sand here to create a nice sandform and for the cob mixture. If I find I need more clay, I will just dig some up from my cousin's backyard.

I guess I'll start a new thread once I begin the real work. Thanks to all the information found on the many great oven building sites and blogs I feel like I know exactly how to build this thing. Let's see how it pans out....