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Hi there,
I'm just starting on the firebrick for my build and thought I'd post here in the hope that the experienced and more knowledgeable oven peeps could advise (or assure) me before I do something stupid. I'm a little concerned because I have been reading about all the things that can go wrong, such as not heating up enough , or not holding heat etc. and I have made some modifications to the plans I started with from Alan Scott's bread builder book... trying to incorporate tips from other people's experience.
So far I have poured a 6" hearth slab on top of my block base (not suspended it with rebar) and then poured 2" of Kast-O-Lite insulated refractory on top of the slab to hopefully keep the heat in my hearth.
My local refractory supplier suggested setting the hearth brick with the Kast-O-Lite but that proved impossible as it hardened on contact and I couldn't level the bricks. After several unsuccessful attempts, I mixed a fireclay/portland/sand mortar and laid the brick on the flat instead of on end. They are finally stuck down and level.
Will the hearth be too thin laid flat? I am toying with the idea of pouring an inch or two of Uni-Cast 70 for a nice smooth, level cooking surface, but I'm afraid of it cracking. It seems that some have successfully done this in sections or by scoring the slab to control the cracks.
Any advice or feedback (or assurance!) would be greatly appreciated before I continue. The photo shows my progress so far. Sorry for the long post
I'm just starting on the firebrick for my build and thought I'd post here in the hope that the experienced and more knowledgeable oven peeps could advise (or assure) me before I do something stupid. I'm a little concerned because I have been reading about all the things that can go wrong, such as not heating up enough , or not holding heat etc. and I have made some modifications to the plans I started with from Alan Scott's bread builder book... trying to incorporate tips from other people's experience.
So far I have poured a 6" hearth slab on top of my block base (not suspended it with rebar) and then poured 2" of Kast-O-Lite insulated refractory on top of the slab to hopefully keep the heat in my hearth.
My local refractory supplier suggested setting the hearth brick with the Kast-O-Lite but that proved impossible as it hardened on contact and I couldn't level the bricks. After several unsuccessful attempts, I mixed a fireclay/portland/sand mortar and laid the brick on the flat instead of on end. They are finally stuck down and level.
Will the hearth be too thin laid flat? I am toying with the idea of pouring an inch or two of Uni-Cast 70 for a nice smooth, level cooking surface, but I'm afraid of it cracking. It seems that some have successfully done this in sections or by scoring the slab to control the cracks.
Any advice or feedback (or assurance!) would be greatly appreciated before I continue. The photo shows my progress so far. Sorry for the long post