Hi from Guernsey

[PBF]

Hi there Fox! My name is Pete and I *also* live on a small island close to France called Guernsey, and I am ALSO interested in putting a pizza oven together! Think we could help each other out?

[fox]

I think the rocket fire can help light the main fire & maintain the heat once the oven reaches temperature, I like the idea of feeding the fire externally but honestly I have no idea how much use such an addition would make?
Anyway I have now received two prices for the main bulk of materials.
200 fire bricks delivered to my house approx. $750... 7 x 25kg of refractory dense castasble with SS pins approx. $500 delivered to my house.
Still planning, revising and thinking....... .

[Origen]

Would a rocket stove provide enough BTU's to heat an oven dome? I think you need the fire in the box to heat the oven in a reasonably quick fashion. I've been thinking about building a rocket heater (outdoor) and I have done quite a bit of research. I am no expert by a longshot, but I think it would take a long time to heat a dome with secondary or residual heat. I don't know for sure, but if you do it, I would love to know how it works!
,
I was also thinking: if you cast a dome from cob, perl/vermicrete, or even castable refractory, and you build a doghouse enclosure, wouldn't some of the concerns surrounding integrity/exposure be moot? When I started contemplating a build, I started out thinking I would do cob. While researching cob, I ended up on this forum (thank God). While I ended up building full masonry, I'm still attracted to the notion of cob or castable--I think both would work. Many people with cob ovens have great success. One thing for sure: you will absolutely love your oven and how it cooks! The food is pure magic!

[fox]

So I have dug out a footing for a concrete base & formed a shuttering to obtain 8' circle x 6" deep, I have done this as a positive & confirming start but, I still haven't made a design choice for the oven.
I seem to be swayed towards a four part cast dome glued together with some form of expansion joint. However, I am still revising...

What do you guys think about firing the oven to temperature via an external rocket stove, would the chimney exhaust be to hot & crack the dome? would there be any benefit by placing a metal (replaceable) plate where the rocket flame strikes the dome?

[fox]

Thanks for that link David, Andrew, I have only last week come back from 10 weeks in NZ. I can see why you don't have to pay for wood!
I can now see that there is no 'need' for a multi part mould but it does seem that building four separate components to assemble the dome might be of benefit?

[AndrewT]

Here is an interesting thread:

https://community.fornobravo.com/forum/pizza-oven-design-and-installation/other-oven-types/9110-brickless-dome-on-a-shoestring-oven

I have yet to find a source of refractory concrete near me in New Zealand so might be going down this path for my next oven (my current one is a bit small).

Re. your comment above, "No point in building one if they don't work or fail soon after completion, in the same vain there is no point in spending a lot of unnecessary money on overbuilding something that wont get a huge amount of use."

- careful, you might get addicted to using your WFO just like me. Haven't used mine today yet but I'm itching to. Wife wants to make some hot cross buns. Wood is free for me. But I would like a proven technology that I could use every single day for eternity if I wanted to. Couldn't stand the thought of finding some concrete dust in my pizza and then worrying about every consecutive one after that.

[david s]

Living on an island you may have difficulty sourcing some materials or transport costs making them prohibitive. You could consider making a cob (clay) oven from clay you can dig yourself for free. Also you may have access to pumice from your beaches, it makes a good insulation material, again free. There is probably more on cob ovens in the U.K. Forum visit here

http://ukwoodfiredovenforum.proboards.com/

if you build a strong masonary stand and base then build a cob oven on it, for minimal cost. You will learn lots about fire and cooking using a WFO. Then when the time comes to build an improved version you'll be far better informed and know what you want.

[fox]

A complex mould is not worth the effort IMHO,",

]

Aww you want to spoil my fun

Thanks for all the replies, I am on the case and reading reading reading.... I will be back.....

[david s]

It is all here on the forum discussed many times before.

The word you are looking for is "homebrew"

https://www.google.co.nz/#safe=off&q...rew+castable&*

Using homebrew as a castable is the el-cheapo way to go. It's longevity is unproven. A superior product is produced using calcium aluminate cement which will endure higher temperatures. There are many proprietary castables available from refractory suppliers, but you need to select a dense castable , not an insulating castable. A complex mould is not worth the effort IMHO, unless you plan on making multiple castings. A simple sand castle form covered in strips of wet newspaper is the easiest and simplest method for a one off casting. Try searching the forum for "cast oven",or "castable",

Here's a start. https://community.fornobravo.com/for...ize#post390588

[UtahBeehiver]

A member named IronPony did a very nice cast oven mold. Pics of his project are not in a central thread but spread out over several posts. Look under "member list" then "about" to find all of his posts. Like you he did molds for a living, I think he was a die and tool maker.

[AndrewT]

It is all here on the forum discussed many times before.

The word you are looking for is "homebrew"

https://www.google.co.nz/#safe=off&q=site:community.fornobravo.com+homebrew+castable&*

[fox]

No point in building one if they don't work or fail soon after completion, in the same vain there is no point in spending a lot of unnecessary money on overbuilding something that wont get a huge amount of use.
I am just trying to lean by asking questions
I am a boat builder by profession & I have been making moulds for over 40 years. I hope my knowledge of form work & composite materials will help me build a suitable mould to produce a dome oven.
If I can source the suitable materials to cast a dome then I will do but, only once I have enough understanding of all the pros and cons.
I appreciate any and all responses, I don't really want to build anything like this without support.

[dakzaag]

Build one and show us all how dumb we are!

[david s]

That's probably because they either don't work well or don't last. They chimney on that oven is poorly designed and way too small in diameter to work properly apart from the materials used in the cast. Notice he didn't provide a video of the oven in operation. I'd expect there'd be smoke billowing out the door.

[fox]

There are dozens of videos like this one on Youtube, I have read through the comments but it is really hard to find any long term results....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA4dim7Nzm4