Hello from Adelaide

[Salv B]

Re: Hello from Adelaide

Hi Benny,

Welcome to a fellow newby. Another Adelaide addition! St Georges is very close to me - just shoot up Portrush road and I'm there. I looked at Littlehampton as well but I wasn't as organised as you to get up there and sort the bricks and then cart them back down. I also could not get any information from them on the contents of the bricks - they just wouldn't say. I ended up organising my bricks through a business called Avero in Allenby Gardens, although I haven't picked them up yet. The guy there, Frank Cavallaro was very friendly and helpful. He was familiar with the Pompei oven plans and was able to do an order and supply all the components based on the material requirements in the plan. I paid a bit more than you did for the bricks but he did reduce the cost per brick for me on the basis that I will buy all the other materials from him.

I am hoping to lay my slab this Friday. Hows your progress going?

Cheers

Salv

[nissanneill]

Re: Hello from Adelaide

Hi Benny and Salv,
the 'fire bricks' from Littlehampton are not really the same firebrick as being discussed within this forum, ie they are not true refractory issue bricks. They are bricks suitable for the bricking of open fireplaces in the houses and that is why they cannot/will not tell you their actual composition.
They will do the job but when I went up there and approached them, they told me that they sell far more of their 4" solid clay baked pavers for oven construction than their firebricks.
When I build another oven, I will be using them as they are fired at 1200˚C, well above the 500˚C we will be getting our ovens, so no spalling nor cracking and at I think around .80c each.
For what it is worth.


Neill

[Benny]

Re: Hello from Adelaide

Hi Salv & Neill,

Wow, you live and learn. I didn't realise there were different types of fire bricks. I will have to go with what I've got. I've laid the foundation slab and that is about as far as I've got yet. It is part of another project so is having a sandstone wall adjoining / attached to one side of it. Not a large wall, more a garden decoration. I build a sandstone wall many years ago and my wife loves it so much she wants another down near the oven.

I'm hoping to start on the base brickwork in the next fortnight or so as our current social schedule is a bit full and interfering with me ability to get things done.

I'm learning a lot through this forum & didn't realise there were so many avenues for supplies or people here interested in wood ovens.
Salv, have you visited Johnny's Gourmet Pizza at 538 Glynburn Rd, Burnside? It's just south of the Greenhill Rd & Glynburn Rd round-a-bout. They have a large industrial size wood oven. Their pizza's are a bit expensive but I bought one just so I could watch their oven and them cook. (You have to pay for individual traditional food rather than production line stuff).

Cheers to you all,

Benny

[Salv B]

Re: Hello from Adelaide

Hi Benny,

I wouldn't worry about the bricks at all, as Neil said they will do the job.
I haven't been to Johnny's but friends of mine who live in Hazelwood Pk have and they were very impressed with the Pizzas - next time I visit them we are going to try it out. There is also a new WFO place the other side of Glyndburn Road in Glynde, just past K-Mart, called Fire and Stone. I think it has only been there a few weeks.

Cheers

Salv

[Tim F]

Re: Hello from Adelaide

Hi Benny and Salv,
When I build another oven, I will be using them as they are fired at 1200˚C, well above the 500˚C we will be getting our ovens, so no spalling nor cracking and at I think around .80c each.
For what it is worth.
Neill

I picked up a few hundred for around 55c each on sale a couple of weeks ago - might be still on.

[Benny]

Re: Hello from Adelaide

Tim - Thanks for that but too late I fear, I've bought my bricks now so will stick with them.

Salv - Thanks for the info on Fire & Stone, I will check it out.

Can't do any work on the oven for another week due to family commitments, so will check it all out and then get stuck into it.

Thanks again,

Benny

[Cooter]

Re: Hello from Adelaide

Hi Salv and Benny

Hello from Norton Summit
Welcome to the forum,there is so much info here it can make your head spin
I'd like to second the praise of Thermal ceramics, they are a super friendly bunch. I always feel impressed when you walk into such a big industrial concern and they treat your little (relatively) project with such interest.
I'm up to laying the first chain,so will watch your progress with interest and share my mistakes

Cheers cooter

[Salv B]

Re: Hello from Adelaide

Hi Cooter,

Thanks for the welcome. Like Benny, I am committed to supplies from others. However, my Dad is helping me with my build and id it turns out ok we may build one for him using the suppliers you guys mentioned (including the clay pavers recommended by Neill and Tim).

I laid the foundation slab yesterday and will now try and find some time to get the oven stand up. I will also be interested in your progress and looking to get some helpful tips. I must admit I have no idea how I am going to do the vent and chimney. I am looking for the simplest solution given my limited skills. Anyway, best of luck with your build.

Cheers

Salv

[nissanneill]

Re: Hello from Adelaide

Hi Salv
the quickest and easiest vent and chimney solution is as the way I did mine and also Paul Henderson's. Very easy to cut and fold some stainless, mig (tack weld it together to take an 8" stainless or as mine galvanised flue to simply slip into the cut out hole on the top. No need to seal nor rivet/screw as it is a nice tight fit.
The second picture is the one I made for Hendo. May he RIP and watch his oven and outdoor kitchen come to fruition.
All you have to do is run tour vent and entry bricks straight up and take a few dimensions eg.front, back lhs and rhs and the 2 diagonals to ensure that the construction fits perfectly.
Drill a few holes in the centre of your bricks and secure it with 4 small dyna bolts.
Oh, in both, I have incorporated some downlights which light up the entire oven floor a treat. No need to cook in flame glow or torch light.

Neill

[staestc]

Re: Hello from Adelaide

Neill, your work never ceases to amaze me!

Have you posted before on what you did with the down lights? Is there some thread where I can find out the details of what lights you used, how you mounted them, and how you wired them?

Cheers,
Travis

[nissanneill]

Re: Hello from Adelaide

Hi Travis.
I put the domestic downlights (and they can be 12v or over here 240v AC) back in June 07.
See:

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f21/...10-a-2119.html

permalink #7. It is all in my oven build.
I really can't understand why other members don't install them as they are so easy and so so effective at illuminating the whole of the oven hearth, no shadows and a wonderful ambiance.
I just folded up a piece of stainless steel, cut a 71mm diam hole in it to locate the lights and aimed them diagonally across the dome entrance. You will need to cut the mounts several times to get the lamps shining where you want but if you look carefully, I tack welded them to my stainless chimney void so that i could bend and fine tune their direction.
Get some more high temp fibreglass wire shroud to protect the wiring (some come with the lamps but I put a double length piece on for security).
I made a set for Hendos oven but his void was alot smaller and besides he had already purchased some multi directional 12v lights which I will make 2 rigid stainless mounts just outside his outer arch and shine the lights from the top corners diagonally across the entrance into his hearth.

Hope this helps.

Neill

[Salv B]

Re: Hello from Adelaide

Hi Neill,

Thanks for the useful info on the chimney and vent. I will probably bug you with more specific questions once I get to that stage of the build (or is that if I do!). A couple of questions for now:-
1. do you have a drawing/sketch of your vent design - this would be useful in helping me understand how it works
2. Do I need to go with a rectangular oven door to allow the vent to sit properly or can it still work ok with an arched door?

I know these are very basic questions but I am very much an amatuer when it comes to doing this sort of stuff.

Cheers

Salv

[nissanneill]

Re: Hello from Adelaide

Hi Salv,
all you need to do is to build your vent as large as 'practicable' rather than possible. The bigger it is, the better it works, or likewise the smaller it is the worse it works. Mine is around 600mmm wide by 400mm deep.
I have just been an hour searching for the exploded diagram I did for a nother member and can't find it anywhere. I trashed the drawing only last weekend and it gone!.
However, I found a .pdf of an offset vent which I drew qnd is very similar but not symmetrical as mine and Hendo's.
And NO you do not need a rectangular door. You simply cut the vent to the shape of your arch(es) both front and dome arches (if you have 2).
The picture is Hendo's vent that I made but did not end up using the lights. I have some others to build and fit for the family.

Neill

[staestc]

Re: Hello from Adelaide

Thanks for the link Neil. It is much appreciated. I have only had time to glance at what you did, but after seeing a couple of your pictures and those of Christo's oven light, I am definitely going to incorporate them into my oven design. I will go study your approach in detail in a bit!

Travis

[Salv B]

Re: Hello from Adelaide

Hi Neill,

Thanks for the additional info on the vent - it is now starting to make some sense!

Cheers

Salv