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Hello All,
I'm a total newbie and am looking for some feedback on how to finish the oven. I live in Ecuador where traditional clay ovens are frequently built. I decided to use local traditions and locally made materials (because imported products are really, really expensive or not available) in combination with the Italian style pizza oven dome and entrance. I built the base in a traditional way: using bones, broken bottles, salt, panela and manteca as thermal mass beneath the dome. The floor consists of locally made refractory bricks. The dome bricks are dried mud. The mud mortar used to build the dome consists of mud, fine sand and sawdust. The interior of the dome consists of a mud slip to create a smooth finish. The exterior of the dome is covered in the same mud mixture with grass added. The interior diameter is 36". Interior dome height is 22". The door opening is 19" wide by 12" high.
Here's my question: I purchased a thermal blanket (extremely expensive here!) thinking I would wrap the exterior of the dome, add wire mesh and then finish with a refractory cement mortar (just add water...no vermiculite because it's not available). But with the existing mud exterior, is the thermal blanket a good idea at this stage, or not? I was going to let the oven sit for a while so that it can dry first. A friend suggested an option that I might try...he suggested that after the oven dries, I heat the oven with a low fire and while warm, wrap the dome in wet newspaper, then wire mesh, then cover with a standard mortar (2:1 sand:cement) to create an expansion space so the mortar doesn't crack. But, using that option, I'm still not clear whether to use the thermal insulating blanket on top of that, or not...my guess is no.
I guess I'm looking for guidance. I thought the thermal blanket would really help with internal temperature, but because I've got a mud oven, I just don't know whether to combine the two technologies. What do you suggest?
I'm a total newbie and am looking for some feedback on how to finish the oven. I live in Ecuador where traditional clay ovens are frequently built. I decided to use local traditions and locally made materials (because imported products are really, really expensive or not available) in combination with the Italian style pizza oven dome and entrance. I built the base in a traditional way: using bones, broken bottles, salt, panela and manteca as thermal mass beneath the dome. The floor consists of locally made refractory bricks. The dome bricks are dried mud. The mud mortar used to build the dome consists of mud, fine sand and sawdust. The interior of the dome consists of a mud slip to create a smooth finish. The exterior of the dome is covered in the same mud mixture with grass added. The interior diameter is 36". Interior dome height is 22". The door opening is 19" wide by 12" high.
Here's my question: I purchased a thermal blanket (extremely expensive here!) thinking I would wrap the exterior of the dome, add wire mesh and then finish with a refractory cement mortar (just add water...no vermiculite because it's not available). But with the existing mud exterior, is the thermal blanket a good idea at this stage, or not? I was going to let the oven sit for a while so that it can dry first. A friend suggested an option that I might try...he suggested that after the oven dries, I heat the oven with a low fire and while warm, wrap the dome in wet newspaper, then wire mesh, then cover with a standard mortar (2:1 sand:cement) to create an expansion space so the mortar doesn't crack. But, using that option, I'm still not clear whether to use the thermal insulating blanket on top of that, or not...my guess is no.
I guess I'm looking for guidance. I thought the thermal blanket would really help with internal temperature, but because I've got a mud oven, I just don't know whether to combine the two technologies. What do you suggest?