Curing question about measuring temps

[pzachef]

I'm finally going to cure my oven after building it for the last 15 months here in south Florida.
The 7 day cure described by James does not mention where the temps are measured from in the process. The surface of the brick inside the dome or floor. The air temp inside the oven. Please tell me where to measure from, I don't want to mess up after all this time.

Thanks, Bob

[fxpose]

Re: Curing question about measuring temps

I did not follow a specific curing/temp schedule. I started out with small and long charcoal (briquettes) burns for the first few days, then on to small wood fires, and by the second week, larger fires. Temp readings should equalize for the most part after a long burn period, whether you take readings from the floor or dome wall. I think I kept temps under 300F the first few days, then increased incrementally on following successive burns.
I think the trick initially is to maintain a warm chamber temp continuously for several hours or days at a time, if possible. Some initially use heat lamps to do this.

[nissanneill]

Re: Curing question about measuring temps

Bob, I believe that when you 'cure' the oven, you are merely driving the water and moisture out of the bricks before it is turned to steam and does alot of damage to the construction. It doesn't matter where you measure your temps just increase the size if your fires each day to dry out the oven.

Cheers.

Neill

[ThermoJax]

Re: Curing question about measuring temps

I have an electric skillet in my oven set for 200 and the hole is plugged up with household insulation to keep the heat inside. I did turn it up to 300 last night, but this morning chickened out and turned it back down to 200. There seems to be quasi wet spots here and there showing up thru my cladding. It has been 4 days now. The top of the exterior of the dome is warm, and this morning the sides of the dome exterior were finally warm to the touch ( but again, that was at 300) Somehow, I think that the oven is so large that I probably could go up to 300 or so, because the oven itself is not going to get up to 300.

Tom

[dmun]

Re: Curing question about measuring temps

212 is the magic number at which water boils. Keeping it at 200 should be well below that point, where steam could break things apart. If you have time, I thinking keeping the heater in it until it feels dry is a safe way to proceed.

[nissanneill]

Re: Curing question about measuring temps

Come on Mr Mun,
that's the old system, didn't the US go through the metrication system some years ago?
Pure water at sea level now boils at 100˚C.

Neill

[lwood]

Re: Curing question about measuring temps

Everything in the US is Fahrenheit.

[nissanneill]

Re: Curing question about measuring temps

Australia went through the metrication process in the 70's and it was "illegal" whilst working in the government to print anything (as I was in the government printing industry) on any 'non metric' sized paper. You could actually go to jail if you ignored the law!
ALL imperial rulers were withdrawn from sale and were not available for purchase for many years, (around 15 in fact) so you had to get used to the 'new system'.
It really is great and so much easier to work within.
Working with metres rather than inches, feet, yards, chains, furlongs etc etc makes life so much easier.

Neill

[lwood]

Re: Curing question about measuring temps

Yes, we went through that in the '70 also, just about the time I was in engineering school. My unit ops professor gave us problems in units such as furlongs/fortnight squared. His point was that you should be able to work in any units you are given. Then went to work for aerospace mfg company where all government contract dwgs were required to be in English units, even after the supposed mandate.

Most US Americans don't know how long a meter is or how much a kilo weighs. Agreed, metric units are so much easier, but the fact remains that most units are reported in English units, in the USA. Water still boils at 212F and freezes at 32F. It's only important to specify which you are talking about. There are lots of conversion tables on the internet. Tell me why the USA is the only country in the world that uses 110v electricity. I guess parts of Canada also use 110v.

[Schotz]

Re: Curing question about measuring temps

Amanda at Forno Bravo informed me recently that you measure the DOME with your infrared gun. Obviously, you build your fire in the middle also. But I believe once cured, you want to build fires towards the back so heat is pulled across the entire dome before it escapes up the chimney.

[lwood]

Re: Curing question about measuring temps

Once cured, you want to build the fire close to the entrance, as before. This is so you can reach the fire easily while getting it started. But once you get some coals and the fire really going, you want to push the entire fire to the back or side of the oven. Most people push it to one side so they can monitor the pizza more easily.

[Schotz]

Re: Curing question about measuring temps

Thanks lwood, I have a friend with an identical oven. He's been over to Italy and he says it's best to push the fire to the back, which forces the heat over most of the dome before escaping up the chimney which will ensure maximum heating of the inside of the oven. Also, you make reference to using "coal". Forno Bravo has advised to use ONLY wood and not items such as lumpcoal. Can you explain what "coal" you're using? Thx again. Schotz

[lwood]

Re: Curing question about measuring temps

Wood coals, the chunks of wood that glow red. Not Coal, the stuff they dig out of the ground. I guess where you push the fire is a personal preference. I guess you could make an argument as to where is the most effective, side or back. If it's in the back, radiation from the flames is blasting your face. I have had flames extending all the way across the dome to the other side. Maybe some of the energy is lost out the door if in the back. That's all postulation on my part, but I have tried the fire in the back of the dome and I prefer it on the side. One of the reasons was it seemed to radiate right into my face in the back and not so much on the side. Also as I said before, you can see what's going on with the fire=side of the pizza. Especially the crust facing the fire. With the fire on the side of the oven, you can quickly turn the pie one-quarter turn to see how brown or chard the crust is. In the back, at least for me, i have to turn it several time to see the edge closest to the fire. IMHO

[Schotz]

Re: Curing question about measuring temps

Thanks again lwood, once cured, I'll try the side fire. I'm getting close to my final 800F curing fire. I got to around 700F yesterday for a couple hours. I've read something about the dome turning white once you're "cured". I've noticed there are some white parts appearing in the dome area. Does the entire dome need to turn white before it's cured? Are there any other indicators that it's been successfully cured?

[Neil2]

Re: Curing question about measuring temps

Canadians still use both. I find the Imperial units to be more "human scale" then the French units.