Curing, Cracks & Other Kentucky Conundrums

[bolex16mm]

Re: Curing, Cracks & Other Kentucky Conundrums

Thanks everybody for all of your help. On Saturday, I did a test run and made some pizzas. I was a little too impatient and did not let the oven get hot enough or let the dough rise enough or a combination of both but they weren't bad. Not as good as my relatives in Italy but not bad. On Sunday, I roasted a chicken and it turned out great. I do have photos of the process and when I get enough courage, I will post them. Thanks again everybody.

[james]

Re: Curing, Cracks & Other Kentucky Conundrums

Agreed. I heard a good one from a friend in the refractory business. When they have large items they know are going to crack, they build a failure spot into the design so that it cracks where they want it to crack and won't do any harm.

I guess that's the same theory behind seams in sidewalks.
James

[dmun]

Re: Curing, Cracks & Other Kentucky Conundrums

Christo had this problem, and he just fixed the crack with some refractory mortar. Remember, your whole oven is separate items mortared together: another mortared joint in the flue tile should not be a problem.

[bolex16mm]

Re: Curing, Cracks & Other Kentucky Conundrums

I have been slowly curing the oven, really slow, over a period of one month. Yesterday, I finally got the nerve to get the oven up to a temperature where the ash burned off. I did not see any cracks in the oven. However, I did see a hairline crack running up the side of the terra cotta flue pipe. Do I need to replace the flue or can I just do a small repair and live with it. I really want to start cooking.

[aureole]

Re: Curing, Cracks & Other Kentucky Conundrums

Not a good idea: they are not insulating material, they're more refractory. That is, they soak up and store heat and let it out. The firebricks in the base of your oven do this. The job of the insulation is to stop the heat conducting away from your oven floor and into the concrete slab below. If you want the low-cost alternative, make the mica/vermiculite mix up instead. The storage blocks *may* be okay for an oven floor, but I don't know what temperatures they are happy at.

[Langy3366]

Re: Curing, Cracks & Other Kentucky Conundrums

Great threads !

I stayed up late to read them and now I'm gonna be in a bad mood all day tomorrow.... Oh well.

Instead of ceraboard, could I use these second hand blocks from storage heaters ? I'd have them under the firebrick base.

They are on ebay (UK) at the moment search on "electric storage heater bricks blocks".

[Ken524]

Re: Curing, Cracks & Other Kentucky Conundrums

Amen to that. Did the bracket solution work okay?

The brackets are really there to contain a catastrophic failure. I hope I never find out if they work

[aureole]

Re: Curing, Cracks & Other Kentucky Conundrums

I can't tell you how many sleepless nights I've had worrying about my insulation board. To this day, I regret using that overpriced stuff.

Amen to that. Did the bracket solution work okay? I'm trying to decide whether to tear down and rebuild the vent walls.

On sleepless nights: I managed to worry myself into a tizz last night convincing myself I forgot to add fireclay to one of my mixes of mortar (it's pretty unlikely, but I was stressing it anyway).

Still, keystone today and maybe then I'll stop worrying. Yeah, right .

[Ken524]

Re: Curing, Cracks & Other Kentucky Conundrums

I'm swinging from happy euphoria every time I tap in a keystone to paranoid worry every night!

I can't tell you how many sleepless nights I've had worrying about my insulation board. To this day, I regret using that overpriced stuff.

[aureole]

Re: Curing, Cracks & Other Kentucky Conundrums

Good to hear! I'm doing a flat cast vent, but if I have enough firebricks left at the end of the dome, I'll do a double-width vent entry instead. This build process is weird: I'm swinging from happy euphoria every time I tap in a keystone to paranoid worry every night!

[Ken524]

Re: Curing, Cracks & Other Kentucky Conundrums

Hi Matt,

Sorry to hear about your mushy insulation! Once everything cured and dried out, the board seemed to stabilize. I notice the underside of the concrete hearth doesn't get hot any more and I haven't seen any settling since the "big one".

I don't see how it could get wet again, so I think it will be fine from here on out.

[aureole]

Re: Curing, Cracks & Other Kentucky Conundrums

Ken: I've just had *exactly* the same problem: I'm so sorry I didn't get to learn from your mistake - but at least if I'm going to make one, I'm glad it was the same as a much better builder than me . Ironically, it's been on a relatively dry day here, I was worried about my mortar drying too quickly so I spritzed it a litte too enthusiastically and soaked the boards -the side wall of the vent at the front started to go and it's gone all mushy/compressable. Nice, at least, to know it isn't fatal.

Incidentally, is the board insulating better now you've dried it out? As far as I can tell, the ceraboard I used is a mixture of fibres, so apart from the mushiness, I think it'll be fine once it's dried.

[james]

Re: Curing, Cracks & Other Kentucky Conundrums

Life does not always treat you well -- but your wood oven will always be there for you.
James

[Ken524]

Re: Curing, Cracks & Other Kentucky Conundrums

May WFO's rule.

Amen! Don't be a stranger!

[jeff]

Re: Curing, Cracks & Other Kentucky Conundrums

Asudavew,
Strewth - where to start, Dave?
Mate I feel somewhat embarrassed that you mob even remember that I lived.

I have stolen so much from you bunch of mongrels @ FB.
BUT,
I do suspect that I've done good by James, the one true Guru of Great Oven Craft - free to all and sundry.
Without fail, the pizza from our oven is eaten with a certain reverence: not unlike the emotions visited upon those who've witnessed the birth of a Hippy Potamarse, (or a Pteridactylarse, even).

And when I tellum it costs four fifths of fukall to build, they tend to ignore my warning when, on day 3 after the Pizza night, they reach in to retrieve that cold little old pot of pea and ham soup. (Hahaha goose, Old Mate. hmm. i thought i said you might benefit friom welding gloves: are you blind and deaf, or just plain stupid?... )

Some of our guests have even been known to swear, tru!. (Shit; just can't take some bastards anywhere, eh. Treat 'em like royalty, and they swear and curse like bloody troopers: Upsets me dog big mobs, it does, dead set.)

Anyway Dave, I just LOVED your video. Thanks for that, Happy Man.
And what your stupid video did for me, I think (hope), my stupid oven will do for others.

May WFO's rule.
I stop.
Jeff.