Oven Curing

[SCChris]

Re: Oven Curing

Dean, the opening to the chimney starts at full entry width by eight inches. The width then narrows, going up, to the eight inch width. I have more info, on the chimney, in the pompeii build area, the cure info is here. As an ongoing update the oven is a constant delight. It heats in 90 minutes and holds cookable heat for more than 3 days. At 72 hours it's 250F after starting with a good soaking pizza burn. The heat retention really relates to how we'll the insulation and door hold the heat in.

Best to you on your curing, long and slow did the trick for my oven.

Chris

[spazio]

Re: Oven Curing

Our oven, having been (in my opinion, not my wife's) cured somewhat too quickly, is now showing some cracks in the mortar. They are all vertical hairline cracks, but they do span several courses of bricks. Post curing, (and after the cracks first showed up) we've done about a half dozen good hard firings where dome temps with the fire stoked were briefly around 1000, settling back to around 800 when the fire was banked. It doesn't seem to be leaking smoke, and the integrity of the dome still seems good, but it still makes me cringe when I look at them. We were trying to get ready for a pre-ordained pizza party, but I still would have liked to do at least a dozen or more curing fires rather than the eight or less we did.
Any comment on continued use? High temp sealers? Just use the oven and keep an eye on it? Take it apart this summer and redo the thing ?
There was comment about the Heatstop 50 having a tendency to separate from the bricks, (which is what it seems has happened) more than a "home made" mortar. I do think a slower cure would have helped prevent the cracks we have.

[SCChris]

Re: Oven Curing

If it isn't smoking, I'd just use it.. Mabey at some point fill a few of them, but by the time you have dome covered you'll be too busy enjoying the food to care nearly as much as you do now. With time comes perspective.


Chris

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: Oven Curing

If it isn't smoking, I'd just use it..

I agree with chris..... Just use and enjoy it and dont sweat the small stuff

Cheers
Mark

[mlmasonry]

Re: Oven Curing

I started cure prccess by making a paper fire then did not know how much paper to burn.Today i tried lighting a piece of oak and ended up smoking out my job.The wood never really lit and I just continued to add paper.I cannot believe that these can be in the kitchen in the house with all the smoke.I have a 36 inch pompelli hand made with a 6 inch pipe 3 ft piece above the opening.my thermometer that i bought from forno bravo has not gotten above 100 degrees.I hope the thermometer is installed right as i never can find directions for that.I have it about halfway up dome on the side.Any suggestions?
thanks

[SCChris]

Re: Oven Curing

ML, You need to build your heat up slowly.. Here is what I started with.. I placed a quartz work lamp inside the oven and kept it on for several days. If I remember right this will take your temps up somewhere around 130 and since your leaving it there for days on end you'll heat more mass then you will with a small fire. I can't say it loud enough, get an infrared thermometer. James has good ones, if you can't wait go to Harbor Freight. You need to know whats going on during curing.. Once I kept the oven warm for a few days I then moved to fires.

Chris

PS regarding the dial thermometer, I have a small hole drilled in my makeshift door and only use the thermometer for post fire temps.. I build the fire and go more or less full tilt boogie till I get to pizza, dome clearing temps, and then back down on the wood. During these heat cycles I use the infrared thermometer to get floor and dome temps. I'm still a bit of a newbie with only 30 or so good fires under my belt, so I'm still learning..

[mlmasonry]

Re: Oven Curing

I have lit 2 small fires and today I cleaned out ash and my floor was very moist.I am going to start over.I have not added my perlite over 3 rows of blanket yet since i was waiting to cure first in case of damage.i am on the beach in Malibu and I think the moisture is going to be an ongoing problem.I hope a door will keep the moisture out but does the curing process need to start over every time it gets wet inside dome.I am going to top off the oven with the fill and then start over with the lamps and ect..Any ideas on being at the beach as I am sure people are in rain areas and have simalar problem.

[Les]

Re: Oven Curing

.I hope a door will keep the moisture out but does the curing process need to start over every time it gets wet inside dome..

James lives next to the ocean as well - I am confident that he does not bother. The whole point of curing was to drive moisture out of the fresh mortar joints. If you do a fair job of enclosing your oven, I think you will be good. In reality, it's impossible to keep humidity out of these things.

Les...

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: Oven Curing

.I hope a door will keep the moisture out but does the curing process need to start over every time it gets wet inside dome.

The whole point of curing was to drive moisture out of the fresh mortar joints. If you do a fair job of enclosing your oven, I think you will be good. In reality, it's impossible to keep humidity out of these things.

I agree with Les,, The initial cure was to get the moisture out of the block and mortar of the oven, It has cured and in my opinion will be fine, and any new moisture that gets in will certainly be driven out every time you fire it up...
Relax And Enjoy
Mark

[SCChris]

Re: Oven Curing

We have a good amount of moisture most evenings here and I think your going to be fine once you get through the curing.. Once your through the curing, if you want to you could consider running a light bulb inside the oven to keep the moisture at bay, I know some boat owners in the harbor do this to help keep things dryer. I have entertained a solar panel running a heater in my oven mostly because I wonder if I could keep the temps up over 180. At this temp lighting a fire should be a snap not to mention oven dried tomatoes.. Along those same lines, when you get further along, try to remember to pre-load your oven with firewood when the temps get down below where your cooking. This helps to dry the wood and really helps a great deal to get the next fire going. Your biggest battle may be keeping your firewood dry enough to catch quickly.

Chris

[elecco]

Re: Oven Curing

James,

I purchased a Primavera 60 last month and went with the curing process that was with the oven's DVD. It differs greatly than what you recommend here, including that you should keep the fires burning as long as possible (not get to temperature and then let the fire die out and the oven temp drop all the way down).

Anyway, I'm concerned because I have finger tip sized holes in the side of the dome (about 20 total). They are about 1 inch deep. I stopped by Forno Bravo over the weekend and they gave me some patching compound, but obviously I'm concerned. I don't have cracks. What would cause these holes?

~Ed

[Wheels1974]

Re: Oven Curing

James,

I purchased a Primavera 60 last month and went with the curing process that was with the oven's DVD. It differs greatly than what you recommend here, including that you should keep the fires burning as long as possible (not get to temperature and then let the fire die out and the oven temp drop all the way down).

Anyway, I'm concerned because I have finger tip sized holes in the side of the dome (about 20 total). They are about 1 inch deep. I stopped by Forno Bravo over the weekend and they gave me some patching compound, but obviously I'm concerned. I don't have cracks. What would cause these holes?

~Ed

It sounds like a fault in the cast its self, It sounds as though the cast may of had air bubbles in the mix for something like that to happen especially so because theres so many. If you cured it to fast it would crack but I have never heard or read anything about a WFO developing holes in it due to curing.

P.s. Do the holes go right through the cast?

Regards
Dean

[elecco]

Re: Oven Curing

It sounds like a fault in the cast its self, It sounds as though the cast may of had air bubbles in the mix for something like that to happen especially so because theres so many. If you cured it to fast it would crack but I have never heard or read anything about a WFO developing holes in it due to curing.

P.s. Do the holes go right through the cast?

Regards
Dean

Yes, they go through the cast. I've attached a couple of photos.

~Ed

[david s]

Re: Oven Curing

They look like voids in the casting, usually caused by insufficient vibration in the manufacture. Shouldn't really effect it much, although too many voids lead to lower strength.

[Johnny the oven man]

Re: Oven Curing

Looks like a bit of thermal shock, heated up a tad quick. The holes are only cosmetic, not really that bad, i wouldnt worry about. Sounds like the oven hasnt had a lot of air drying also. maybe James may have to speak to his manufacturer?