Acoma's cure

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

Here are a couple photos of cracks at the arch. The first is along the right side fron area, the second is along the top center. I am not going to stress on the cracks, I will address them upon completion of my curing.

[RCLake]

Re: Acoma's cure

The first 6 hours needed regular babying to keep the heat between 200-300. .

I'm sorrying about not comment during your adventure, but I lost my internet until now. So I will make comments as I read your posts.

Could you really help yourself not babying the fire! I couldn't

[RCLake]

Re: Acoma's cure

Les, I did mine between 1/4 to 1/2. it took 2.5 bags to do the dome. That's a 100.00 shell.
.

You used 2 1/2 bags of refmix, 55 lbs? I used 150 lbs of HS50. Wow

[RCLake]

Re: Acoma's cure

Well, I may just go to Plasma after I am done with cures. Reason:

A SH%^ load of cracks along exterior dome. Long ones at that. I have one that starts along the right arch half way in, wraps along the outside, shoots a marathon, and heads up. I am not kidding, 4 to 5 long cracks wrapping around exterior perimeter, and each going up to the top. What is bizar is that none going through to interior dome, none are cracking bricks, none are seeping smoke. Of course I am early on the 500 session, and I still have others to go. I am thinking of continuing through the process, then I will grind the lines on the outside, get some furnace cement, and figure out the arch as well. I am not quite in the mood to do photos, sorry.

Robert , I know the feeling, that arch area is a monster. Keep up the faith!

[gjbingham]

Re: Acoma's cure

Robert,
No big deal on the crack, especially if it doesn't get any worse. I wouldn't even try to fix it for about three months. It may never get any bigger and need no repair at all.

[Xabia Jim]

Re: Acoma's cure

I can guarantee you that it won't be the last oven with cracks, and I'll give great odds if you'll bet me differrent!

....I'm still looking for that Virgin Mary oven

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

Robert,
No big deal on the crack, especially if it doesn't get any worse. I wouldn't even try to fix it for about three months. It may never get any bigger and need no repair at all.

George, slight movement to the right side arch inward. New left crack on the left side now.

I am under the impression that the greater heats are causing more cracks, and possible expansion, movements to existing (as to the right arch).

I forgot to check the inside of the dome this morning to see if cracks occured due to the late start. I needed to drop my daughter off, then pick up more kindling. Boy do I hop this crack issue does not become a nightmare. Scary to see them. Hoping Les shoots over Saturday to see them as well. Who knows.

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

I had some positives with yesterday's cure. Towards the end I decided to throw a chunck of WAHU and two pieces of chicken breasts. I did not have any, they were for the girls and wife. They said the Almond flavor was perfect for the chicken and fish. Today I will try a whole chicken.

My temperature was 257 when I opened it up this morning. Held well. I would think the oven would loose temp quickly if the cracks were all the way through, or larger than they are. These higher temps will let me know too. It did not take long to get up to 600. My fresh supply of scrap looks GREAT.

Dave, I have not attempted to get the Matrilite yet. I will do so next week.

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

Some new pictures showing from first to last is fresh supply of kindling, new fire, left arch, right arch, top arch (arch photos with current cracks).

[Ken524]

Re: Acoma's cure

Acoma,

I have identical horizontal cracks on my arch supports as well as similar separations on the arch. I'm not sure it's possible to truly "repair" cracks. Every time the oven fires up from cold it's going to change shape and size. If you really repair one crack, you might induce another.

I'm convinced that the oven needs to have cracks (but I'm not happy about it! )

I agree with the others... Don't bother with them for a while. If they don't get worse, you are good to go.

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

Ken, a tremendous pleasure to have you involved with this process. Thank you. As for the cracks along the three areas of the arch, I will just need to watch for now.

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

I have seen one brick with a minor crack, no trails, and it does not bother me. This brick is towards the back, 3rd course down from the keystone. All other areas and arch seem fine for the moment. I stopped yesterday at 8pm. Start-up today was 4:15am, getting fire to new temp of 700 by 4:30am. Ending the evening yesterday at 600 degrees with pre-start temp this morning of 397 degrees. Seems that the temp is holding very well. Back to the fire.

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

Sorry with the overdrive of posting, but isn't that what documenting curing process performance is about. If I did it once a day, I would forget half the details.

I have also noticed that the early stages of curing each day it takes time to get the heat to maintain approximate temps. Meaning, I put wood in, it flares up, spread the wood, coals around for balanced heat, then let it cool about 50-70 degrees. Put fresh wood in, and repeat. Early on the oven will cool down more rappidly, as the day progresses, the heat is held better. This morning it is holding better earlier. This might have to do with getting to those higher temps, which are saturating bricks earlier. Agree?

[RCLake]

Re: Acoma's cure

Great job Robert, when you post temp measurements where and how are you doing it. i.e. IR gun aimed at the Keystone? How sooty is everything?

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

I have used the whole upper dome area, but always using the keystone area first, then moving the gun for relative measurements. Reason is that I take small logs, mini pieces and spread them in triangle form. I frequently shove ashes, or embers to the edges of the dome and keep the middle 70% clean with logs burning. This allows the whole dome to be within 15 degrees. I figure that with all these hours curing that this method has worked great. I credit RT for this. At first I would just build small fires around the middle during the first two days, but with higher temps, the spreading worked best.

As for soot, still black and all over. Not until I get a raging fire will it likely go away. No biggy. This will likely be when the soot disappears, and ignore the error message, link appears to work:

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