Acoma's cure

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

Dave, I have moved on from the cracks. They exist, they will be fixed. For now, I have 1.5 hours left of day 3. Tomorrow is 600 degree day. My delimna now is that I am chewing threw the wood scrap. I know I have the fence materials, but it is smoky pine. I will need to pick up a fresh supply tomorrow morning and get a late start (10 am). Ooooh, what a late evening. Dinner with my oven.

[asudavew]

Re: Acoma's cure

Don't worry about the cracks. They won't be a thought when you are cooking.

Did you get your hands on that Matrilite yet?

I'm really interested in finding some.
Please let me know when and where....

Thanks Richard ( I mean Robert)

Keep curing! You will be cooking soon my friend!

Repeat after me... best pizza I have ever had... best pizza I have ever had... what cracks? what cracks? etc. etc. do it again.. breath....breath..


Dave

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

I have 2 at the arch, just not entering the dome.

[Les]

Re: Acoma's cure

Robert,

I had that problem when I poured my hearth - hairline cracks shot out everywhere, scared the crap out of me. None of them grew any larger after the first 24 hours - I think you will be good. Also, I doesn't sound like you have the first oven with cracks.

Les...

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

My cracks are all hair line in size. No large openings anywhere. Also, the mortar is not crumbly, it is solid which is good. I can only pray now that this does not become a disaster.

[Acoma]

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.

[Xabia Jim]

Re: Acoma's cure

[QUOTE=Acoma;26990]

Doing it the new way is very challenging though, because you truly babysit the oven during the process QUOTE]


Curing goes better with beer....

Sounds like you're making progress Robert.....how many times will you cool it down to ambient before you do a plasma burn?

[mfiore]

Re: Acoma's cure

Very helpful. Certainly makes good sense. Good Luck with the rest of the cure!

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

The old was to heat up the oven to specific temps each day then stop.
This thread speaks about it.

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f16/oven-curing-767.html

The new method allows you to keep a maintained temperature for 10 hours, then stop. You then proceed to the next temp on each day. This thread speaks about the new way.

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f16/curing-strategy-3227.html

I believe that the new way offers several advantages over the old way:
1: You drive out the moisture better.
2: You are more engaged in the workings of the oven as it heats and retains heat.
3: By using the new method over the old you are able to go into high temps without shocking the oven. This is my belief. The old way seems to tease the oven with heat, stop, heat, stop. The new way drives out the moisture and cures the oven more aggressively, yet at the same time, creating long term heat patterns. The old way had you stop at 800 as final point, then you are to believe you can ramp up into Plasma with many hours of high heat. I think this caused lots of cracks. With the new method, your oven has aquired the many hours of curing, temp aclimation, and readiness to operate upon cure completion.

As some of the builders have said, curing goes for years. This is the short term set up to get the oven to operate hopefully without major or minor cracks if done right. I will know by the end. Doing it the new way is very challenging though, because you truly babysit the oven during the process and must keep to the high point mentioned with minimums likely lower by 50-100. Meaning if the high for that day says 300, then 200 to 300. You have to let it cool somewhat to allow fresh pieces to heat up without throwing the oven above desired temp.

Hope this helped.

[mfiore]

Re: Acoma's cure

Acoma,

Great looking oven! There are quite a few discussions on the forum of different curing techniques. For those of us new to the forum, it is not clear what is the "old" technique and what is the "new/revised" method? Could you please clarify?

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

Les, I did mine between 1/4 to 1/2. I decided to go with a shell of mortar, heck, it took 2.5 bags to do the dome. That's a 100.00 shell. With my blanket and Matrilite, which will definately be 3", I will be in excellant shape.

As for the cure, I go out to the oven, and it barely went down to 342. This is like feeding pidgens, small, and I mean small, morsals to the end of the cure session today. I will likely wrap up at the 9th hour due to heat retention.

BTY, today's winds, 20-30+ most the day. Now that truly adds to the challenge.

I am guessing that the oven will be 190 degress tomorrow at 5:30am. I will let you know. Place the bets if you wish.

[Les]

Re: Acoma's cure

Robert - how thick did you make your mortar cladding? It looks pretty thin but it's hard to tell from the pic's.

Les...

[james]

Re: Acoma's cure

This sounds just right. A lot of heat saturation at this very moderate heat will slowly bake all your water out.

Once you have done this cure, I think you will be really pleased with how your oven will quickly come up to cooking temperatures.

James


James

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

Thank you James.

After 7 hours of curing between 300-350 (rare moments of 375), the oven is starting to saturate a lot. If I put SMALL pieces in, it spikes, like 20 minutes ago when it went 390. I let the wood go down to minin embers and dust. It is not difficult to get new wood going again. I figured that after 30 minutes it will cool to 300 since I just checked it a few minutes ago, only to find it sitting at 352.

[james]

Re: Acoma's cure

All was good, with no cracks to be seen, I feel more confident!

I will have another photo or two this afternoon.

Way to go Robert!
James