Can I use a dome shaped clay flower pot?

[AJimiJ]

Hi all, fiirst time pizza oven builders, it's a joint effort with my partner who came across a clay, dome shaped flower pot with perfect dimensions that suit our plans. Our question is can this material be used as the interior of the oven, being made of clay? There's a light ceramic looking glaze on the outside of the pot which may affect it. Of course it would be built up with firebricks and insulation but is it more trouble than it's worth or should we just begin with a fire brick interior?

[UtahBeehiver]

Beats me. Kind of depends on the composition of the clay and how high it was fired. I guess it is possible, Kamado and tandori grills are made of clay bodies. Might be a good experiment. Not sure how you would vent it though.

[david s]

I think it is well worth a try. I’ve always kept an eye out for a suitable shaped pot for the same reason. You will have no idea how suitable the clay body will be in terms of resisting thermal shock though. The thing was not designed to have a fire lit inside it. Most tandoor ovens are actually made from unfired clay reinforced with horsehair. The horsehair provides good reinforcement and opens up the clay body to provide good thermal shock resistance. The pots of Sth America and Africa that can be placed on a fire or stove safely without cracking also have good thermal shock resistance because they have a very open clay body and very low fired, typically around 600C. Your clay pot, being glazed was probably fired to at least 1100C which puts it more in the danger zone for thermal shock. Do not fire it uninsulated or you’ll surely crack it. You will be able to cut an oven mouth easily enough with a diamond blade fitted to an angle grinder (wear a mask) but you won’t end up with a vertical surface to fit a door. You can easily cast a piece in place using homebrew to achieve a vertical face and once that’s done you can cast a flue gallery in front of it using the same material. Very interested to see your progress. Can you supply some pics?

[Soidogz]

Hi I use a clay pot all the time for cooking in thailand there called a ong https://youtu.be/GL5AsByyAAA they have glaxe on the inside when bought new

[Soidogz]

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