just about to drop a clanger

[Burning pizzas in Surrey]

Hi All,

Yup i'm new to the forum, started to build an oven, I am to the point of;

Completed foundations, layers of building blocks to the required level for casting the base.

Now, here is when I joined the forum, read loads of different oppinions on a mix for the base, insulation for the base, can the oven be built straight on the base...etc etc etc.

I was going to do a simple sand, portland mix with lime, then a dome firebrick followed by 3 inch insulation of the same mix for insulation.......am I about to drop a monumental clanger is the question?

A great forum with lots of debate....oh and I do burn pizzas in a conventional oven....lol glad I joined and thanks for any help on the above..

[jammyweb]

Re: just about to drop a clanger

Hi

There are a few UK builders on here - but there should be more.

I think you are about to "drop a clanger". Your base and dome insulation will be very inefficient. For a minimum you need to mix in vermiculite to the cement, then your dome and floor will hold heat much longer.

James

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: just about to drop a clanger

Sand is a heat soak and very poor insulator. It would be advisable to study the Forno Bravo Oven plans: (eBooks & CD ROMs :: Forno Bravo Store) and
read through the Pompeii Oven Construction threads on this site, paying attention to the insulation materials the bulk of the builders use. The pics everyone shares are invaluable.

[Burning pizzas in Surrey]

Re: just about to drop a clanger

Thanks guys, had some thoughts, masses of reading although many people seem to have different oppinions so after much looking I found this for insulation under the floor ...

Vermiculite Fire Board - Fire-proof Insulation


The same company sell lots of other bits including insulation.....your thoughts would be appreciated..... god this gets confusing the more you read.

[brickie in oz]

Re: just about to drop a clanger

40 quid for a piece of board...!!

Put thermalite blocks underneath the oven, it has the same effect and much cheaper.

[Burning pizzas in Surrey]

Re: just about to drop a clanger

40 quid for a piece of board...!!

Put thermalite blocks underneath the oven, it has the same effect and much cheaper.

Thermolite will take the oven hight wrong as the base is now in and at the required height....i guess im gonna have to swallow the 40 quid to ensure I have the right insulation...grrrr

I tried to DL the pdf for building the pompey oven and it wont let me as I don't have a US postcode......

now DL the file and says corrupted and wont open..... I guess I should go to the pub.....

[dmun]

Re: just about to drop a clanger

Vermiculite board is very old fashioned. They don't even make it over here any more. It's no more effective than vermiculite concrete as an insulation.

If you need to keep your height down you need to spring for refractory mineral fiber board or calcium silicate (cal-sil) board, either one of which will suffice at two inches.

[Burning pizzas in Surrey]

Re: just about to drop a clanger

Vermiculite board is very old fashioned. They don't even make it over here any more. It's no more effective than vermiculite concrete as an insulation.

If you need to keep your height down you need to spring for refractory mineral fiber board or calcium silicate (cal-sil) board, either one of which will suffice at two inches.

Hi Dmun,

Did you mean this type?

High Temperature Process Equipment Engineering and Consulting

and thanks for chipping in. Its most welcome...

[turkey]

Re: just about to drop a clanger

they look ok

something like this

Calcium Silicate 1000GD : Kiln Linings, Best Site for Kiln Maintainance and Repair Materials

they do kits for pizza ovens so if you called them and let them know what you need I am sure they could work it out,

btw what part of sunny Surrey are you in ? good to see not only fellow Britts but fellow Surrey folk

[uk_exile]

Re: just about to drop a clanger

I tried to DL the pdf for building the pompey oven and it wont let me as I don't have a US postcode......

now DL the file and says corrupted and wont open..... I guess I should go to the pub.....

I had same problem, the zip from FB is corrupted. I solved it by googling the filename & then downloaded it from another site

[Burning pizzas in Surrey]

Re: just about to drop a clanger

they look ok

something like this

Calcium Silicate 1000GD : Kiln Linings, Best Site for Kiln Maintainance and Repair Materials

they do kits for pizza ovens so if you called them and let them know what you need I am sure they could work it out,

btw what part of sunny Surrey are you in ? good to see not only fellow Britts but fellow Surrey folk

Hiya, thanks for the reply, i'm in Worcester Park, near Epsom. I have gone the board route for the oven, only for ease and being lazy......hope I don't pay the price later. I'm sure I wont......eeeeek


I have found this site and the staff are really helpful; Ciment Fondu?

This will be the mortar and screed. I will try to attach a pic or two. One thing mind, its costing me a fortune......

[turkey]

Re: just about to drop a clanger

just down the road then, I am over in Mitcham, I was expecting you to say Guildford or somewhere equally green and leafy.

very nice block work, I hear the ? pain, I was planning a budget clay build but then I won some firebricks off ebay but had to drive down to southampton to pick them up (and hire a van) i think they where a good buy... but got to get onto some construction now as all I have is a pile of bricks.

re using a board its probably the best material with regards to heat, strength and performance but this costs...

I think I will be using thermalite blocks in mine as they are cheap as chips.

[Burning pizzas in Surrey]

Re: just about to drop a clanger

just down the road then, I am over in Mitcham, I was expecting you to say Guildford or somewhere equally green and leafy.

very nice block work, I hear the ? pain, I was planning a budget clay build but then I won some firebricks off ebay but had to drive down to southampton to pick them up (and hire a van) i think they where a good buy... but got to get onto some construction now as all I have is a pile of bricks.

re using a board its probably the best material with regards to heat, strength and performance but this costs...

I think I will be using thermalite blocks in mine as they are cheap as chips.

Mitcham's not far at all. I used thermolite as the inner skin and the stone as the outer skin with a 3 inch gap and tied together. The fire bricks I got from Vitcas at ?1.60 plus VAT plus delivery at ?35 so not the end of the world. I'll post some more pics up shortly as its moved on a fair bit since the last pic. By the way i'm not doing the stone work myself, a mate who lives nearby is doing it for me and he charges a very good day rate so if you get stuck send me a pm and i'll drop you his details.

Shoyld be in a position to burn some pizzas by end of Feb I hope....

[turkey]

Re: just about to drop a clanger

that isnt a bad price for the bricks, if I had been stone cold sober I dont think I would have brought the bricks off ebay but in the end it was a good deal but a right pain in the rear to collect and caused a lot of knock on pain so in hindsight I possibly should have just gone with my initial plan for clay but you live and learn

would be great to see some more recent pics, and some images of this fondu and your hearth slab

[Burning pizzas in Surrey]

Re: just about to drop a clanger

that isnt a bad price for the bricks, if I had been stone cold sober I dont think I would have brought the bricks off ebay but in the end it was a good deal but a right pain in the rear to collect and caused a lot of knock on pain so in hindsight I possibly should have just gone with my initial plan for clay but you live and learn

would be great to see some more recent pics, and some images of this fondu and your hearth slab

I don't have the earlier pics, the builder does as my camera went AWOL, however I do have a pic where you can see the oven base. This was 4" thick made from lime motar and steel, the vermiculite board is on top. You can clearly see the brick height difference showing the oven floor area, those bing the raised bricks. The other pic is showing the black mortar and the first screed in the same fondu mix.

Note; the Fondu is very hard to use, but very effective i'm told, but then again every person that has gone through this complains about what ever material is used so I assume its part and parcel.

You may have guessed i'm doing the barrell type and not the "igloo" style as this would have taken far too long. I have used 190 bricks so far and about a further 10 to complete the chimney. 3 x 25KG bags of Fondu, 4 tons of stone, 3 tons of builders sand, 3 tons of sharp sand, 6 tons of ballast, 50 building blocks and I seem to remember 10 bags of portland. oh and shed loads of paving slabs!

I am playing about with the white portland at the moment as the ballustrade and seting areas need to be sorted yet so still a fair bit to do. Above quantities are approximate only.



Ahhh , nearly forgot, dont use a round topped door as it won't open if recessed like I had done, major changes had to done after....but it works now!!!