Casa90 Build

[Cdubs]

Re: Casa90 Build

I believe it is kiln dried oak. The amount of smoke just does not seem normal.

[Les]

Re: Casa90 Build

Does anyone have any ideas what could be creating so much smoke?

What kind of wood are you burning and is it cured? Also, the hotter it gets, the less smoke you will see.

[Cdubs]

Re: Casa90 Build

Thanks Cheesesteak. I made my first flatbread while curing the oven and it was amazing!! I do have a question - During the last few days of curing I have noticed an excessive amount of smoke. I can't imagine this is normal, and to be honest I feel bad for my next door neighbors. Does anyone have any ideas what could be creating so much smoke?

[Cheesesteak]

Re: Casa90 Build

Here is my daily update - Today was a huge milestone in my WFO journey - I finally started a fire!!!! The sight of the first flame was absolutely amazing and almost brought a tear to my eye. I obviously didnt want to go crazy but I started the curing process!!

You'll never be the same - and your family will never want to order out for junk pizza again. Welcome to the club!

[SableSprings]

Re: Casa90 Build

I wish I would've thought to mention this earlier, but if you do cement work by hand you'll notice not only the extreme wear and tear on your skin but the burning and itching caused by the caustic mixture. One trick I found really worked for me is to wash your hands liberally with vinegar after you've cleaned up for the day. The weak acid in the vinegar neutralizes the cement & mortar caustic (lime) components and really helps your hands recover more quickly. Also, get a pair or two of the cheap rubberized gloves made for masonry/cement work...they are really worth it!

Great to have your first fire, isn't it? We invited about 20 people to our house for the evening and then it took about 1 minute to burn the recommended small crumple of newspaper...I just never thought of how quick it would be over. (It's good to have not only adult beverages and snacks but lively, enthusiastic friends to help fill in the slack or the remainder of the evening.)

I suspect you'll find a color or type of stone for your enclosure that just "rings your chimes" this spring or summer. That's a really nice feature of the forum photo galleries...lots of pictures of good ideas and views of how different colors and textures work together (or not). I think that the "finishing part" for your oven will be a while from now (I certainly wanted to work with my oven a bit when the actual fire curing process started...I was sick of mortaring!) My guess is that you'll develop a strong feeling from working with the oven for a while as to how it "should look" and that will guide you on the final enclosure choice(s)...Zen and the Art of WFO Building?

[Cdubs]

Re: Casa90 Build

Sorry Mike I forgot to answer your question. I am planning on building a stone house. Right now I am struggling with colors and different brand stones. I just put in a gray patio and dont know what colors would go well with that. I'm afraid that if I go with something other then gray it won't look right. Thoughts anyone?

[Cdubs]

Re: Casa90 Build

Mike - Thanks, it took me 5 hours hours but it was worth every band-aid. I literally did it by hand and not with a trowel. I started doing it the traditional way but it just wouldnt stick. Probably not the smartest idea but these are the things we will do for our fornos.

Phil - Mike is right on the target. Even though applying the vermicrete is not suggested I would hihjly recommend it. I do feel like extra insulation can't be a bad thing but I really did it to keep the ceramic blanket debri to a minimum. After you work with it you will see what we mean - it is nasty stuff.

Here is my daily update - Today was a huge milestone in my WFO journey - I finally started a fire!!!! The sight of the first flame was absolutely amazing and almost brought a tear to my eye. I obviously didnt want to go crazy but I started the curing process!!

[PlanoPhil]

Re: Casa90 Build

Thanks Mike
I think I'm gonna just do several layers of stucco and call it a day. No enclosure for now.

If my replacement hearth pieces (broken in shipment and or warped) would just get here I could get started.

I think I'm gonna cure first and then add the blanket followed by the stucco layers.

Phil

[SableSprings]

Re: Casa90 Build

No, you didn't miss anything Phil. Adding a layer of perlcrete/vermicrete over the ceramic insulation blankets is not necessary. However, having an additional layer of rigid insulation over the blanket has a couple of advantages. Of course it adds more insulation (always a good thing), it contains the "bad fibers" in the blankets (think asbestos & fiber glass...), protects the blankets from critter & weather & other physical damage, and lastly it provides a better substrate (IMO) for the final dome enclosure/facade.

Yes, it is extra work. Yes, it is more expense. Yes, it is not absolutely necessary...but it does have some advantages to consider...relax and do what feels right for your build.

[PlanoPhil]

Re: Casa90 Build

Confused. I am going to be at the install stage for my Casa90 very soon and don't understand why you are applying a vermicrete layer. The instructions don't call for this and I haven't seen where James says it is necessary. Did I miss something?

Phil

[SableSprings]

Re: Casa90 Build

Wow! I'm really impressed you got the entire outside vermicrete layer in place in a single day-great job! (I hope you rewarded yourself with your favorite adult beverage.) It took me 3-4 days with my slower "ring at a time approach". I did have to come back after the first layer had cured (and my hands had healed) and put on a second layer of perlcrete for "smoothing/rounding/shaping" prior to the finishing brick facade I used. How are you going to finish the dome -brick or stucco or ...?

[Cdubs]

Re: Casa90 Build

Here are some more pictures since you can only fit 5 per post.

[Cdubs]

Re: Casa90 Build

Thanks Mike...I wish I would have seen your post before I got started today. I would have reconsidered and used the metal lathe like you suggest. I ended up covering the oven with 3 inches of fire blanket and wrapping bailing wire (Thanks Les) around the oven to keep it all tight. After that, I mixed up some vermiculite and cement to a 10 to 1 ratio and started spreading. I will say that it was much harder then I thought it was going to be. Getting the consistancy right was tough and this stuff just did not want to stick.

A few hours, a sore back, and some cut hands and this is what it looked like......

[SableSprings]

Re: Casa90 Build

I used metal lathe sheets to hold my dry insulation in place and to provide a base for my perlcrete insulation coating. Home Depot carries the sheets, as I understand it they are used as the base for cultured stone facades on the outsides of buildings. One caveat that's been noted elsewhere...this metal has some very sharp edges and if you cut it to fit, it has MORE sharp edges. Be very careful, go slow, and wear leather gloves.

I found that fitting the cut sheets into place worked pretty well by cutting instead of folding and using small pieces of wire ties to hold sheets together at "joints" as tightly as possible. Try to avoid any bounce/give between the lathe and insulation blankets. The cement insulating mixes will go through the holes in the lathe if you have open spaces or press too hard. A thin paper or foil layer between the provided blanket insulation and lathe would probably work well to eliminate that problem. I found out that it's better to do small concentric rings 10-12" high around the base and let it set for an hour or two. Next, do another ring on top and let it set. If you don't, the lathe will deform with the added weight and you start losing the dome shape. You might also consider leaving the a spot in the back open for a while to help the dome's "extra masonry insulation" vent/dry through at least 5-6 full oven firings.

I would not trust a perlcrete or vermicrete mix to shed water...my experience with my oven, was that the mix absorbs and holds water really well. You'd be best served to set up an "over dome" canopy to protect against rain. I borrowed a small picnic canopy from a friend and it worked pretty well to keep things dry while I continued to work on the enclosure/insulation/facade.

[Cdubs]

Re: Casa90 Build

I meant to post some pictures of the oven install yesterday but it was too late. Here are a couple from this morning. We are finally getting somewhere.