Mobile Pompeii - Not for the purists

[oblertone]

Re: Mobile Pompeii - Not for the purists

Then I got some closure

[oblertone]

Re: Mobile Pompeii - Not for the purists

Despite the gaps I did hammer in wedges until it was as solid as I could make it before a healthy lathering of 3-1-1-1 to hold it in place. I was very pleased at the end of Day 4

[oblertone]

Re: Mobile Pompeii - Not for the purists

Day 5 dawned and with a bit of trepidation I knocked out the upright tiles and cleared the sand.

Hurrah, she lives

The rest of day was spent rendering the whole thing; I expect a few drying cracks because I know I've rushed this but I'll deal with those as they appear.

[oblertone]

Re: Mobile Pompeii - Not for the purists

Now I'm aware that it's not the prettiest dome you've ever seen, particularly within these hallowed halls, but it'll suffice to knock out a few dozen pizzas and I've learnt a lot. One day I'll invest in a masonry blade for my chop saw and maybe do a shaped firebrick number in an enclosure, maybe, one day

[oblertone]

Re: Mobile Pompeii - Not for the purists

I've also been given a 1m length of twin wall flue, complete with stub collar so I might get around to building the vent arch before the 28th. It will also get an insulation blanket and a coat of weatherproof render but not before then.

Unfortunately I work in London during the week and my free time at home is a bit limited so I'll be lighting the first curing fire after it's been stood for a week; wish me luck

[oblertone]

Re: Mobile Pompeii - Not for the purists

3rd curing fire in progress, no major cracks yet. I'm curing the dome without the insulation layer because of time pressures and intended to use it "as is" on the 28th; however I've just been informed that we'll be having a (wet) dry-run on the 21st

[oblertone]

Re: Mobile Pompeii - Not for the purists

After a week of small curing fires (curtesy of a neighbour) I finally gave it the beans today; small fire then filled it with seasoned hardwood and went for breakfast. A few more small cracks but nothing substantial, and none that are letting out smoke After two hours burn I've swept back the embers and let the floor temp stabilise, at 490 Centigrade. Exterior is a reasonable 103C on top of the dome and about 80C at the base. The insulation underneath is also coping and it's about 60C directly under the fire, so not too many worries about differential expansion. These figures may seem high but this is currently uninsulated, after use next door I'll finish it with a blanket layer, a flue and some waterproof render.

This was just a test firing, roll on next Saturday for a wet run

[deejayoh]

Re: Mobile Pompeii - Not for the purists

That was a fun read. Ought to link it to the "low priced oven" thread.

I'll be interested to check back to see how it worked on the big day

[oblertone]

Re: Mobile Pompeii - Not for the purists

As others have pointed out, my build is seriously top heavy and so it needs stabilising when in use. So far I've used bits of wood, but recently came across some adjustable legs and mated these to wooden blocks. They may look a bit skinny but each is rated for 160kgs and they are only to stop it tipping. The observant will note they are from a disabled walking frame, but no elderly or infirm peeps were injured in their procurement

[oblertone]

Re: Mobile Pompeii - Not for the purists

Well the first cooking day dawned and I fired the beast up

[oblertone]

Re: Mobile Pompeii - Not for the purists

I'm glad this was just a practise run because things got a little too warm; my pizza blanco went from raw to charcoal in less than a minute Eventually I got things better ordered and attracted enough neighbours to eat 14 pizzas

[dakzaag]

Re: Mobile Pompeii - Not for the purists

Nicely done on the cheap.

The phrase that I am often quoted as saying "don't laugh, it's paid for."

[oblertone]

Re: Mobile Pompeii - Not for the purists

After getting a bit carried away on my trial run I took some advice, which was essentially 'less fire for longer'. The result was 35 beautiful freshly made pizzas which cooked in an average of 90 seconds each; well received and a substantial sum raised

Going to set about the insulation layer, waterproof finish and chimney now

[dakzaag]

Re: Mobile Pompeii - Not for the purists

That is awesome, thanks for sharing a build that is less than pure, but certainly a success.

[oblertone]

Re: Mobile Pompeii - Not for the purists

Inspired by a visit to the actual Pompeii in September I finally got a bit of time and space to set about the entry arch & vent. I used polystyrene foam for the former, some old coping stones for the arch and my tiles (cut in half) for the vent arch.