Started my Build in Georgia

[Greenman]

Re: Started my Build in Georgia

The home made mortar/stucco works fine. I used the recipe with portland, sand and hydrated lime with a little surfactant. I am happy with the result and it has been in use for a couple of years now.

[david s]

Re: Started my Build in Georgia

The home made mortar/stucco works fine. I used the recipe with portland, sand and hydrated lime with a little surfactant. I am happy with the result and it has been in use for a couple of years now.

Surfactant will work, but adding some powdered clay is better ie 3:1:1:1 sand, cement, lime, clay, as it makes the mix more refractory as well as giving the mix some stickiness.

[DavidApp]

Re: Started my Build in Georgia

Hello David S

This is going to be the stucco coat outside the insulation so I did not think that the refractory properties were much of a factor.
What would you suggest as a surfactant?

David

[DavidApp]

Re: Started my Build in Georgia

Hello All

Friday night cooked Pita bread with great success. It puffed up great and tasted real good. After that I raked the coals out and allowed the oven to equalize then baked some French bread and an Artisan loaf.

Saturday fired the oven for Pizza, cooked 8 in all. I must teach someone else how to make up the pizzas. I was doing both the cooking and the pizza assembly. I had to use the wire mesh pizza dish to speed things up and help with my peel handling. Everything went very well but you get a better bottom to the pizza if it is on the hearth.

Finished off the evening with Smores.

David

[RandyJ]

Re: Started my Build in Georgia

Wow David that food all looks great. I can't wait to start my build now. Great job

Randy

[DavidApp]

Re: Started my Build in Georgia

Friday night I cooked Pita, then later sour dough bread. The bread was almost a flop. I replaced some of the whole wheat flour with white flour but did not think to reduce the amount of water. It was a really sloppy dough. I had to almost pour it into the oven. Tasted Ok with a real good crust.
Saturday I decided to experiment with a Pork shoulder. Went in the oven at 340 degrees and 8 hours later it was done.
That will be Sunday lunch.

David

[david s]

Re: Started my Build in Georgia

Hello David S

This is going to be the stucco coat outside the insulation so I did not think that the refractory properties were much of a factor.
What would you suggest as a surfactant?

David

Hi David,

Sorry I missed your reply. The lime does a good job of making the mix workable as you've probably already found out. I use a 4:1:1 sand,cement,lime mix with AR glass fibres mixed in for strength.

Dave

[almondsurf]

Re: Started my Build in Georgia

Hi David,

Sorry I missed your reply. The lime does a good job of making the mix workable as you've probably already found out. I use a 4:1:1 sand,cement,lime mix with AR glass fibres mixed in for strength.

Dave

Thanks Dave. I am going to keep this formula to use when I am finished with mine. Does this give it a waterproofing quality or do you add anything special for the waterproofing?

[david s]

Re: Started my Build in Georgia

No it will be still porous. If you want to make it waterproof, wait until you've given it around ten fires then waterproof it. This way you will know it is thoroughly dry. Alternatively you can use a proprietary render mix that is already partly waterproof. I actually use the above mentioned recipe mixed 50/50 with Rockcote PM100 (don't know if that's available to you)

[Greenman]

Re: Started my Build in Georgia

I used an acrylic texture coat to seal mine and it is holding up well after a couple of years. The one I used was Dulux Acratex, not sure if it is in your neck of the woods but I am sure that the equivalent will be. I applied it with a very coarse roller and I was happy with the result. With the moderate texture finish it covered the inevitable imperfections in the render coat.

It is tough to keep focused on finishing the job when the good food starts coming out. Your pork looks good. I am sure that it would have been tasty!

[DavidApp]

Re: Started my Build in Georgia

Hello Steve

Thank you. It was good.
Also the in the bottom of the pan there was a nice layer of dripping. Went well on some of the bread.

David

[almondsurf]

Re: Started my Build in Georgia

The turning peel is made from an old 7 1/2" skill saw blade with the teeth ground off.

That is pretty cool! Only those who have labored as you have for the love of the oven would look at a saw blade and think, "Hmmm, with a little tweaking I bet that flat blade with jagged teeth could make a great pizza peel."

Your oven looks very professional. Great job!

[DavidApp]

Re: Started my Build in Georgia

Hello Almondsurf

Thank you. It works really well and only took a few minutes to make.

I was about to cut a circle out of some steel when I saw the blade and thought problem solved.

Thank you for the oven comments as well. I have been amazed at the heat retention of my oven. I am only beginning to scratch the surface of it's uses.
Must finish the outside when I get a break from cooking.

David

[DavidApp]

Re: Started my Build in Georgia

Did some cooking this weekend.
Saturday night cooked some Pita bread and then tried out my Tuscan grill with chicken breasts. Both were very good.
Closed up the oven about 10.30 pm with the Dome at 740 and the hearth at 720.
Sunday morning I had some Artisan bread to bake. The oven was 490 in the dome and 460 on the hearth. After the bread was done I put a Beef Roast at 10.30 am and some potatoes at 11.00 am. They were done at about 12.30. The beef came out about 30 minutes before the potatoes.
After lunch my Wife made some peanut butter cookies. These went into the oven at 400 dome and 350 hearth.
Finally about 8.00 pm I put some of my Wife's bread in the oven.
It is still at 380 in the dome and 330 on the hearth.

David

[RandyJ]

Re: Started my Build in Georgia

David that all looks delightful. I can't wait to get cooking. It is going to be so much fun.

Randy