Castable Refractory Products (VT600)

[TARibs]

The Flue Gallery was an issue as it kept leaking through the original seam joining it to the casting. After replacing it a few times and then getting enough insulation on top of it that seems to have stopped. I do notice some small cracks where it meets the brick so over time if may require digging out and replacing again

[TARibs]

And a few more of the Arch for any interested. I did take a grinder to the flue casting and smooth it down quite a bit.

[Fishman]

Thanks for the updates Tom! I am curious how many bags of material did you end up needing for the casting?

[TARibs]

Next up was insulation, original plan was for just vermicrete but based on the space I had left on the slab I thought the ceramic blanket with a thinner layer of Vermicrete would be a better alternative. I got 100 foot role and then went to work wrapping, I used a roll of rebar tie wire to hold it in place. I tied it to a few screws that I simply drove into the vermicrete base layer below the Firebrick. Again I had an issue with a leak behind Flue gallery, I'm happy I fired the oven before completely covering it and I would recommend this. I pulled away the fire blanket and repaired this section. Then after replaced put the fire blanket back, finished with the chicken wire and added more vermicrete before testing the oven again. You can see I also used chicken wire over the tie wire, I just thought it would be easier to place the Vermicrete and I believe it was. The chicken wire was not easy, I spent days just bending and trimming the overlappting section, to get it flat, I did a lot of tucking under the seams with small needle nosed pliers and bdending over parts of it to get the overlapping sections how I wanted them (you might be able to see tis in the last photo.

[TARibs]

Fired up the oven last fall with a number of small fires before trying to cook in it, I know I at least did fires on the 13th 15th 17th and 28th, suspect there were some in between 17th and 28th that I just didnt take pictures of as the 28th was the first attempt at cooking. Looking at the Oven you can see at some point this was when I also added the layers of Vermicrete over the blanket

[TARibs]

And the 28th was first day actually trying the oven. Ran out of time for putting a Stucco layer on it as you need 45 degrees for 48 hours and by then it was too cold.

IT WORKS!!!! still having issues getting Pizza to cook right but we're getting there.