Building a Pompeii Oven - finally

[efleifel]

Re: Building a Pompeii Oven - finally

Hello,

I have not done much with the oven last 2 weeks, I took the family on a cruise, and we just came back. I am planning to build the entry arch/vent this weekend. Hope the weather will hold.
Salute

Eddie
My Web site

[efleifel]

Re: Building a Pompeii Oven - finally

Hello and Happy Holidays to all...

Today I built the entry arch and the vent, it was easier than I thought, I was done in no time(that worries me a little bit- I can't be that good), however, as you can see from the photos; it came out good. I always refer to my last build, but the truth is, last time I built the oven entry on a steel bar, and the arch was on the front entry, this time I built the arch for the oven entry and the vent, this is because of 2 reasons, one is this time I am building an Igloo shaped oven, and the second reason, I noticed that the steel bar expanded with high heat. On Sunday I will build the chimney.

Now, I am heading out to finish few bottles of Chianti at my son's house for Christmas Eve, I guess I'll have to have some more tomorrow.
Merry Christmas

Eddie
My Next Brick Pizza Oven

[efleifel]

Re: Building a Pompeii Oven - finally

Happy New Year....

I finally got round to build the chimney, the inside measures 6 by 6, and it is 25 inches high. I will build the cap next weekend. It came out good.
Cheers
My Next Brick Pizza Oven

[efleifel]

Re: Building a Pompeii Oven - finally

Yesterday I built a chimney cap. I have left over firebricks and concrete board.
I created 4 holes in the concrete boards so that the bricks can go through.
The bottom concrete board I covered with a sheet of metal.
I also made a temporary door for the oven, from concrete board covered with metal sheet and backed by wood.
I will start on the front enclosure next weekend.

Cheers

Eddie
My Next Brick Pizza Oven

[efleifel]

Re: Building a Pompeii Oven - finally

This weekend I completed the landing, the entrance and the sorround bricks.
Next weekend weather permitting I will start on the insulation, I already have the portland cement and the vermiculite.
Cheers

Eddie
My Next Brick Pizza Oven

[Lburou]

Re: Building a Pompeii Oven - finally

Hello Eddie

You certainly are a person who sticks to a project! Congratulations on your persistant progress to its near conclusion.



I have a few questions about the dimensions of your oven if you don't mind:

• What are your final floor & dome heights? I think you wrote 16 inches & 28 inches...?
• Door opening size?
• The slightly taller than normal dome you made should allow for more heat holding and a taller oven opening, maybe even more rapid heat gain on firing....Was that your intent?
• I'm stuck at the point of starting the first chain of bricks on the oven floor until it warms up some. I'm planning to make the first two or three chains of the dome much like your pictures show. How do you think that worked for you (it is something I have seriously considered)?

[efleifel]

Re: Building a Pompeii Oven - finally

Thank you.

Here is the basis of my build.
In my last oven in my previous house I had the luxury of space, so I build a 36? oven and followed the Forno Bravo plans. In this house I had to build smaller oven, but could not find any plans for this size except for the ready made ones which does not tell you the vault height. Since I am not an architect, or a builder I did not have a drafted plan, it was all in my head, and so, I did some simple proportional calculations.
Here is what I came up with:
The cooking floor size is 28?, the internal vault height is 16?

Here is my logic behind the entry size: I wanted an opening large enough for a decent size pizza, but at the same time does not allow the heat to escape.

So, I went with a 16? wide and 11? highest point of the arch, because it gets narrower at the sides of the arch.
The chimney size is 6? by 6? internally, and is 25? high, to make sure I have decent draw.

As for the height of the oven, I was trying to make sure that I do not lose any heat mass, because the Forno Bravo plans had an 18? height for a 36? oven (half the diameter). Since this one is only 28?, I did not want to go with a 14? height, because that would be too low, and I will not be able to control the temperature when I need to. In my previous oven my pizzas cooked in 90 seconds. So, I went with an average height rather than a strictly scientific formula, and hope it works; I should know in a couple of weeks.

As for the chains, I went with half a brick (4.5?) rather than a full brick height as in my previous oven, to control how the dome shapes up, because the circle gets narrower earlier as we go up. I only allowed 6.5? height before I started with the bricks taking the dome shape. It proved to be easier to shape the dome.

I want to thank you for asking, and hope that some of this makes some sense.
Cheers

My Next Brick Pizza Oven

[efleifel]

Re: Building a Pompeii Oven - finally

Lee,

Just a couple of pointers if I may;
If you are using Styrofoam for your form, be patient and cut cardboard on top of the Styrofoam, otherwise the bricks will not sit where you want them. Also as I went higher i had to taper the bricks for a better fit. And one mistake to avoid fill the gaps with mortar as you go, do not wait until done and fill the gaps from the inside as I did; that was a major challenge because of the size of the oven.
As I think of other things I will post them as well.

Good Luck

Eddie
My Next Brick Pizza Oven

[efleifel]

Re: Building a Pompeii Oven - finally

Last weekend I applied 5 inches of vermiculite and Portland cement with a ratio of 7:1, I applied it with my hands one layer at a time, it took patience, persistence and determination. I was fighting gravity all the way. It is easier to shape the igloo with the hands. I also started the curing process and fired up few kindle wood.
This weekend, I will house the igloo with wire mesh and apply the base coat of stucco.
Cheers

Eddie

My Next Brick Pizza Oven

[Lburou]

Outstanding heat performance with only vermicrete as dome insulator!

Hello Eddie

You reported the following to me in a Private Message....In that message, you describe such exceptional heating performance that I included it here for all to read

Your report is the fastest time to clear dome/pizza temperature/950 F that I have read about in a homebuilt oven. Congratulations!!

Hi Lee,

....Snip.... It takes me 30 minutes to 40 minutes to get to 950 degrees. I use Oak wood and start with a stack of six; 2 at a time staggered, and put underneath a lot of kindle wood and wooden sticks, then I use a gas torch, i bought one from walmart for about $8 including the refill.

I increase the wood as necessary, and always after I move the wood to the side to start baking the pizza. By the time you move the fire and put the pizza in, the oven floor should be at around 750 degrees which is perfect for the pizza,

I rotate every few seconds and then usually the pizza is done in about 90 seconds or 2 minutes max.
One more thing that I do, is I move the fire back to the middle while I am preparing the next pizza.

Let me know if this helps and if you have any questions.

Take Care

Eddie

[efleifel]

Re: Building a Pompeii Oven - finally

Thanks Lee,

I am glad you posted my private message,except it is old news, I have already explained that in one of my previous posts, but it saves me the bragging, however, I am sure other members have achieved better or similar results.
I found that the gas torch saves me a lot of time for starting the fire, provided the wood is dry. My oven in Jacksonville took longer to cure but eventually performed excellent.
cheers

Eddie
My Next Brick Pizza Oven

[imad]

Re: Building a Pompeii Oven - finally

I have a fireclay question
laying the floor calls for 1:1 sand and fireclay
also hi temp mortar calls for cement fireclay,san and lime
is fireclay paste or dry form?
I found TEX BOND (air set heat resistant motar) the mfg says to lay the floor bricks on thin layer of this stuff
please advise
thanks

[Muscats]

Re: Building a Pompeii Oven - finally

My fireclay was a fine powder, like cement except it was brown instead of grey.

The idea of using fireclay sand mix to lay the floor is it is more of a leveling compound and it does not permanantly fix the floor, so you can lift and replace a floor tile/brick if one gets damaged.

I would say the TEX Bond would fix the floor and prevent the tiles/bnicks being easily removed for replacement.

Are you laying the floor within the soldier course i.e. you are not laying the dome on top of the floor? So you could remove the floor and replace it, if needed, once the dome is complete?

[efleifel]

Re: Building a Pompeii Oven - finally

I have a question to all of those who can help.
Last weekend I placed the wire mesh and then applied the first coat of stucco. My question is I noticed that there is a gap or a space between the wire mesh and the insulation, so although the stucco is covering the whole dome, when it dried and you knock on it you can hear the hollow sound. Should I start all over again or can I go ahead and apply the finishing stucco coat?
Thanks

Eddie
My Next Brick Pizza Oven

[Muscats]

Re: Building a Pompeii Oven - finally

I have a question to all of those who can help.
Last weekend I placed the wire mesh and then applied the first coat of stucco. My question is I noticed that there is a gap or a space between the wire mesh and the insulation, so although the stucco is covering the whole dome, when it dried and you knock on it you can hear the hollow sound. Should I start all over again or can I go ahead and apply the finishing stucco coat?
Thanks

Eddie
My Next Brick Pizza Oven

Do you have photos of the stucco being applied, it should have gone thru the wire mesh and against the insulation.
How fine was the mesh?
The hollow sound may just be the insulation.