36" Pompeii oven in North Carolina

[stephen*z]

Re: 36" Pompeii oven in North Carolina

i have been burning wood in the oven all week and nothing seems to terrably wrong. The insulating material has been formed into the shape of the house and it has been covered partially with stucco.
I still have to level the top and edges, but the design is there and ready to have the tile installed on the sides. I have cut the tile for the front (using my angle grinder) and will move to the back on the next time out.
As you can see in the photo, the roof needs to be filled in so I can install antique slate tiles to give it that old school look.
I have made an interesting tool. A blow poke. The tool is made of a piece of pipe with a metal hook added to help moving embers and wood around the oven.
The pipe also allows you to blow on the fire to help it get started. The best part about it is that you will not singe your eyebrows when you do it. the blow poke allows you to stay 4 feet away. I have put more info on a post in the tools section and you can always see more on the blog listed below.
So check it out and let me know what you think.

[stephen*z]

Re: 36" Pompeii oven in North Carolina

Tile is Going Up on the Outside

This week was a fun one at the pizza oven. I got to put the tile on the outside and an almost finished with the whole thing.
I had the tile waiting in a pile for just the right project and this was it.
I had applied the stucco so that the sides were relatively flat, and smooth. OK I was not exactly flat and smooth but I thought I could make it work. The mastic went on well and the tile stuck just fine. I know there are some thick joints here and there, but I could not believe how hard it was to get the cuts just right where you want them. I have cut the whole thing with an angle grinder. It would be nicer with a tile saw?but no tile saw and I needed to move on.
So I cut them and applied them without any problems. The front decorative pieces went on easier than ever expected. They are on sale pieces from Lowe?s, so they were half price. Nice![/FONT]Well I am moving on to the roof now. The vintage slate will finish the look and give it a nice old world feel. As always, I?ll let you know how it goes.

[chidding]

Re: 36" Pompeii oven in North Carolina

That looks epic! Haven't seen anything like that before. Can't wait to see it all finished!

[stephen*z]

Re: 36" Pompeii oven in North Carolina

Well the time has arrived and the oven is finished.

Well almost. It will always need something, or I will want to add something, or I will remake something when I get a new idea. But that is just the way I am.
Well enough of that?

I went out and started working on the roofing last week. I had to install the vintage slate roofing tiles for the finishing touch.

I prepped the roof area by adding some stucco to level out the surface and allow the rows of tiles to be laid into the wet surface. I wanted to have a bond of some kind between the stucco and the tiles to help them stay in place. I also add aluminum roofing nails through the slate?s nail holes and into the wet stucco for extra support when it cured.

The roof went up pretty fast and was relatively easy to do. Even in 100 degree heat. I imagine some of the truest of bricklayers may have a problem with how it is done? but I think it turned out well and seems to be ok for now.

All I have to do now is:
1) add a horizontal row of slate at the top of the eve to cover the nails.
2) cut the firebrick I am using for the outside of the hearth.
3) maybe some stucco on the block base.
4) build some killer looking hinges and oak doors for the storage space underneath.
5) paint the base section.
OK? maybe I do have some more to do. But not before the pizza starts flowing from the oven.

Bring on the parties!

I will add some more photos when I get it all cleaned up and fixed.

PS. my wife?s list includes some more color in the concrete patio area, a gazebo with heat and AC, running water, hot tub and on and on and on?.I will have deal with all that later.

[Lburou]

Re: 36" Pompeii oven in North Carolina

Looking better each time you take a detail to its conclusion.

Have enjoyed watching your build

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: 36" Pompeii oven in North Carolina

Very nice roof! Cementing the slate right on your weatherproof roof is a great idea. I really love the grey-blue slate against the tile sides and your roof keeps out the water like it suppose to do. Your oven does have a nice "old world feel".

Pizza parties should happen real soon.
Congratulations,
-Dino

[stephen*z]

Re: 36" Pompeii oven in North Carolina

The Pizza has Landed!

One small step for mankind ?.one giant leap for one man.

Yes we cooked pizza on Friday. The oven was mostly finished and needed to be used. So Friday was the day.

My in-laws were here and were to leave the next day. So we decided to get some good friends together and give it a run. I wanted friends who would honestly tell me if it was good or not? and would not be offended if we ended up ordering pizza from the store in case all went crazy and the whole thing crashed.

I started with a simple pizza crust recipe at about 3 pm. Mixed it and left it to rise. Then I kneaded it again and set it aside in balls to rest until the zero hour.
I started the fire 2 hours before cooking time and had a great 75 degree day to watch it burn. This was sent from God because Wednesday had checked in at 105 degrees. It was interesting because I had read about placing logs on the edge of the oven interior (separated from the fire) and watching them burst into flame as if on their own when the fire was hot enough. It was amazing to see a log just start on fire without any contact with the rest of the fire. (OK, I know how and why it happened but it was still fun to watch).

Note to self: in our southern climate I can see that the pizza oven will be a winter sport more than a summer one. Huddling around a 700 degree oven will be really fun when the temps are in the 40s. but don?t think for a minute that the summer will require less pizza!

The friends started arriving and the toppings were out and ready. The dough rolled out pretty well and the pizzas started coming outside for their time in the oven. (now I do have to say I had already made a trial run on my own pizza just so I could look like I knew what I was doing. And that one turned out great.) The oven performed superbly and the pizzas were rolling out at a nice clip. Everyone was happy and ate their fill.

When someone new came later in the night, I just added some smaller pieces to get the fire burning and we were off again.

I had seen a simple hook type tool which was used to turn the pizzas as they are cooking. That one was just a piece of wire bent in a hook. Mine will have to be more elaborate of course but I think that will be easier to use than the turning peel. And I need a brass brush to clean the floor of the burned flour falling from the peel and the pizza bottoms.

We did learn that more is not better when it comes to toppings. The lighter more assorted pizzas were better than the heavier saucy ones. But in the end, all were great.

I was excited to have a good first run and the good times with friends.

The oven was certainly worth all the efforts, money, and time.

It is an interesting conversation piece, and a great addition to the yard.

[chidding]

Re: 36" Pompeii oven in North Carolina

Looks like they turned out awesome! looks like the oven is working well.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but should the fire be on the side.. not at the back.. as the convection will pull out the hot air?

Im sure someone will clarify!

[Lburou]

The pizza has landed!

Congratulations on another milestone!

Its a good feeling, no?

[dmun]

Re: 36" Pompeii oven in North Carolina

Correct me if i'm wrong, but should the fire be on the side.

I put the fire on the side, the right side in my case, mostly because i can see the edge of the pizza exposed to the fire, to judge visually how it's browning up.

[stephen*z]

Re: The pizza has landed!

Congratulations on another milestone!

Its a good feeling, no?

yea it feels good. thanks for the kind words

[stephen*z]

Re: 36" Pompeii oven in North Carolina

This time the bread worked!

Like many things? you are not successful on the first try. But on the second try, the bread came out great.
My first loafs were put in the oven last time and left for 20 min. I cook bread in the inside oven in 35 min. So I was going to check on it at the 20 min mark. The tops were burned black!
Next pizza party?.. more bread was made for after the party. I left the oven door off and watched it cook.
It was fantastic! The loaf rose like it was supposed to and then the crust was just as crispy as a cracker. When we cut it open the crumb was perfect.
So for now. It is 1) leave the door off. 2) watch the cooking process and 3) it will be ready in about 16 min.
I am on the track to getting better each time.
Keep watching.
Oh and by the way?. Calzones are the best in a WFO. Don?t forget to try them too.

[Lburou]

Re: 36" Pompeii oven in North Carolina

This time the bread worked!

My first loafs were put in the oven last time and left for 20 min. I cook bread in the inside oven in 35 min. So I was going to check on it at the 20 min mark. The tops were burned black!

So for now. It is 1) leave the door off. 2) watch the cooking process and 3) it will be ready in about 16 min.
I am on the track to getting better each time.
Keep watching.
Oh and by the way…. Calzones are the best in a WFO. Don’t forget to try them too.

What was the floor temperature when you put the bread in the oven?

[stephen*z]

Re: 36" Pompeii oven in North Carolina

after the pizzas were done we tested the floor and it was in the 400 to 450 range as I remember. the pizzas were taking uch longer to cook and I did not add any wood to the fire... but I did not rake the fire out either.
door open fire burning as coals

[stephen*z]

Re: 36" Pompeii oven in North Carolina

Well it has been a year and we have enjoyed the oven immensely.
But there were some things I could do to make it nicer. The biggest thing was to make more table space.
So I framed up the area at the side of the oven with plywood and filled the bottom area with gravel.

I mixed about 7 bags of cement and filled the area for the table. As I have said before, I am not patient enough to finish concrete the way it is supposed to be done. But I work hard at it.

I think it came out pretty good.
The area behind the table was planted with herbs for use in the house and on the pizzas.
I think it turned out great so I have attached a photo ?. Let me know what you think.