My 32" oven build has begun

[OscarA]

Re: My 32" oven build has begun

John is just up the road from me so I might have to drop in for a visit.
I just experimented using the butane solderer on the hebel. My solderer can heat up to about 1000c and after 5 min on the hebel the top layer (1mm) rubbed of easily as you said it would.

[OscarA]

Re: My 32" oven build has begun

Just about finished the vermiculite insulation. I have made it around 3-4 in thickness and used a 1 part to 8 mix with 3 parts water.
This stuff is really tricky to work with. I found doing it in stages was best so it was all done over a 3 day period.

[david s]

Re: My 32" oven build has begun

Oscar,
your oven is looking great. Do not be in a hurry to get it finished, that vermiculite layer has used lots of water. If you used a couple of bags of verm. then you will have added 75 litres of water. This needs to be removed BEFORE you render over it unless you want your outer shell cracked. Suggest you let the sun and wind do most of the job for you which means you have to keep the rain off it and let it dry for a couple of weeks before curing fires. This is extremely hard to do because you will be dying to start heating the thing up.
Good luck,
Dave

[david s]

Re: My 32" oven build has begun

I think your Hebel will be fine there. It doesn't get too hot around the flue. I used cardboard around the flu to contain vermiculite mixture against it and after 3 years the cardboard hasn't even burnt. Also silastic in direct contact with my flue, which is rated to 205C is ok, so the Hebel should take it, unless you have big flames going up the flue for an extended period.

[david s]

Re: My 32" oven build has begun

Stuff some tissues from underneath that gap to stop your vermicrete mix from falling through

[OscarA]

Re: My 32" oven build has begun

Thanks David

I ended up or will end up using 4.5 100lt bags of vermiculite so you are right there is a lot of water in there.
I will hold off curing the oven as you suggested.
Good idea about stuffing tissues/paper in the gap between oven and arch will do just that.
I was going to give the hebel a miss as one side will be in direct contact with the oven. I had thought about placing a piece of blanket or silica board between the hebel and oven but wasn't sure if it was all pointless as I have heard the flue can also reach high temps.

My wife kept telling me the stand I made was to big but as the oven gets bigger I'm starting to think it's to small, lol.

[david s]

Re: My 32" oven build has begun

On closer inspection of your thread I notice that you have redone the outer decorative arch to make the entry shallower and wider. You will find this much easier to work the oven. You can now call yourself an arch building expert.
Attach. arch in Pompeii, note the bricks.

[cobblerdave]

Re: My 32" oven build has begun

Dear OscarA
You have been busy now hav'nt you... things are looking great. Good looking arch love the black stone at the entrance its a good touch. Still hav'nt filled in the gape betwwen the oven and arch?. I used a pice of thin ply and just bent into position to stop the cement ( no where near the flue) from falling through the Gape. Didn't even have to support it as the bend kept it in place.
You said before somewere that you were not happy with the lime scale on you arch. I also used thin payers after seeing your arch come together and the beggers certainly keep the cement in there surface. I used vinegar scrubed it in then spayed it off with a pressure spray. Has it worked?... ...looks better much better but I'll have to let it dry a bit more to see. If its not I have to use some hydrochloric acid, dont want to, but we'll see. I have a mate with a pool and can get a small amout of him. By the way if you dont have access to a high pressure spray you can buy a little attachment to click in a garden hose ,it has an extremely small hole in the end.They work fairly well over a small area but I would not try to clean a driveway with one
Hope something hear helps
Regards
Cobblerdave

[Pizza Common Sewer]

Re: My 32" oven build has begun

I think it's looking pretty darn good overall I would certainly be pleased
to have your oven in my yard! You are so close to cooking that I bet you
can taste the pizza and breads!

Good luck with the rest of the build!

[OscarA]

Re: My 32" oven build has begun

On closer inspection of your thread I notice that you have redone the outer decorative arch to make the entry shallower and wider. You will find this much easier to work the oven. You can now call yourself an arch building expert.
Attach. arch in Pompeii, note the bricks.

Hi David, I don't know about being an arch building expert but in the end the arch wasn't as hard as I thought still tricky though. I did redo the arch as the original was to deep and the wrong height. I had to bend a little to see into the oven so it was awkward.

Dear OscarA
You have been busy now hav'nt you... things are looking great

Hi Dave yeah I have been busy after a quiet spell as you know. That vermiculite is weird stuff
and tricky to work at first with but once I had a system it became a lot easier. Not long now before I start cooking.
I got myself a neat little fire lighter in the mail the other day so I'm keen to use it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...VBS8QXA2RT9BRE

I think it's looking pretty darn good overall I would certainly be pleased
to have your oven in my yard!

Thanks for that, it's a big compliment when someone says they'll be happy with something you've built.

Will update with more pics in a few weeks.

[Bert]

Re: My 32" oven build has begun

Hi Oscar


Very nice work! I am watching the Aussie boys very closly as I prepare to commence my project. Currently I am excavating and removing countless tree stumps. Count: 6. The way I am going it will be a good year before I can commence on the slab. Down point of having a sloping block with sandstone floaters.

All the best as you finish up on your project.

Bert

[OscarA]

Re: My 32" oven build has begun

Thanks Bert, Sounds like you have a huge job in front of you.
It'll make that first pizza taste so much better when the oven is finally finished.

[OscarA]

Re: My 32" oven build has begun

Hi Doug, thanks for the pics and tip.
I tried making a small fire prior to putting the insulation on the dome but had trouble lighting it.
About 6mths ago I collected a heap of green wood as we had a Council collection in out area and there was heaps around. I realised the 4-8 in diameter logs I collected are still green but the smaller stuff I tried burning looked dry but in hindsight I don't think it was. I tried burning it with newspaper and even got my butane solderer on it but it just wouldn't catch.
I checked this site for tips and saw some people used weed burners to light their ovens and after seeing a utube video I had to have one. I convinced myself that it was a good purchase as I also had weeds that needed nuking so bought it.
It is overkill but should be fun, lol and it only cost $60 delivered, cheap.

[cobblerdave]

Re: My 32" oven build has begun

Dear OscarA
Hows things? sick of waiting for the pearlite layer to dry I bet....
Just finished sealing the bare brickwork parts of my oven with "Bondall". I tell ya happiness is a dry oven. the rains up here have decreased now and we hav'nt had rain now for a week!! so I decieded to seal the bricks. Keep you posted on the results. One thing I can tell you it does darken the brickwork slightly... its not a bad thing as it brings out the colours of the different brick.
Had some fun lighting wet wood... don't we all at one stage or other. I supliment my Good hardwood with tree falls and off cuts. Store the stuff for months under the oven were its dry. The next day after a firing and the ovens cooled down I stuff a load in to dry and use it along with the good wood next time.
Recon dougs photo and method are spot on for fire lighting. Boy o boy there are some differnt ways of lighting fire from fire lighters to metho soaked tea bags. Recon though the Top to bottom method that Doug discribed is the best of tried. Though I have to put my 2 bits in as well I always use Pine kindling ( slash pine ) and keep a special box aside or it. I too saw the clip on the "weed burner" method and recon it really puts a spin on using only one match to light the fire. Good luck and please I would love to hear more on the WEAPON in use

Regards

Cobblerdave

[cobblerdave]

Re: My 32" oven build has begun

Dear OscarA
Just looked back through you thread and realized that you have set you oven off centre leaving you a great pizza making work area off to the side... now thats great idea...
Looks like I got a mate interested in building his own oven I'll pass that one on to him for sure along with open wood stowage of your stand

Regards
CobblerDave