My Build 42" oven GT

[Wesleckner]

Re: My Build 42" oven GT

It looks great, you should get a nice even temp with that setup. Are you going to use gas to cure the whole oven or use wood when you get to 400 degree temps. I found that the lower temp fires were harder to control.

Wes

[gtofani]

Re: My Build 42" oven GT

The gas made it easy to control the temperatures, I did a 200' cure a few days ago, then had to abort my first 300' attempt at about 260' because of a winter storm was too windy for the copper element. Today I fired it up to just over 300', it took about an hour and a half by slowly turning up the gas. I will use the gas as long as I can keep increasing the temperatures. I was guessing that 400' would be the last with the gas, then switch to wood. We will see how it goes.
After the 200' firing, with a 1/4" styrofoam cover for a door, it was still at 75' the next day with the outside temperatures in the 30's.
I need to figure out what to cook during the 400' firing.

[gtofani]

Re: My Build 42" oven GT

I got the oven up to 400 very easily with the gas so I fired it up again this afternoon.
I let it warm up slowly and now its up to just over 500 degrees at the highest point of the inside of the dome. I am going to let it burn at 500 for a little while then shut it off again. No cracks yet, knock on wood. I will continue to increase the gas until it maxes out the temperatures using the gas, then switch to a wood burn. Just wondering how high I can get the temps with the gas. The highest floor temperature so far is only 375 or so.

[gtofani]

Re: My Build 42" oven GT

I used the propane set up on the next firing. I got it to just under 600'.
Then, I ran out of propane so I fired it up with wood today. After reaching slightly over 600', I let it die down and go out. The heat was unbelievable coming out of that thing.
It was also nice to see my chimney worked great, no smoke out the front.
Almost there, a few more fires and we are ready to cook pizza.

[SCChris]

Re: My Build 42" oven GT

Gino, Once you hit 850+, you're there. You might do a fire from hell after this temp, you'll do one soon enough anyway, but your oven will change how it handles the burns over the next 15 or so fires. 700 - 750 is prime pizza temps for me, some like it hotter some cooler.

:-)

Chris

[gtofani]

Re: My Build 42" oven GT

Thanks, I thought I was getting close.
A day later without the door on and its in the low 30's here and the oven walls are still over 100'.
Thats unbelievable how it holds the heat.
I really dont want to wait until it is completely cool to fire it up again, does that really matter now that I am going for the larger fires of 700' and 800'?
I need to get the tools to manage the fire and cook my pizzas, I contacted a guy today for prices and also found a website that is reasonable.

FG Pizza & Italian - Woodfired - Pizza - Bread - Italian

[Wesleckner]

Re: My Build 42" oven GT

I built a 42 oven and it takes about 3 days to cool down to 200 degrees after pizza.

I did my curing fires for 6 hr or more let the oven cool over night and into the next evening about 18 hour cool down with door. Then made the next curing fire. That worked out great for me.

My oven takes about 2 hours and a lot of oak to get it up to temp where the carbon burns off the top and most of the sides. It seems like I use more wood in my oven than I use to make a fire in my fire pit.

[gtofani]

Re: My Build 42" oven GT

I used a xerox paper box full of scrap pine from a woodshop and one small ash log to get it to 600'. It burned very fast. By the time I get home today, the temps will have dropped below 100' so I will go ahead with the next fire.
Maybe we will throw in a frozen pizza. Or not, that just sounds wrong. The oven is for home made pizza.
I am guessing its ok after you have it cured, to start a new fire every day if you like.

[SCChris]

Re: My Build 42" oven GT

Gino, I think you're good to go at any tempo you want at this point.. Cook what you want, when you want.


All my best to you and yours.

Chris

[gtofani]

Re: My Build 42" oven GT

Hopefully, I will have the oven tools within a week. In the mean time I will be making up some pizza dough and keeping it in the refrigerator.
Thanks for all the tips, will post a pic of my first pizza.

[gtofani]

Re: My Build 42" oven GT

I fired the last few higher temperature fires. After the 700' firing I noticed some crack lines. One goes verticle on the left side and then goes horizontal for a little while.
Do I try and fill theses with high temperature silicone or just leave them? Its not like they are huge but they are visible.

[SCChris]

Re: My Build 42" oven GT

Gino,
Cracks are pretty normal and as long as they're not too big it won't affect the functionality. As for patching them, you could, but I wouldn't use HT Silicone on the oven proper. Use your mortar mix if you really need to. Deciding if you need to is the focus. How much movement do you see, A 64th 16th or?? Pictures would be helpful, but my image is what you have is hairline cracks and hairline cracks are nothing to be concerned about. Aware of yes, watched yes, concerned no. The oven will expand and contract as it goes through the heating and cooling cycles and every single oven will crack at some point no matter what..

Chris

[gtofani]

Re: My Build 42" oven GT

They are hairline cracks so I guess I will just monitor them as I cook.
I should have figured it would happen sooner or later.
Thanks for the reasurrance that it wont make a difference.
Ready to cook as soon as my oven tools arrive.

[SCChris]

Re: My Build 42" oven GT

Gino,
What tools did you order and when do you expect them?

Chris

[gtofani]

Re: My Build 42" oven GT

I ordered the long aluminum handled shovel, rake and brass brush as well as a 9" slotted peel with a sliding handle, a perforated large aluminum peel, 3 stacking stainless steel dough containers with a lid, 3 pizza cooking screens and a stainless steel flour shaker.
I ordered it from FG Pizza & Italian - Woodfired - Pizza - Bread - Italian
The prices were more reasonable than the Forno site. Some of the identicle items were much less costly.
Hope its delivered within a week.
I could have purchased $20 peels locally but I wanted the premium peels.
I am going to use my shopvac to sweep out the oven as needed.