39" Stargate Pompeii

[Amac]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Thanks John

I too, am jealous of the speed at which you completed your dome

You probably have to work. I retired over a year ago - otherwise there is no way I would have done it at all let alone in this time!
regarding the thermal break - I think I'll rest on my laurels for a few days and think about it
Aidan

[kpms1st]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Hi Amac looking good you will be cooking soon
kpm

[Mike D]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Take your time, and do it once (however you want). No regrets.
And it looks beautiful because you made it.
Mike

[Amac]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

And it looks beautiful because you made it.

thanks Mike - btw I have since been going through your thread and it was amazing how many of the fundamental and recurring questions were raised there. Lovely work by the way. I had some more comments but I will leave them till I get back after the weekend.

Regarding a thermal break, given your climate, you may want to reconsider skipping this element.

I have been thinking about this John I have a question here. You put a strip of steel over some insulating bricks just at the oven entry. What do you think of using vermicrete instead of the bricks? I already have vermiculite and the bricks are quite expensive I will probably have trouble getting them. I can get stainless steel for the floor from a local engineering firm.

Also I rang the brick manufacturers and they told me they are now doing tapered bricks. Even though they are for a meter arch I think they would save some trouble for my entry arch?

As per banhxeo76 in New Orleans as you can see from the pics, there is no going back between me and my mistress. I think in the US you call it "home base" right?
Anyway I got in and pointed and cleaned as much as I am going to. I guess it will all fall out as soon as the high heat hits it and add some "roughage" to the pizzas

Off tomorrow for a few days with no internet so :
Beannacht libh go l?ir, l? fh?ile P?draig
Aidan

[banhxeo76]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Yes indeed, you got a homerun! Great job by the way and your WFO looks great.

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Hi Aidan,

The original steel idea was to reduce the rate of thermal loss through the entryway floor, and I am still weighing its value. I recently researched placing a sheet of restaurant-grade (316) stainless steel in the entryway, which has many benefits but is quite expensive ($150). I am still not sure of how to insulate the edge of the SS where it butts upagainst my oven's floor in order to reduce aforementioned heat loss. Vermicrete is fine for insulation under a surface, but not suitable for a surface that remains exposed to heat or food. It will abrade and crumble quite easily.

The challenge with tapered bricks (which I love) is that the taper angle defines the curvature and dimensions of the arch, which may or may not fit your entryway design. If they do and you can get/afford them, they are elegant.

Yes, in America we call returning to the point of origin home base or 'going back to square one'.
John

[Amac]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Vermicrete is fine for insulation under a surface, but not suitable for a surface

I was thinking of puttting it under a stainless steel similar to how you used it over insulating brick!

As to the tapered bricks even if they are not correct for my arch they should still be better than nothing. At least that is how I feel. They are designed for a one meter wide arch and I will have 23".
Aidan

[kpms1st]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Hi Amac
Deneen have vermiculite board in stock which may be better than the homemade mix not sure? as I am finding quite a bit of heat in my concrete slab under 4'' of vermiclite mix ,and I intend to insulate more .Had plastic sheet under the reinforced slab which I had not removed when firing up and after a couple of fire's noticed it sagging turned out to be nice colection of warm water might have found new sorce of washing up water.
Kevin

[Amac]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Hi Kevin

I am finding quite a bit of heat in my concrete slab under 4'' of vermiclite mix ,and I intend to insulate more

Maybe when it's dried out completely after curing you will find less water and heat coming through - could be the water conducting the heat! I would give it a while more. I found that mixing vermicrete took a huge amount of water compared with ordinary concrete.

I actually used that board on top of the vermiculite. The jury's still ouy on that one. Somebody told me that compression of rigid board (not syre what type of board) caused a major structural crack. I'm not convinced that was the entire cause, because I would have thought any compression would have been uniform under the dome walls. Another issue mentioned on someones thread, could be that the walls compress it but the floor doesn't, causing a sort of bellying of the floor, which sounds more likely. I'll be watching out for these; Meanwhile I think I will get some of those arch bricks - wonder if they will do a swap.

[david s]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

The water in the vermicrete is about the hardest to eliminate. It is actually best to leave for a couple of weeks before building over it if possible so it will dry out before proceeding. After about 10 firings you should find that the bottom of your slab is only mildly warm and the water pretty much gone.

[kpms1st]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Hi Amac
You could be right about the water in vemiclite had 1st pitza to-day nearly right next time will be better kevin

[Lburou]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Hi Kevin

Maybe when it's dried out completely after curing you will find less water and heat coming through - could be the water conducting the heat! I would give it a while more. I found that mixing vermicrete took a huge amount of water compared with ordinary concrete.

I actually used that board on top of the vermiculite. The jury's still ouy on that one. Somebody told me that compression of rigid board (not syre what type of board) caused a major structural crack. I'm not convinced that was the entire cause, because I would have thought any compression would have been uniform under the dome walls. Another issue mentioned on someones thread, could be that the walls compress it but the floor doesn't, causing a sort of bellying of the floor, which sounds more likely. I'll be watching out for these; Meanwhile I think I will get some of those arch bricks - wonder if they will do a swap.

That account sounds like something I might have shared Amac. I used four inches of ceramic board (Not FB board) with the dome on top of the bricks. The dome weight compressed the insulation, leaving the center of the oven floor 3/16 inch higher than the bricks under the dome, and, some uneven settling of the dome. Perhaps, If I'd used only 2 inches of insulation and put the dome on the insulation, I'd have been better off. I'm not sure my hindsight is 20/20 on this.....Sorry for hijacking the thread

[Amac]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Sorry Lburou
I should have taken the trouble to scroll back and find out it was you. I actually put just 1" on top of the vermicrete. I thought about taking it up but I got lazy and hopefully won't suffer karma on account of it. I wouldn't use it again because it is really crumbly where it projects around the walls, as you can see in some of my pics. I just hope the weight of the oven will keep it stable underneath. FB board isn't available here. They had some ceramic board but not very much and it looked terrible so I went for the vermiculite board instead.
Aidan

[kpms1st]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Hi Amac if your in Dublin look up Sweeney&ORouke at 34 Pearse St for your piza peel between €16to€30 odd they also have many other cooking tools
Kevin

[Amac]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Sure will kevin. I thought I hit paydirt on pizza equipment on Donedeal - some pizza joint in clonmel was closing and selling off a lot of gear (including a PIZZA neon sign - but the ad disappeared after I put in an email!
Fantastic weather - I'm almost at a standstill right now, just putting in some drainage around the base, and still thinking about how to do the vent and chimney. I ordered a strip of stainless steel (as per Giannis) for the vent floor just at the door. I will put it on top of some vermicrete for a "heat break" .
I did cut the bricks at the door and had some of those tiny "V" shaped bricks which were a pita to cut. that's because I wasn't thinking when I laid the floor in a herringbone ...
Also i have been looking at jcg31s door (the wooden one) and wondering if I can copy it or something similar.