42" Pompeii in S. Louisiana

[Kurtloup]

Re: 42" Pompeii in S. Louisiana

Curing fire number two in the books. Threw peppers over the coals. Roasted pepper, corn and chicken soup tomorrow.

[Kurtloup]

Re: 42" Pompeii in S. Louisiana

Curing fire number three this afternoon. I grilled skirt steak over the coals when the fire burned down.

[Kurtloup]

Re: 42" Pompeii in S. Louisiana

Curing fire number 5 was last night. Cooked sausages, roasted eggplant and garlic and made pita. The kids insisted on a pizza made with pita dough. It wasn't bad.

[Kurtloup]

Re: 42" Pompeii in S. Louisiana

Oh well, can't seem to attach the video using my phone.

[Kurtloup]

Re: 42" Pompeii in S. Louisiana

Put on the base coat of stucco on the dome today and noticed a few cracks already. Is this a big deal since I will be adding at least two more layers? Should I consider using fiberglass mesh in the brown coat? The insulation was covered with chicken wire.

[Gulf]

Re: 42" Pompeii in S. Louisiana

Oh well, can't seem to attach the video using my phone.

Kurt,
I actually saw the video this morning. But, it was linked to an album. I'm not sure if was your album or just links to similar
videos.

Should I consider using fiberglass mesh in the brown coat? The insulation was covered with chicken wire.

I think you were planning on using home brew stucco. Quikcrete Scratch and Brown coat has some fibers in it. I found them when filtering the larger pea gravel out of the mix. I did not notice any cracking when I used it for my stucco layer. I did not use chicken wire. I used 1/2" mesh, but the chicken wire should be OK. Quikcrete also has a finish coat that has "crap loads" of fiber in it. It is white and will accept coloring very well. I did not use it as I was going to apply brick splits. One or two bags of the scratch and brown coat will probably get you to where you want to be since you have already applied one layer.

One tip that I found out on my dome for applying stucco to a compound curve. I used a 12" sheet rock taping knife to apply the stucco. They are pre-built with a curve in the blade. I did not use the handle when applying the stucco. I buttered the blade with the stucco and held each end of the blade while applying. Top down seemed to work best for me to keep the shape of the dome true.

EDIT: I'm enjoying your first cooks. I am pretty sure that I will be asking for recipes from you real soon .

[Kurtloup]

Re: 42" Pompeii in S. Louisiana

Yeah, I was planning to use home brew for final coat. I used quikcrete base coat stucco this morning. I did see the quikcrete mix with fiberglass fibers. I may try that on the next level in lieu of the mesh. If all else fails, I'll brick over it.

[Kurtloup]

Re: 42" Pompeii in S. Louisiana

Lit another fire tonight. That makes six curing fires. I think I am going to let it rip on the next one. I partially cleared the very top dome. Let's see if this video works.

[Les]

Re: 42" Pompeii in S. Louisiana

Your video worked - it's pretty cool to watch isn't it? When you go full throttle (fires of hell), get a bottle of wine and a front row seat. Watching the soot burn to the floor is awesome the first time you see it.

[geisen]

Re: 42" Pompeii in S. Louisiana

Get your sourdough starter going and fire it up. Cracks add character.....just ask my wife.

[Laurentius]

Re: 42" Pompeii in S. Louisiana

Curious? Which is she an authority on, Cracks or Character?

[Crawfish fest]

Re: 42" Pompeii in S. Louisiana

I'm in the process of sourcing fire bricks and what I have found through multiple phone calls and leads from two of the local forum members is two fire bricks are available within 75 miles of my house. I can get light duty Elgin Butler brick 5 miles from my house for $1.80 or Alsey medium duty in New Orleans for $2.15 and a tank of gas. I'll be using the oven more for pizza than bread baking, so it appears that the medium duty bricks are recommended from what I have read on the forum. Since I'd like to keep the build as inexpensive as possible, I am leaning towards vermiculite/cement insulation. However, in the big scheme of the build, the brick and insulation is a small cost. I'd appreciate any pros and cons of the two types of bricks and insulation. Thanks in advance.

Kurt

I lucked up and happened to buy alsey bricks.
I am headed to port allen to get my ceramic blanket, thanks to you

[Kurtloup]

Re: 42" Pompeii in S. Louisiana

Thanks, but Tu and Gulf lead the way before me.

[Kurtloup]

Re: 42" Pompeii in S. Louisiana

Yesterday morning, I welded a kabob holder for a football game watching party last night. It worked great. I ordered the steel for an insulated door and a chimney cap on Friday. Since there was a minimum order, they will cut the steel to size. That will save me a lot of time.

[oasiscdm]

Re: 42" Pompeii in S. Louisiana

Nice. Kebabs yummy