Dome to Angle Iron Opening transition

[EDRooster]

Here are a few pictures of my dome to angle iron opening transition. I decided to go with an angle iron instead of the brick arch, and found that there's not many angle iron transition pictures on the forum.

The oven is 39.5"

The angle iron is 4". (The vent support are 2", but they seemed too old and rusty for the dome transition.)

This approach does require some brick shaping with a angle grinder. I focused on keeping the course of bricks circular and level at the top edge, and less on the angle of the brick. I corrected the angle with brick shims on the next course. As you can see in the first pic, I waited as long as possible to do the transition... I finished the transition after these pictures were taken, and it seems to be locked in well. The cleat in the second pic seemed to have helped. I'll add a few more pictures later.

Hope it helps.

Thank you to everyone that shares their experiences on the forum!

[cobblerdave]

Re: Dome to Angle Iron Opening transition

Gudday
Yes I have an angle iron entrance. I would warn you about a couple of things. Firstly if possible don't build the iron into the dome brickwork, the iron expands and will lead to cracks. Second having the angle iron free of the brickwork will enable you to remove it in the future if it should rust out. 2 pieces front and rear is better so you can tap out one at a time and the structures still supported.
But in saying all of this its been three years now and no sign of needing to replace it.

[EDRooster]

Re: Dome to Angle Iron Opening transition

Are you suggesting to position the angle Iron forward and extending the bricks into the dome at the opening?

I did consider expansion of the metal. Not much you can do about vertical expansion as the iron passively supports the bricks. I avoided brick contact with the horizontal face of the iron to limit cracks.

The angle iron I used is like 3/8" thick. I'm not too worried about it rusting out anytime soon. If you are using old 2" angle iron or less for the opening, I agree that it would be nice be able to replace it.

The 2" angle iron at the vent will be installed loose for easy replacement if necessary.

[cobblerdave]

Re: Dome to Angle Iron Opening transition

Gudday
Sounds like you have it covered. Your pics were not that clear so I'd just thought I'd cover everything.
One thing I do, not all the time, is to spray a little cooking oil when clearing out the cold Ash. It just offers a small measure of protection between firings
Regards Dave