pompeii oven construction began today

[paulages]

it's getting there, but it's so windy i can't keep a tarp on it.

Will you be using a stucco coat, and if so, will you add color?

i'm not quite sure yet, and honestly, i think the final veneer/stucco won't be any time soon. i've got quite a bit on my plate right now, and as soon as this thing is raintight, i've got other worries to tend to. but i am tending toward using the same flagstone that is currently being laid around it, maybe combined with stucco or cob/plaster for a rustic finish.

Are you planning to leave an access panel?

sounds like a good idea, but doubt it's gonna happen. don't jinx me!

[Marcel]

#62 H20 before or after perl-crete cement?

#62

(M) In this site's Instructions, at http://www.fornobravo.com/pompeii_oven/hearth_slab.html it states:

"Prepare the insulating concrete using a ratio of 6 parts vermiculite:1 part Portland cement. Add the water and Portland cement first, then add the vermiculite and mix until you reach a concrete consistency."

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(M) But we also read the following from another engineer:

"The vermiculite/perlite need to be mixed with the cement when both are dry. This lets that each vermiculite/perlite grain be totally covered by a cement layer before the water application, equalizing the specific weight of each vermiculite/cement arrange."

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(M) Are these two procedures contradictory?

Thanks,

Marcel

[james]

Marcel,

Good point.

When mixing portland and vermiculite by hand, I have found it works best to mix them dry, then add water. The directions were written after some builder experiments with a mixer.

I will re-write the plan page.

James

[jengineer]

4-H Cross over

That is the way we did things in my cooking classes. You mix the dry ingredients separately before you add in the liquids. Most of the recipes I use start with cream the butter, add in the sugar, in a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg. Then you add in eggs to the butter and sugar mix, and in small increments your dry mix and milk. Yep I love making cookies and breakfast sweets.

So it sounds like one would follow in their father?s footsteps and mix the dry stuff first before adding water.

[paulages]

i think in this case, either would work fine. the main point, is that you want the portland cement evenly distributed throughout the mixture, without clumping. the vermiculite/perlite isn't a dry substance which hydrates upon mixing (its porosity does draw in water through, potentially "stealing" it from the portland cement), but rather functions similarly to aggregate in concrete in terms of mixing.

i machine mixed mine for the hearth, and it made perfect sense to do as suggested in the plans--mixing the H2O and P.C. first, because the perlite mixes in so easily once you have your slurry, and it seemed easier to achieve the proper consistency that way.

[paulages]

walls are up, perlite in...

[paulages]

perlite in/closing up the durarock roof

this took 14 bags (4' cu) of perlite, and could have fit at least 2 more. my guesstimate was 16, but i was trying not to have to return any so i bought short of that #. should've stuck to my intuition. oh well, good enough.

[paulages]

upper roof goes on

i framed in my roof proper yesterday, and got it sealed up just in time for a torrential windy downpour all night long. i don't have a chimney cap yet, but the retained heat from yesterday's fire kept the landing dry. i still have to build a curb around the edge of the roof, fill it with soil and plant it, but the chimney flashing is on (i used high temp. metal roof to chimney flashing, to get a good seal on my pondliner) and the liner is covering the surface.






there won't be quite that large of an overhang on the side left in the picture.

p.s. check out the sad wet pieces of pizza left out overnight

[Marcel]

Pizza with Oregone-no

#63

(M) Thasapizza to spice up your life!

(M) I notice the ubiquitous bottle of beer as well in one of the images.

(M) Paul, that suggests you spent close to $200 .... just for the perlite fill. Have you totaled your costs to date? I'm up to about $1,500 ( counting the tile saw, and the angle grinder, etc.) and I haven't even clothed her yet, unless you call a tarp clothing.

(M) For non Oregonians, we in this part of the northwest say you don't tan here, .... you rust.

Chow?

Marcel

[paulages]

marcel, i'm afraid to tally the bill for this thing, but the perlite cost me $112 for 14 bags.

[Marcel]

How many Cu./Ft. per bag at $8?

#64

(P) "marcel, i'm afraid to tally the bill for this thing, but the perlite cost me $112 for 14 bags."

(M) That works out to $8 per bag. I pay $12.99 per bag that holds 4 Cu/Ft. How much volume do you get for $8? ____

Thanks,

Marcel

[paulages]

same size: 4 cu/ft per bag. i had to really chase down a deal, but even at portland nursery, where i thought i'd end up having to go, they are $10/ bag.

[ColonelCorn76]

marcel, i'm afraid to tally the bill for this thing, but the perlite cost me $112 for 14 bags.

For any large enclosure, it's cheaper to coat the dome in a 4-6" mix of perlite/vermiculite & cement (the 6 or 8:1 ratio) and then house it. Loose fill will be somewhat more energy efficient but probably not noticeably with our use. This would probably save you 2/3 or 3/4 of the loose fill needed.

Jim

[james]

We have set concrete board at an angle in the back corners of the enclosure to reduce the amount of vermiculite you need, while maintaining the thickness we want.

James

[paulages]

yeah, i probably "overdid it," since i already had the castable insulation around the dome which was performing pretty well. i just have a hard time cutting corners i might not have the opportunity to fix. i certainly didn't go the bare bones cheapest route on mine, but i can also see how one could spend twice as much.

haven't heard from you for a while, jim. good to see you back.