pompeii oven construction began today

[Marcel]

Light at the end of the tunnel, & "Shiner"

# 79

(M) Paul, when I see what you built in your back yard I can only think, holy @^%#" that thing is huge!

(M) I see something that looks like light coming through the bottom back corner of your wood storage area. Is that a mirror? _____ A piece of foil? ___ An actual hole you produced, perhaps for rear loading? ___

(M) Is your dog's name "Shiner", or perhaps
"Avatar" ? ___

================================================== ==

(M) I have the dome covered with aluminum foil and that foil is about 1/2 covered with chicken wire and a thin layer of perlcrete. I would have done more but I got the use of a wood splitter for free and if I'm going to use the oven, I'll need some fuel. To date I've been able to use the downed maple and alder trees on my parcel for fuel. I wish I had Madrone.

(M) I'll try to get a picture or two posted on Friday as that is the day a friend will visit with a digital camera.

Ciao,

Marcel

[paulages]

madrone burns nice and hot, but seems to pop a lot when i use it. maple and alder ought to work great! better than all the soft wood that comes my way. i have a harder time finding hardwood, unless i drive to southern oregon, where it's laying around in burn piles on public land, already cut into truck bed lengths! that's where i got all of my madrone from.

the reflection is an old dog food bag full of kindling...i mean, uh, yeah--it's my dogs' primping mirror.

[aikitarik]

I gotta admit that I spend a lot of time in the mornings with my cuppa latte (I roast my own coffee also) looking at that big old thing in my back yard and thinking....


...wow...

[janprimus]

I gotta admit that I spend a lot of time in the mornings with my cuppa latte (I roast my own coffee also) looking at that big old thing in my back yard and thinking....
...wow...

Yes, Tarik, you are cool!
Look what you've done.

Chad

[aikitarik]

Yes, Tarik, you are cool!
Look what you've done.

It's you guys who have given me so much information and support that are cool!



But, yeah... my wife and I both look at it and say to one another: "look what we did". She's never built anything like this before, and while it's my first oven, I'm a woodworker and the sort of person who loves doing stuff, so I've experienced it... just not on this umm.. scale!

[Robert Musa]

perhaps the best multi-use function i have found yet for a giant stone structure in the backyard.

nah... this right here is the best multi-use function (7 meg. mpg file)

[james]

The things we do for science

Too funny. I think it is admirable that you are willing to abuse your body just to forward the science of brick oven construction. Three cheers.

James

[Les]

That was awesome Robert - An abuse of alcohol, but amusing none the less.

Les...

[paulages]

yes, that was certainly alcohol abuse. perhaps a better thrill-burn would be the mortgage bill, phone bill, (oven materials bill?), etc...

[aikitarik]

Stick to 151 or similar and it's not so much abuse since you really don't want to drink that stuff..

..this is actually what I used when I was taught how to fire breath (and eat). You can also use a non-toxic oil, but it tastes nasty.

[Robert Musa]

..this is actually what I used when I was taught how to fire breath (and eat).

that would be an outstanding way to light the oven. if you ever do so, please post pictures.

[james]

Lighting your Oven -- creative new method

I see. I should move this thread to the lighting your oven section of the forum.

James

[aikitarik]

It's so much fun! I learned from a friend who's a professional magician.

It's really not that hard, but I warn you, I singed my eyebrows off learning (spraying INTO the wind, doh!) and I know people who have burned their mouths, although not worse than that slice of pizza right out of the oven!

[ColonelCorn76]

Stick to 151 .. ..this is actually what I used when I was taught how to fire breath (and eat). You can also use a non-toxic oil, but it tastes nasty.

I learned using Coleman Stove Fuel (naphtha). It's more reliable but you're right it tastes nasty. You don't learn fire breathing to attract women.

Jim

[paulages]

i played a gig once, where the singer of another band decided it was a good idea to blow fire during their set in a room with 10' ceilings. he didn't really know what he was doing, and after a while of spilling PGA all over the floor, managed to drop his torch into the puddle sending an enormous fireball across the stage, singeing all of the hair off of his face. someone was really quick, and grabbing a fire extinguisher had it out in seconds...but not before the fire alarm began ringing. so 300 people tore out of the building in panic.

this was a house party kind of thing, in an industrial district. someone made a big announcement, "ok, when the fire department gets here, say IT WAS AN AMP THAT CAUGHT ON FIRE, AND WE PUT IT OUT." of course the first person they saw blurts out, "someone was breathing fire and they ignited the stage!" so we all assumed that that was it...the show would be shut down, and there would be cops and F.D. officials for some unlucky person to deal with. i was picturing something straight off of COPS the television show...a riot in the street with 300 punk rockers who just wanted to see some music, and some bored cops who just wanted to mess up somebody's night.

however, we were in canada. policemen there are very polite. so they leave, and 300 filed back in and the show went on.

oh yeah, and the kid blowing fire? went to the hospital with 2nd degree burns.

so maybe we're pyros, looking for an excuse to build raging fires in our backyards...but at least we do it responsibly!


oh, by the way, here's my roof covered in soil, and planted with what should end up a thick stand of crimson clover and calendula. mediterranean herbs to come...