ChristopherBlair's 36" Oven

[ChristopherBlair]

Hi Guys,
a few weeks ago i started building my oven and am ready to lay the hearth and build the dome. the problem i have is when my wife called a building supply company in the area who is a Heat Stop carrier, they had the 50lb. bags for sale. Now we call to check on availability and they only carry the premixed buckets. will these be okay to use? the woman on the phone said they would (conservatively) cover about 100-140 bricks with thin joints. i really cant afford to put too much more money into shipping and such, so my options are very limited. maybe make my own?
i am in the Cincinnati area, so if anyone has any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,
ChristopherBlair
p.s. love the group and i hope to be posting my progress photos here shortly.

[wlively]

Re: ChristopherBlair's 36" Oven

Here is a link to all the Rumsford (HeatStop) dealers in Ohio. Hopefully someone close will have it.

Rumford Dealers

I was told by the dealer not to use the premix buckets, it does not handle water well, so being outside would be a problem. It is also less forgiving with mortar joint size, requires smaller gaps. Dry is also cheaper.

Good luck,

[dmun]

Re: ChristopherBlair's 36" Oven

Don't use the pre-mix. It's completely different stuff, and doesn't harden into a waterproof seal like dry-mix heat stop. Heat-stop is really easy to mix, much easier than plain masonry mortar. Call around for another supplier. Call every brickyard and stone supply in town. Some good building suppliers even stock it.

[ChristopherBlair]

Re: ChristopherBlair's 36" Oven

Hi, Guys,
Thanks for the quick responses. I sent out an email to Rumsford to see if there were any other options. The closest dealer to me besides the Northern Kentucky one is in Kettering, Ohio an hour away. I would prefer not to drive that far, but i will if I have too.
Hopefully something will turn up. I will read through the forums a bit and research possibly mixing my own mortar if i need to. Is the self mixed not as solid to use or does it matter?
Thanks,
Christopher

[RCLake]

Re: ChristopherBlair's 36" Oven

I just asked the same question on a different forum. I'm glad to get advise not to use the premix before it's to late. I'll have to continue calling to sell if I can find HeatStop50 in Texas

[ChristopherBlair]

Re: ChristopherBlair's 36" Oven

Alrighty, Guys,
I have an update. I emailed a sales person from the Rumsford website and he located a place nearby that carrys. They have to order it for me. Down side is it's $83.60 a bag
I think this is the best i will do in this area. I called a bunch of places and no one really knows what i ma talking about.
I have seen the prices other people have paid and how they fluctuate. It's a shame it is that expensive. You cant help but feel ripped off.
Thanks for your responses. Onward i go with the dome and i am sure i will have more questions for you guys.
Christopher

[Kemo]

Re: ChristopherBlair's 36" Oven

at almost 84 dollars a bag, you could probably save some $$$ by ordering the REFMix from Forno Bravo where each 22lb bag is $35.00.

EDIT: Two 22lbs bags would be $70, after shipping might be comparable in price to the 50lb bag of heatstop.

http://www.fornobravo.com/store/RefMix-p-16154.html

[redbricknick]

Re: ChristopherBlair's 36" Oven

Different forum? Get refmix. It rules.

[ChristopherBlair]

Re: ChristopherBlair's 36" Oven

Hey, Guys,
I had a quick question. I obtained Heat Stop 50 and have begun the dome and am on course three now. so all looks good. my question is, instead of a stainless steel pipe or clay flue liner, could an antique chimney pot be used as a chimney? i see there are some in my area for sale and i might be able to get them cheap.
i wondered if i would have to first build a brick transition then place the pot on top or if i could just set it acros the span on some angle iron pieces. the chimney pots i have seen are 28 to 36" in height. not sure on diameter yet.
any thoughts or ideas?
thanks,
Chrsitopher

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: ChristopherBlair's 36" Oven

Good question! I looked into some old chimney pots and they were too expensive and generally very large. If you could find an afforable one that was the right size, I am sure it would add a great design element. OK, but I did not answer your question...can the chimney pot stand up to the direct heat or would it need to be lined or something? I am not sure...I would think it would be fine, I mean that is what they are designed for (I suppose). I think I would call up the folks here Chimney Pots from ChimneyPot.com-Home Page and see what they say...

Drake

[dmun]

Re: ChristopherBlair's 36" Oven

I think that antique chimney pots, good looking as they are, are made from plain terra-cotta (fired clay) rather than refractory material, meaning they should be used pretty far from intense heat. It's one thing to break a six dollar length of flue tile, another to crack a hundred dollar plus antique. They are made in reproduction out of the fire-brick material, but they are almost as expensive as the originals.

As far as the fire brick transition, it really helps the draw. Once your fire's started you won't need it as much, but if you want to keep smoke out of your face, and smoke stains off the front of your oven enclosure, a transition is a must.

[ChristopherBlair]

Re: ChristopherBlair's 36" Oven

Thanks, Guys!

I will forget the chimney pot and try to locate the insulated stainless steel chimney systems or clay flue liner locally.
how much is everyone paying for clay flue liners anyway? i have not seen any pricing on these at the builder supply places yet.

thanks,
Christopher

[ChristopherBlair]

Re: ChristopherBlair's 36" Oven

Hi, guys,
quick question. i have done two courses of brick so for on my dome and have kept wet sheets over it since we finished working last saturday. i notice when i inspect the mortar it is solid, but you can scrape some off the surface with your fingernail. it feels moist to the touch but by no means weak or anything. is this normal?
also can i take the wet sheets off and let the sun hit it and dry out or jst keep it wet until i resume working?
thanks,
Christopher

[wlively]

Re: ChristopherBlair's 36" Oven

I used HeatStop and yes you can take the wet cover off after 24 hrs.

I did not prevent my mortar from air drying after 24 hrs, so I can't say if what you report is normal. For me the transition was from soft wet, to firm wet, to very firm surface grains rubbed off damp, to hard as a rock dry. And after a week a drying it was stronger than the brick itself. Unfortunately I know this because I had to hack out my first attempt at the dome arch and even when I hit the mortar seem square on with the pointed end of a masonary hammer, the brick gave way first. The HeatStop dealer told me the ,mortar is not finally or totally cured until it is heated by firing so I can't imagine my dome ever failing at this point.

[maver]

Re: ChristopherBlair's 36" Oven

Christopher

clay flu liners are pretty cheap, I think I paid several dollars for an 8" by 10" segment one foot tall, my source was a company called Mutual Materials.