Acoma 42" Tuscan

[gjbingham]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Robert,
I forget who's quote it is in this forum, but the "measure once, cut twice, go to the store three times" can be frustratingly true at times. Hang in there. Your board will arrive in no time. Work on something else in the mean time.

[Frances]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

You could do a lady bug one, red with black dots and little antenea sticking up over the doorway. It'd certainly make you popular with the children...

[gjbingham]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

and scare away the aphids!

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Well, I get my extra insulation Monday and thermocouples Wednesday. Next weekend I expect to get ins., floor and solder bricks, and floor thermocouples in place. Well, I better get the horse back in front of the wagon because I need to do my template for the dome and entry. I should have it done by end of Saturday.

[gjbingham]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Go man, go!

[dusty]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

"He's rounding the back stretch and headin' for the clubhouse turn"

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Wade, looking at your oven building thread, it appears that you did the following:

Mortared the insblock to the hearth
Mortared the floor bricks to insblock (not to each other)
Mortared the solder course to floor bricks and insblock
Left no gap of floor bricks to solder

If this is true, have you had any expansion issues with the dome and arch regarding cracks? Most recent builds have floor bricks and solders with no mortaring, and yet varying crack issues. Also, some are doing a paste of brick dust, sand, water combo for insblock and floor bricks, solder course.
You have used your oven long enough to get good judgement of its success, so please share if you don't mind.

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Ken, how are you with the cracks? Just the arch area still?

[Ken524]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Ken, how are you with the cracks? Just the arch area still?

Just the arch... I'm tickled at how well the dome is holding up. Frustrated as heck about my arch

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

I am confused at the outward push being mentioned about your dome to arch, yet the crack is so clean along the brick edge, it looks like it didn't bond to the brick, too much maybe?

[wlively]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

1. Yes, though bedding would be a better term as the Insblock would not hold anything as it crumbles very easily.

2. Yes, bedding again. My thought was to get better temp uniformity of the floor as well as level. Again the Insblock will not hold anything, which would allow the floor to float on top if it wants to move.

3. Yes, a very thin mortar joint. Followed original plans, so the dome sits on top of the floor.

4. Yes, no gap. Since the dome sits on top of the floor, there is no way to have a gap.

I continually inspect both cold and hot and cannot find a crack anywhere yet (from inside of course). With my ugly looking dome and arch, I really expected at least a couple to show up by now. Will keep looking and post any that I find.

Wade, looking at your oven building thread, it appears that you did the following:

1.Mortared the insblock to the hearth
2.Mortared the floor bricks to insblock (not to each other)
3.Mortared the solder course to floor bricks and insblock
4.Left no gap of floor bricks to solder

If this is true, have you had any expansion issues with the dome and arch regarding cracks? Most recent builds have floor bricks and solders with no mortaring, and yet varying crack issues. Also, some are doing a paste of brick dust, sand, water combo for insblock and floor bricks, solder course.
You have used your oven long enough to get good judgement of its success, so please share if you don't mind.

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Wade, still satisfied with your Insblock then? Got some myself at 3". This is a tough call for me with which way to go, being that you went with mortar, ken without, both with success, both with Insblock. It seems Ken has only the entry as the issue. And if it crumbles easily, what of the opinions of its use? Seems to work well still with great heat retention, holding up the dome, etc. Just don't get it wet. I will be doing my solder outside the floor bricks, same with the entry.

[wlively]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

I am satisfied with the Insblok. When I say crumbly it is more of a shear crumbly. It will not hold anything from moving, but of course it is only there for insulation, like vermiculite concrete. It works fine in compression and it was simple to work with. I only used 1" and think you are better off with your 3".

As for floor, can't say how well mortaring the floor helps with evening temp as have no comparison. It probably doesn't matter either way, but if you are going to put your dome outside the floor, than you would probably be better off not mortaring. Leaving them a liitle loose will help take up any expansion. I did the math a while back and over 42" the thermal expansion of refractory brick is only about 0.21 inches.
http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f8/t...arth-2618.html

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Wade, if expansion of brick is .21, then having a floor gap to dome should be 1/4? Keeping the floor from putting added outward pressure to the dome? I am then curious about how to apply this to the transition to the arch to prevent the potential for crack like Ken or others may have. I will likely go 1/4 gap between floor bricks and dome. As for the arch to dome, I am curious about the best way for this transition due to outward force, not downward by chimney, flue.
Ken, do you think that by your side supports to the arch, the arch was kind of kept from its expansion needed for the bricks, causing pressure to release where it did? Maybe cladding the dome and arch would be best remedy.

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Well, I have now cut the insulation board. The layout of the arch is nearly done as well. Fine tuning the cuts, similar to Les's for the internal look of the arch will be done shortly. I would like to have the insulation board and floor bricks in place this weekend. Here are a few photos of progress. I have included a photo of the recent snowfall. Two days after our recent storm and we still have snow on roofs, cold!