Kiwi pete'soven

[KiwiPete]

Continued from my previous postings Brick Oven photos forum. if you want to see those, go to http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f21/...-oven-302.html

Originally, I was going to incorporate an archway into the opening of the oven, similar to what paulages has done. I did a mockup of it as you can see in the picture.



I could sorta figure that out, but how to do the vent was giving me a hell of a headache, so I decided to change tack:

Decided to do a refractory manifold and vent, similar to what Forno Bravo sells with the Casa oven:

[KiwiPete]

I first made up a template out of a bit of cardboard to make sure my measurements were OK.

Went inside for a while, and when I came back, found this:



Typical bl**dy cat!!!

[KiwiPete]

Then I made up a mold to cast the refractory concrete in, with a bit of reinforcing iron for additional strength:

[KiwiPete]

Here is the manifold in place, from a few different angles.

Also managed to a few more courses of bricks in place!!

Next I'll be looking to cast the actual vent part.

Front View:


Top View:


Side View:

[paulages]

nice work! by the way, the vent was the easy part with the arch. it was making the cuts to tie it into the dome that was hard.

[aikitarik]

I agree with Paul. The initial arch tie-in to the dome was more difficult than the actual vent by far. I went with the arch approach with no regrets, but I love what you've done with yours. Beautiful oven!

[KiwiPete]

Time for another update (and pics) of my oven.

The cat has taken a particular liking of the oven. The other day I had it covered (in case of rain) and when I came outside, I found this:



Have started doing some more courses of bricks:

[KiwiPete]

I'm now getting near the end, and for a better fit, have started cutting my bricks in half and also cut them in a (sorta) trapezoid shape. (some of them more trapezoid than others, depending on what made for the best fit.)
here are some pictures of that row:

[KiwiPete]

I will probably finish off the dome in the next 3-5 days, and am getting quite anxious about removing the vanes, once it is dry.

I'm quite worried about the whole thing collapsing. If that happens, I'm going to be bl**dy pi**ssed off.

I'm probably worried about nothing, but here is a question: who has this happened to (on this forum) and what did it take to fix it??

[Marcel]

KiwiPete's dome will not cave in!

#87

(M) Unless you forgot to put cement in your refractory mortar, I'd bet a Kiwi that your dome will hold. It is very carefully fitted. Congratulations!

(M) If I were to build another Pompeii I would use your manifold idea though I'd probably use two "circles" of re-bar. Your casting is a definite improvement on my use of plain flat iron to support the chimney. It requires no mortar joints to fill .

(M) If you post again please specify the diameter of your oven. If I gauge by assuming the size of your NZ bricks are close to ours I would guess no more than a 36" ??

(M) Your arch bricks are already cut so if you house your igloo, you could use those same bricks for a decorative arch that lies next to your cement board, or "HardiPlank" siding.

Ciao,

Marcel

[KiwiPete]

(M) Unless you forgot to put cement in your refractory mortar, I'd bet a Kiwi that your dome will hold. It is very carefully fitted. Congratulations!

I'll try and share your optimism!

(M) If I were to build another Pompeii I would use your manifold idea though I'd probably use two "circles" of re-bar. Your casting is a definite improvement on my use of plain flat iron to support the chimney. It requires no mortar joints to fill .

I'll post some pics of my pre-cast vent soon, which sits on top of the "manifold"

(M) If you post again please specify the diameter of your oven. If I gauge by assuming the size of your NZ bricks are close to ours I would guess no more than a 36" ??

Yes you are right: oven diameter is 36". Kiwi fire bricks are 9 x 4.5 x 3.
I have cut my bricks in 3, so I end with a 3" wall thickness. (plus some refractory concrete over the top. Trying to keep thermal mass down a bit and hope to compensate with heaps of insulation.

[KiwiPete]

Final row of bricks going in!

As you can see in the next two photos:

[KiwiPete]

I was talking to a friend of a son of mine about the oven. He is a brick layer (and a very good one at that).

I discussed the issue of making the final "keystone" and getting it to fit properly etc.

he suggested that rather than spending ages making the perfect keystone, why not pour one using refractory concrete!

I thought about it for a while and it makes a lot of sense:

1. it will ensure it is the most perfect fit you can get.

2. takes no time at all (2 minutes to mix the concrete and 30 seconds to "goop" it in.

So I put a $0.50 aluminium plate on top of my vanes (just prior to putting in the final course of bricks) as you can see in the next pic:



After I mortared up the final course of bricks, I just "gooped" in some refractory concrete and voila: the perfect plug/keystone!



Finally I covered the whole lot with a bit more refractory concrete, and now will have to wait a couple of days before I remove the vanes. (and hopefully have a "non-collapsing" dome. )

[Marcel]

Light colored mortar, & use of a dome plug.

#87

(M) I'll up the ante to 12 Kiwis that your dome will support you, standing on one leg at the very top, though I will have to apply to NZ for the Kiwis if I lose.

(M) Peter, that mortar you used looks very pale to me. Did you use a white cement? ____

(M) Did you use much more fire clay than called for in the 8 parts sand, 3 parts cement, and 2 parts fire clay? _____

(M) The quote below is by an individual with the "handle" Yahoo-Archive which I believe belongs to either James, or Jim who worked on the "original" brick oven.


"1. (if you have courage and faith) when finishing the very top rows of the oven, instead of driving yourself nuts making a gazillion cuts in firebrick, simply stack up some bricks and wood in the center of the oven, until they reach the bottom of the opening (at the top of the oven) and then place cardboard or wood on top of that stack of materials. then use modeling clay to seal any*gaps. then*pour a "plug"*as the final "cap". for my plug i used repair mortar mixed with crushed firebrick to create a concrete like mixture. my plug was about 6 inches in diameter. i've done 4 months*of cooking now at the rate of 3 to*4 fires per week and the plug seems to be holding up with no problems but i can't guarantee*how long it will last. i used repair mortar because it had alumina (in addition to silica) in it and i read somewhere that alumina based cements*retained strength better under heat.*"

(M) Visit the following 2 URLs for a more detailed discussion of plugs:


http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/show...highlight=plug

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/show...highlight=plug

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Ciao,

Marcel

[Robert Musa]

the plug quote and concept are mine... 10% of all your pizzas now belong to me. seriously, 15 months and my plug is still holding up fine, and better yet (for you) your brick worksmanship (cuts and fit) is much much better than mine ever was.