Oven Build in Spring

[cbailey]

Thank you Denamontini for the compliment.

Made some progress over the weekend. Saturday was raining, but Sunday was perfect weather.

I was able to complete the decorative arch and to apply the first coat of render on the dome. I hope to apply a second render coat this week after work so I can apply Thoro-Seal (Master-Seal) this weekend. Perhaps install the chimney as well.

[Chach]

Very nice work!

[cbailey]

Thanks Chach! Very glad to see that the weather is finally cooperating and you're back at it. I'm looking forward to following your build.

Cory

[cbailey]

Beautiful weather in Houston this weekend. I was able to apply the final coat of render and install the dome vent. I found that I had to add another course of brick on the chimney before mounting the anchor plate. The firebrick I want to install on top of the plate simply would not line up properly with the previous courses of brick.

I'm at a point where I'm reconsidering choices of product to seal the dome. Somewhere on this forum I had read a few months ago a good discussion of Thoroseal/Masterseal vs Seal-Krete and other waterproofing options. I'm still partial to masterseal, but considering options. I welcome the opinions of the cumulative brain trust of the forum

[terratree]

Jeez Cory - looking good !!

I reckon you'd be pretty happy with that.

[cbailey]

Thanks JayI

I'm pretty close. I still need to seal the dome, install the chimney and lay the finish brick around the chimney mounting plate. I plan on finishing the dome with used brick look using thin brick. Similar to the way Gulf finished his dome. Basically ending up recreating the original outward look of the dome before covering it all up with ceramic blanket and render.

Cory

[cbailey]

I finished applying 2 coats of Masterseal this weekend. I chose MasterSeal 581.

Mainly because it comes in grey. I could only find 583 in white

I found a distributor in Houston. It was $35/50 lb. bag.

The first coat was a challenge! I was applying over stucco/render. The instructions say to simply spray a little water on the substrate if the Masterseal starts to grab and "ball". After thoroughly wetting the dome, and the area I was starting with, the Masterseal started grabbing right away. The take away is you have to keep spraying the stucco to get the material to flow on properly. Also, keep the material you just applied moist if you wish to feather one section with the next.

The second coat went much more smoothly. The first coat hadn't fully cured, so there was still some absorption of water allowing the material to flow better.

I would have uploaded a photo, but it looks exactly the same as it did before. 2 mm of grey MasterSeal waterproofing doesn't really change the dimensions or look of the dome!

I used 12.5 lbs. for each coat, or about half the bag for 2 coats. I also found that the paddle mixer doesn't mix well with that small amount mixed in a 5 gallon bucket. I used a mixer that I've used in the past to mix joint compound. I'll edit with a photo later.

All I have left, for now, is to attach the chimney pieces and secure to the pergola I have covering the outdoor kitchen area.

Pizza soon, very soon!

[cbailey]

I was also able to mount the chimney mounting plate. I used high temp flue caulk and cement between the plate and the brick. It is held down with 4 Tapcon screws. Each set with a little high temp cement.

I picked up oven door from the fabricator today. He did a great job. He used 1/8th inch carbon steel and 2 inches of left over CaSi floor insulation. I painted it with hi temp paint. In hind sight I probably should have gone with SS, but frugality got the better of me. I thought it came out pretty good.

I live in Houston where everything rusts. I've lived in Utah, So Cal and Scottsdale. My tools never rusted. Now everything rusts. My climate complaint has a point. I don't want to leave my beautiful oven door out in the weather when the oven is not in use. It will rust. The only point in keeping the door in place is to keep the various critters out of the oven. So, I made a Critter Door out of wood. I like the way it looks in conjunction with the used brick landing.

[terratree]

Thanks for sharing Cory - good info which I will no doubt use.

Door(s) look great, and I was lovin' your landing even before you put the bricks on top of the mini slab...

You got a pic of your door from behind ?

Pizza soon, then roasts, stews, bread, jerky. How may days of usable heat do you expect from one fire ?

Cheers

Jay

[UtahBeehiver]

There is a thread the focus on doors only, do a search and you should be able to find it.

[cbailey]

Jay, thanks for the compliment!

Attached are the photos of the doors. As I mentioned before, I will use the oven door when in use, and cooling down. I'll use the wooden door to keep the critters out.

I copied the handle design from another WFO builder on this site. The handles also work as door supports by keeping the door from falling forward.

As far as useable heat, I expect 2 days, but hoping for 3. However, my experience in this area is exactly zero. I'll find out this weekend.

Cory

[cbailey]

I installed the collar of brick around the base of the chimney mounting plate as others have done (Utahbeehiver to name one). I am concerned about water running down the chimney and getting trapped in the mounting plate. I could seal the gap between the chimney and brick collar, but that would impede the flow of air to the outside layer of the triple wall pipe. I'm not sure if that would be an issue or not. My inadequate solution was to make weep holes in the brick collar. This will help water run off and allow an air intake. I tested the theory by holding a smoking stick of wood near the weep holes during the curing fire. The smoke was easily pulled in.

Perhaps if I installed a storm collar a few inches above the collar brick would prevent water ingress and allow for the chimney pipe to "breathe"?

Tent down, chimney up and another curing fire.

After a week of bad weather, the clouds parted and the sun came out in time for the weekend. I was impressed by how well the water beaded and ran off the MasterSeal covered dome. Almost like plastic. Very impressive.

I took down the protective tent so I could install the chimney. 6 feet, about 2.5 feet above the pergola. After months of stressing about keeping the insulation dry, taking down the tent was a little like letting your kids walk to school on their own for the first time.

It has been about 5 weeks since my last curing fire. At the time I started at 300 degrees and increase the target temp about 50 degrees a day. Later I read a thread posted years ago by John that the oven is cured once you hit 500 degrees and can hold it for 10 hours. I was able to get the dome temp up to about 800 degrees. I have a goal of cooking pizzas on Sunday, so I reckoned I better drive any residual moisture out. Over about 4 hours I maintained a dome temp of 500-600 degrees. All good. I kicked up the temp to the point the apex of the dome started to clear. I let the fire burn down to coals and positioned my new door. Temp settled in last evening at 8pm at 560. This morning it was 380.

I have to read a little more about starting a cooking fire. What I've read suggest to light a fire that quickly covers the dome in flame, rather than to raise the temp more slowly.

My study continues...

[UtahBeehiver]

With each firing the oven will perform better. When the black carbon burns off and the dome clears then you are there, There is a unique smell when the carbon burns off, can't explain, kinda like a ozone smell but you will notice it. Never heard about the quick fire to cover the dome not saying right or wrong, just new to me. Nice set up you have with the pool and outdoor kitchen.

[bentedesco]

Hey your oven is looking awesome!! I just started some low temp curing fires on mine and I noticed that you already have your stucco render up before completing your cure. How's that going for you? Any cracks?

(I was under the impression that I need to cure then coat; not trying to point out potential issues, I just would really like to waterproof my done ASAP so if I can get away with rendering sooner, I want to! I'm getting so tired of the tarp in the back yard )

[cbailey]

Russell, Thanks for the compliment. The outdoor kitchen will be great, once I get it done. I don't remember where I saw the recommendation for the big, quick fire. Over the course of building I've seen so many ideas and opinions.

Bentedesco, thank you for your kind words. I started my curing fires about 5 weeks ago after I installed 3 inches of blanket. The dome was basically cured by the time the render went on.

I, like you, was obsessed with keeping everything dry. So I wanted to get the dome cured and then covered. My issue was I wanted to render the dome and the sides of the vent arch at the same time. I didn't want to finish the dome and do the vent arch later. I would end up with a hot spot where the dome and vent arch meet. My guess I would have problems with cracking with the differential in heat. My solution was to finish the decorative arch extending the decorative brick 2.5 inches past the vent arch brick. That gave me a bomb proof channel for an inch of blanket, chicken wire, render and decorative brick later on.