30" cast corner build UK

[Alomran]

I have nearly finished the oven now, just a few cosmetic touches to make. I made a quick insulated door, its a bit rustic but works, aluminium sheet stuffed with ceramic blanket basically. Day after pizzas the oven is around 280c, after 48 hours around 160c.

How did you program the curing time vs. temperature? and how did you raise the temperature with days progressing?

[Shaunster]

Cooking a paella in the oven last night.

[Shaunster]

I have nearly finished the oven now, just a few cosmetic touches to make. I made a quick insulated door, its a bit rustic but works, aluminium sheet stuffed with ceramic blanket basically. Day after pizzas the oven is around 280c, after 48 hours around 160c. Yes rendering the sides was hard, got some on the house walls but I got there in the end

We have had 3 pizza sessions now, baked bread, roast meats etc the oven works really well so far.

[Shaunster]

Looks fab, I must say I would of been tempted to build a box and roof that went back to the wall but it looks great anyway.

Its a case of aesthetics really, I didnt want to look out of the kitchen at a brick wall and I like the traditional dome shape. If it becomes a problem with rain etc I can always build a cover but this has always been a problem corner in the garden really, protected by 2 walls so it didnt see much rain getting to the ground so I cant see it being a big problem.

[fox]

Looks fab, I must say I would of been tempted to build a box and roof that went back to the wall but it looks great anyway.

[Shaunster]

Rendered the dome in two coats and left a hole in the top for a vent. I will paint the dome after some more fires. Rendering in those tight areas wasnt easy, I trowelled it on best I could then let it set up a bit before using a sponge float to smooth it and get the shape. I am using quarry tiles for the countertop and floor, they are called brown flame and are a nice two tone shade.

[Shaunster]

Next up I did the outer brickwork. There is an air gap between the outer arch and the refractory vent, I think I will fill it with something as the air gap looks unsightly. The Outer brick was built up and the hollow inside was filled with loose vermiculite and the top flattened off with a lean mix of vermicrete to provide a flat surface for the capping tiles to sit on.

[david s]

No, it’s just extra barrier for the moisture to find its way out. Start cooking, try roasting a couple of chickens with the stored heat before you add any render layers.

[Shaunster]

Ok, if that is your plan then do the drying fires after one layer of blanket. Applying render layers directly over blanket can be challenging but not impossible. The normal procedure is blanket vermicrete render.

Thanks. I had already done the first fires, I put all the insulation on rather than just one layer hopefully it wont cause any problems.

[david s]

Ok, if that is your plan then do the drying fires after one layer of blanket. Applying render layers directly over blanket can be challenging but not impossible. The normal procedure is blanket vermicrete render.

[Shaunster]

Insulation around the dome is 3 layers of blanket. This leaves a 60mm gap at the very closest to the walls for the rendering, its tight but it was either that or no oven! If I enclosed the oven the structure would encroach over the kitchen window so it wasn’t an option in this spot sadly.

[david s]

I hope you left enough room at the back of the oven for the insulation. It appears that you are very close to the walls and rendering against those tight spaces is a real bitch. An enclosure is a far easier way than an igloo for a corner build because you don’t have those tight spaces to render into, leaving a useless space at the back of the oven. For an enclosure the walls either side can act as your enclosure walls reducing labour and material cost by half. If doing an igloo style it is easier to integrate the oven into the walls. Pic doesn’t show it really clearly, but this is how this one is done.Yo can just fill the corner at the back with empty plastic bottles covered in vermicrete.

[fox]

That sounds just about right.

[Shaunster]

Looks great and 30”” inch is a very sensible size.
I can’t quite work out if you cast your dome around the floor bricks, if you did... did you leave an expansion gap?

I cast the dome around the floor. I put a strip of cardboard around the floor before casting. I had read about this the theory being it should burn away leaving a small gap.

[Shaunster]

Good job, you’ve obviously been researching your build well. I’d guess about 4 x more time spent on researching than actual building, all part of the fun. But i’d Also bet around 10 x faster than a brick build.

I spent lots of time reading and re-reading this forum and a lot of your posts. I think casting is a lot faster than brick, but also brick wasn’t feasible in this tight corner space and the oven internal would had been smaller because the walls are that much thicker.