36" Pompeii Build in Lawrenceburg, Indiana

[david s]

Lot's of progress on the oven as I have stayed on it to get the curing fires moving before the hard freezes in my area. I still have to build the venting and anchor plate... so, I'll plan to do that, and then again start with slow fires all over again just to be safe. As Russell suggested, I did get the ceramic fiber blankets on before the fires. I started with a space heater... and it really drove out more moisture than I expected! I covered the dome over night and uncovered the next day and there was all kinds of condensation on it, as well as running out from beneath the blankets. Then, I put charcoal briquettes in a skillet and added one here and there to keep going. I'm now creating small fires using hickory bark and small twigs in the same skillet. More moisture every day... will it ever stop!? lol

I have ALL the latest progress photos in this photo gallery:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/L2jhPkMPdEwugykx6

There's also a video that shows the draft the oven is pulling even without a pipe on it!

But, I have attached the limit of a few key ones here.

I've asked this question in this thread twice now... but since there have been no responses, I assume they just got buried in the discourse. I have a Fireboard thermocouple and I would like to keep one probe in the oven at all times and have another in there for doing some of the residual heat cooking I'm planning. I'm planning to drill maybe a 1/4 (possibly 3/8" hole in the oven so that I can run the thermocouples in and pull out as needed. I'd welcome any thoughts on this, particularly;

- Where would a stationary probe be located in the oven? My thought is just above and to the left of the inner arch higher in the oven so that it never gets in the way.
- I'd plan to pack the hole around the couple wires with the same fiber blanket material. What have others done?
- Anything else I'm not considering?

Thanks all!

Jason

Sorry, I missed your question. Thermocouple probes should have a sleeve over them to both protect them and to facilitate removal and replacement. For kilns the sleeves are usually porcelain, but for an oven a stainless tube is a less fragile choice. You will find thermocouples useful at first, but the more cooking you do in the oven the less you will rely on them. The amount of carbon burnt off the dome is probably the most reliable indicator to read. The semolina test for the floor is also pretty good. The placement of the probe is personal preference, but obviously the dome of the oven will be hotter at the crown than the base. Most builders opt for a compromise and place it around 1/2 way.

[SirClutzz]

super nice build

[fhausback]

I installed 6 probes in the dome and floor, both shallow and a deep in the bricks. It’s a fun experiment, and has helped me to learn how heat moves thru the oven. And I still want to use this info to calc how much energy is stored in the bricks, and what is the r value of my total assembly.

But, I agree with beehiver. The info is somewhat useless for cooking. I did get a infrared thermometer that projects a laser circle where it’s measuring, and it is much more useful.

[UtahBeehiver]

I installed thermocouples to measure dome heat saturation. They are located about halfway up and halfway back, One is close to the surface of the interior of the dome and the other about 1/2 way through the brick. But I have to admit, I never, ever use them anymore and rely on the good old laser thermo gun to monitor temps for both pizzas and extended day cooking. Typically bread the next day and roasts the following day. Not sure TCs are worth the effort to install in most WFOs.

[Vinmaker]

Lot's of progress on the oven as I have stayed on it to get the curing fires moving before the hard freezes in my area. I still have to build the venting and anchor plate... so, I'll plan to do that, and then again start with slow fires all over again just to be safe. As Russell suggested, I did get the ceramic fiber blankets on before the fires. I started with a space heater... and it really drove out more moisture than I expected! I covered the dome over night and uncovered the next day and there was all kinds of condensation on it, as well as running out from beneath the blankets. Then, I put charcoal briquettes in a skillet and added one here and there to keep going. I'm now creating small fires using hickory bark and small twigs in the same skillet. More moisture every day... will it ever stop!? lol

I have ALL the latest progress photos in this photo gallery:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/L2jhPkMPdEwugykx6

There's also a video that shows the draft the oven is pulling even without a pipe on it!

But, I have attached the limit of a few key ones here.

I've asked this question in this thread twice now... but since there have been no responses, I assume they just got buried in the discourse. I have a Fireboard thermocouple and I would like to keep one probe in the oven at all times and have another in there for doing some of the residual heat cooking I'm planning. I'm planning to drill maybe a 1/4 (possibly 3/8" hole in the oven so that I can run the thermocouples in and pull out as needed. I'd welcome any thoughts on this, particularly;

- Where would a stationary probe be located in the oven? My thought is just above and to the left of the inner arch higher in the oven so that it never gets in the way.
- I'd plan to pack the hole around the couple wires with the same fiber blanket material. What have others done?
- Anything else I'm not considering?

Thanks all!

Jason

[UtahBeehiver]

I waited until I had the vent chamber and chimney done before curing so I have no experience on curing with the dome only but I have seen some members do it. Back when I did my oven (2008-12) I cured with the stucco (scratch coat) on. Subsequent experiences have shown it is better not to stucco before curing, that said, I did install a vent at the apex of the dome to vent water vapor out. When water sublimates for liquid to vapor, the volume increases 1500 times which "could" buildup enough pressure to crack the stucco. BBQ briquettes are a good option to start, no flames, moderate temps (200 F) and you can cook a dutch oven as well.

[Vinmaker]

UtahBeehiver You read my mind. Was just thinking about that. Great tip and I'll get that done. I have the insulation waiting. Should I also complete the gallery and venting before insulating and starting fires? Assumed I should. I saw your posts elsewhere suggesting to start with some charcoal briquets. I made a note to do that too! Thanks!

[UtahBeehiver]

Nice job, great feeling to drop the plug in. Recommend that you insulate the dome but not stucco (or final decorative coating) before you start the cure, The insulation helps temper the temperature delta between the inside of the dome and outside of the dome reducing the potential of cracking. Finally, go really slow and low on the cure, The turtle wins the race when curing.

[Vinmaker]

Wha-hoo... just put the plug in my dome. I went smaller and smaller with the top course block because I didn't like the larger mortar gaps due to the straddling of joints with larger blocks. As a result, the plug was a round, tapered plug. It was a long, hard journey and I had to stop and rebuild the top part of my jig as it started delaminating because of the water from the wet saw.

I'm on to the gallery and flue. Here's a few pics since my last update. I'm racing the cold weather at this point. I have the anchor plate ordered so that I can interface the flue and get things to a point of starting the curing fires before freezing weather hits. Here are a some later pics, but you can see ALL of them in my album linked below.

Jason

[Vinmaker]

I'm a big fan of the "cut and mortar as you go" school, better to take out a few bricks and recut theme if you change your mind.. Cutting ahead will not prevent the droop, judicious use of your IT, along with consistent cutting and mortaring will reduce the chances. I had taken every precaution, but still had to cut 4 filler wedges to straighten the first course above the arch. Looks good so far!

Excellent, I think I am feeling the same. Here is two more courses, and things seem to be setting up nicely. I'm about ready to build the top of the arch.

David, I have a the wet saw borrowed from a friend... so I do take my time.

I am now at a point where I want to run figure out the best way to run some thermocouple wires through the wall. I have the Fireboard for this, and looking at the probes, I envision a straw of some material perhaps about 3/8 to 1/2" in diameter to run the probes through. Is there a recommended location for the ambient probe, and also, with such a straw... how would you plug it after the wires are through? I envision packing with the same fiber blanket used to cover the dome... perhaps a ceramic, or made from brick plug on the inside? Interested in any thoughts or recommendations on this.

[david s]

You can’t cut too many in one go because as each course is a reduced (horizontal) diameter which means a bigger angle to cut off for each course. This can be a problem if you are hiring a wet saw.

[Sixto]

I'm a big fan of the "cut and mortar as you go" school, better to take out a few bricks and recut theme if you change your mind.. Cutting ahead will not prevent the droop, judicious use of your IT, along with consistent cutting and mortaring will reduce the chances. I had taken every precaution, but still had to cut 4 filler wedges to straighten the first course above the arch. Looks good so far!

[Vinmaker]

Well, I got the trammel and jig set up (with help from a friend) and I set my values in the spreadsheet. I have started the first course of bricks that sit on the sailor course and working to incorporate the dome. I have seen it documented to build the entire arch first (in order to avoid the droop) but I'm reluctant. These compound angles hurt my head and playing around... I think using the trammel to mark, then cut, then mark, then cut (a long process) would be better for me while I build the arch up along with each course. I'd welcome any thoughts or advice here.

I would also like to incorporate the use the Fireboard 2 Pro (I have it). Two probes... one through the wall mid-way up, just off to the side of the inner arch entry to the dome to measure ambient temp. Another could be used in food other than pizza. The question is, I have ideas on creating the "straw" for the probes to get into the oven, but the straws would need to be big enough to fit the end of the probes through. That could be 1/4" (maybe more?) What is the recommended way? Are you able to stuff fiber blanket or something in around the probe wires for heat retention?

Here are a few pics... but I put all of them in my album, linked below.

[Vinmaker]

Got two good days in on advancing the brick oven. Cut the floor bricks and laid on a thin mixture of sand and fire clay, leveled with a mallet. Set the first course of bricks in a ‘sailor’ orientation around the brick floor. The bricks are temporarily spaced with a strip of rubber, kind of like an innertube material. It separates the bricks from touching the floor so the floor kind of floats inside. I set up the trammel. The pivot point is set in the exact center and recessed a bit into the floor to be at the same level as of the floor. Using a spreadsheet and jig improvised by a friend who just completed his build. Now onto the most tedious, and quite frankly, intimidating part of the build! Here's a few pics. All can be seen in my album linked below.

[Mr. Slowhand]

Don't be in a rush to proceed, thereby covering the wet insulation and locking in the moisture.

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David, this is great, very useful.