36" build in coastal VA

[rsandler]

If you can lay hands on one, a big halogen light can be a good starter for drying out the oven, prior to trying charcoal or wood. If you close off the oven mouth (perhaps using your form if you don't have an insulated door ready, you can raise the temperature a surprising amount, with no risk of heating too fast. I managed to get my second oven to over 240F with a light in there for 2 days, and this helped remove a lot of the moisture before I started fires (just as well, since I had a heck of a time keeping the fire temp where I wanted it )

[nlinva]

That's a good idea. I do have an old halogen work light lying around; might need to get a bulb for it, but worth a try.

I do not yet have a door, and am realizing that should maybe move up on the to-do list. But for now I can just use the form instead, as you suggest.

[nlinva]

Door questions:

I was initially planning on getting a thin sheet of stainless, cutting and bending it around 3-4" of left-over superwool, and attaching, with cement and bolts, to a wood front. This is pretty straightforward, but I worry a bit about the stainless warping out of shape and therefore not closing smoothly against the front of the oven.

As an alternative, I'm now considering simply getting vermiculite board and attaching that to a wood front. This would require buying vermiculite board. But since I don't have a nice sheet of stainless lying around, I'd have to purchase that in the other case, and that cost seems comparable to getting 2 1.25" pieces of vermiculite board (they come as a 2-pack).

The board would need to be cut to shape, and one question I have is whether I would end up with a very brittle/powdery edge where I make the cuts. Would it be possible to "seal" that with the high-temp Permatex silicone, for example?

Another question is whether it is feasible to cement the two pieces of board together to get 2.5" of insulation. I don't really know what the vermiculite board is like to handle and work with, so I'm a bit uncertain about whether what I'm imagining is a feasible approach.

In either case, I'm planning to use nomex gasket tape where the door presses up against the outside of the inner arch, as well as probably along the bottom, to get a reasonably good seal.

[Giovanni Rossi]

Door questions:

In either case, I'm planning to use nomex gasket tape where the door presses up against the outside of the inner arch, as well as probably along the bottom, to get a reasonably good seal.

I'm working on a new insulated insert to fit behind my door. Going through some of the same decision points that you are. I use the insert plus the door to retain heat when not actively cooking. Otherwise, I'm just using the handled door. I'm experimenting with materials to decrease heat loss around the door.

I had investigated Nomex as a wrap around the insert and decided to walk away based on possible shedding of the material. I didn't want to risk the fibers getting in my food. You may want to do a little more research on the material.

My door is thick steel. I tried a wood stove door gasket, but it easily abraded after two firings with normal use. When I read about others using the red Permatex as a heat break, I removed the gasket (the adhesive was a bear to get off) and ran a bead of the Permatex in its place. Only one firing since, but pretty happy with it. It held in place and is pliable enough to make a nice fit against the inner arch. I haven't seen any pieces shedding - the bright color would make it easy to see.

[nlinva]

Ooh, I like the idea of using the Permatex as a way to ensure a good fit. And I have enough left in the tube to do that, which seems like a great use for it.

From browsing around online it looks like vermiculite board might abrade relatively easily, but otherwise its properties look promising. I'm thinking it's worth a shot, especially if I also put some Permatex on the bottom, which is where I figure abrasion might be most likely, when moving the door in and out.

[Giovanni Rossi]

I didn't use the Permatex on the bottom. I put a continuous bead up one side, around to top arc and down the other side. The door sits tight on the floor. I suppose you could try it. My door requires the top be tilted toward the dome to fit under the outer arch. I would probably be scraping a bottom bead on the floor as I manipulated the door. If you're able to set your door bottom first and rock it in place, that could be a winner.

[nlinva]

Yes, that was basically my thinking. I have a 2" reveal around the inner arch, so I should have enough play to be able to do that.

Update on the drying fires: I think I'm being sufficiently careful (perhaps even too careful) about not going too fast. Day 1 I tried with just a few half-burned out briquettes that were left over from grilling, and that raised the dome's temperature maybe up to 100F -- a temperature not far over what the dome has already seen as the outside temperature this past August.

Yesterday (day 2), the dome got up to close to 250F for a very brief moment, but hovered closer to 200F for maybe an hour.

Today I've got it at between 250F and 300F for probably close to 2 hours. Tomorrow I may get a little more ambitious and get a larger fire I can spread more widely around. The fires today and yesterday just sat on a very small part of the oven floor, and their heat did not extend out very much laterally. The bottom of the dome all around was maybe close to 100F only. The hottest temps I've measured, by far, are right after moving the fire to a new location, on the bricks where it was sitting (500-600F), but again that is very localized.

[nlinva]

Forgot to mention that the chimney draws very nicely, so that I see very satisfying smoke patterns that stay in the top half of the dome, flow straight into the flue & don't make it out the front of the oven.