Justin Pompeii

[Rodneyf]

Re: Justin Pompeii

Justin, I am glad to see that you stay in touch with this forum. I just can't believe that out of the hundreds of ovens I have looked at and discarded as a style that I don't want my oven to look like, your oven is what I'm looking for, and you live in the same suburb. I call that SPOOKY!
I have actually had your oven set as my desk top background on my computer to give me the picture in my mind of what my oven will look like. As you know it is raining non stop right now and I have 5 chains done and I have started the 6th today in between the rain.
I would love to see your oven and I am intersted in seeing how your oven has gone as far as being waterproofing in this sort of weather. Do you cover it when you are not using it or did you use some sort of additive to your render, I have a thousand questions.
You can see where I am up to on the link below and I look forward to your support through the coming weeks.
Lars, you are right we are peasants but we are here and providing our little piece of the whole equation that makes this forum the great tool to WFO builders that it is.

Picasa Web Albums - rodneyaf - Pizza oven

[Justin]

Re: Justin Pompeii

Link to the Shiralite info page here

[Justin]

Re: Justin Pompeii

Lars, I was the same, I had never laid a brick or built an arch but through this site I have been able to build the oven in my mind and be confident that any questions will be answered once I started the build. I hope Justin comes back to the site because he live local and will be able to help with local products I hope. I have put a link here to a site that I have the progress of my oven on.

Picasa Web Albums - rodneyaf - Pizza oven

Hi Rodney, Sorry i haven't checked in here for quite a while!

I really like the look of the old bricks, you have a great shape too. Hopefully you haven't actually finished you oven and i can still be of some help.

As mentioned in my thread, i used "Shiralite" from shinagawa refractories to insulate on top of the insulating blanket, Shiralite is just a brand of low density (insulating) refractory material, its pretty expensive though as they use it in industry for kilns etc. This shouldnt be left as an outer layer though as is is pretty porous and moisture will ingress and you will get cracks etc. I have a mate that sourced this for me as he works at a steel works.

So on top of the Shiralite i put a layer of chicken wire and then rendered with Standard concrete render (pre mixed bags) from Bunnings. I think from memory the brand is Australian Builders? They also sell the coloured oxide powder that can be mixed with the bags of render, for the top of my oven (dome) i used terracotta colour render, and the bottom (stand) is a sandstone colour.

I would suggest experimenting with a small batch to get colour right before going ahead, it needs to dry and then in reality it will be even lighter as the troweling action tends to squeeze the coloured water away from the surface of the concrete. My dome looks very dull now but i like it, looks weathered and natural.

I will check in often and try and help in any way i can, i had so many people help me with my build its time to pay-it-back also if you ever want to see my oven first hand you welcome to come have a look. By the way i live in Padstow too. Im currently living on Arab Rd but the oven is at School Parade, the school pde house is still in my family and im often over there, and its just around the corner from where i am now so no hassles.


Lars- you're right i was building in summer ( i remember because i just finished it after Christmas) and it was bloody hot! But as Rodney said it's like a drug, i was working full time and coming home from work each day and getting stuck into it, so tiring but very rewarding. And in the end the first pizza just tasted so much better.

[Rodneyf]

Re: Justin Pompeii

Lars, I was the same, I had never laid a brick or built an arch but through this site I have been able to build the oven in my mind and be confident that any questions will be answered once I started the build. I hope Justin comes back to the site because he live local and will be able to help with local products I hope. I have put a link here to a site that I have the progress of my oven on.

Picasa Web Albums - rodneyaf - Pizza oven

[Lars]

Re: Justin Pompeii

Rodney,

Us peasants have to stick together!

I really like the vintage bricks you are using. I know what you mean about the obsession to build this. I have really never laid brick, built an arch, or built a dome, worked with clay/mortar, firebricks, or vermiculite. The research and learning curve, coupled with the dawning of ideas about what you can actually do with the oven once it's built ( the worldwide support network on this forum) really makes it a fun project.

There are more than a couple techniques that I will take from this for other projects. ( like a wood oven inside a kitchen!)

Post pictures and let me know how things are going for you. You can kind of see where I am at. I will probably use a layer of regular stucco on my dome as well... not sure about coloration ( whether or not to use it) I have done some stucco and messed around with coloring the mix.

Lars.

[Rodneyf]

Re: Justin Pompeii

Lars, just to make you feel better, we are coming into winter and it has not stopped raining for a week now. I have been out at my oven with a head lamp on at 9pm trying to get bricks marked and cut. I WILL get my oven built despite the weather. It is really weird but once the oven starts to get closer to the point of closure it is like a drug that keeps drawing you to it.

[Lars]

Re: Justin Pompeii

Justin,
Nice job on the oven. Hope you still check in now and then. I am just to the insulating layer, and I really wish I had seen your pictures yesterday ( I am using 'metal lath' on the bottom half, and will shape and tamp the upper half... similar to yours)

I keep forgetting it is summer in January in the southern hemisphere. I am wondering, wow, how did he make such progress while I was waiting for warmer weather!!

Anyway. Thanks for the pictures.

Lars ( in the mid-west USA)

[Rodneyf]

Re: Justin Pompeii

Justin, I am also in Sydney and about halfway through my build. When I saw your oven it is exactly what I am aiming for and would love to know what you used to render and then seal your oven. I am in Padstow and are using 92 yr old bricks from a federation houses front fence with mortar from Field Furnace.

[Justin]

Re: Justin Pompeii

Thanks G.

[gjbingham]

Re: Justin Pompeii

Nice build Justin. The oven turned out really well. Thanks for the final pics. They make for a nice ending to the story.
G.

[Justin]

Re: Justin Pompeii

Ive been offline for quite a while, but i thought i would add a couple more photos for the sake of completeness, i made the door for wood storage area last weekend, the wood was given to me by a relative for burning in the oven but i thought it had character, lol.
Since completion i have cooked around 100 pizzas and a few roasts and bread etc, i absolutely love it!

[Modthyrth]

Re: Justin Pompeii

Gorgeous work! I really like the form you made for the insulating concrete layer. I only used blanket, but I've read so many times about that lower part being the most difficult. Nice solution.

[egalecki]

Re: Justin Pompeii

Very nice, Justin. It feels great to light that fire, doesn't it! Even better when the dome stays up when you do!

[christo]

Re: Justin Pompeii

Wow- Great progress!!!

Thanks for the pics

Christo

[amber]

Re: Justin Pompeii

Justin - Looks great! You've made a lot of progress.