Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

[mfiore]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Nice work, Dino. What's your feeling with the Tapcon screws? I just bought some today, and planned to only use those. Do you think they hold tight enough, or do you think the lag bolts in the corners are necessary?

I reviewed your post from a while back with your sketchup plans. What happened to the recessed corners you had planned? Are you going straight across the front now?

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Well Mike, I did not go with the recessed corners. It is straight across. I drew it up both ways, and in the end, we thought since we are going with a slate roof (never worked with the stuff before) we wanted more even support for the weight of it.
So, after just finishing now the anchoring, I've found that I've been putting in the Tapcons every 2' because every time I add one, it gets SO much firmer. But the lag bolts really were so easy to drill in...ugg....I dunno. I used 3/8"X3" lag bolts in the corners. I would do it that way.

Joe, when you say mitresaw, reverse the blade, I don't know what that is. I have a 10" tabletop chop saw and a reciprocating saw and of course, the 7" circular with metal abrasive blade. That is what I was going to use. What do you think.

BTW: I got crack tonight. My 400 deg fire today produced 2 substantial hairline cracks. One went thru to the inside. No smoke out of them. Do I continue my firing schedule?
Thanks Everyone, Dino

[Les]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

BTW: I got crack tonight.

WOW! That may trigger the drug police or the prostitution squad - maybe both.

It's not that bad - we have seen a lot worse - keep going, I think you will be golden.

Les...

[mfiore]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Dino, do you know the strength of your steel? Around here, standard seems to be 25 gauge, but I can find 20 gauge if needed. (It's at a store across town, but in limited supply)

[dbhansen]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

The cracks seem no worse than anyone else's, Dino. Keep up the good work!

[MAVANO]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

dont worry about the cracks we all have them just patch them and cover with ceramic. blanket and vermic.loose fill the whole enclosure you'll be good to go

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Thanks you guys! I really feel so much better. I felt like crying at the 3rd firing. But now, that there are even more well spaced cracks, I'm feeling better. Thanks for letting me know it's normal. There is no hint of smoke escaping so I'm good.

Should I put the ceramic blanket on after my 7th day firing or can I on the 5th or 6th? I want to try pizza soon. Been doing lots of reading here on dough prep. Dough hydration is much more interesting than mortar hydration.

Mike: I used the thinner 25 gauge for the track. It's fine. But be sure to use as large a washer as you can get for the little Tapcons. I kept forgetting to put them in so I would drill another hole 2' away with a washer and my base plate is pretty strong now. I staggard them a little bit off center since it seems the thin 25 gauge tract can flex a bit. But not anymore. As for the studs, I bought 3 10' at 20 gauge. I have not begun to cut them. I think I'm going to buy the rest at 25g because my studs will only be 3' tall, max. I'll just place them a bit closer together and 25g cuts easily with tin snips. The slate roofing I'm looking at is light weight but if after framming, I think there is any flexing, I'll add steel stud bracing, (criss-crossing) inside the framing for sheer strength.

Thanks, Dino

[Bandrasco]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Hey Dino,

I remember when my oven cracked; I went ballistic! Even though I knew it was going to happen I went freakin nuts. Since then some cracks became smaller while others have appeared. I now have a couple that are consistent and I may eventually fill them with mortar but it has in no way effected the performance of the oven.

As Les said, "you're golden".

[jrparks]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

The best way to get rid of cracks is to cover the oven with the thermal banket, then you only think about them when read about then on the blog. Your oven is going to work great!
Cheers,

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

I have a question: How long am I suppose to be keeping these daily fires going? My problem might be that my 1st and 2nd day (100deg & 200 deg) were only for 10 minutes or so, the fire went down and I closed it up. The 3rd day I went longer (20 minutes) and the fire got near 400 and that's when the big crack happened.
HOW LONG AM SUPPOSE TO KEEP THE TEMP UP?

Also, I'm not worried at all about outside cracks, but I have 1 8-10" crack on the inside. And today, at 500 deg, I can smell smoke thru just 1 part of the crack on the outside where it "T's".

I'm going to put the Ceramic Blanket on it tomorrow, if it barely blackens along the crack, I'll leave it be. But if it's more, then I'll have to mortar the outside large crack and maybe go more than a 1/4".

But these fires, how long? Thanks, Dean
PS: I hit "contrast" on Picasa so the inside crack looks more intense than it is.

[Les]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Dino,

I didn't do a cure, but it was summer in the desert and I left it for about a week. If you don't see any signs of steam coming out, I would think you are good to go. In regard to the cracks, I saw one builders oven first hand and he had about 5/8 inch crack on the outside. He covered it with a blanket and continued to cook in the oven. The cracks on the inside are more worrisome to me. It looks like it's going through the brick - I think I saw that one other time and I honestly don't know how that oven performs today. It's pretty odd to see, because I would think that the bond would break between the mortar and brick before it took out a brick. At the end of the day, I still think it will work. The forces that are keeping my oven together are working for you as well.

Les...

[egalecki]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Dino, I don't have any pix of my cracks (geez that doesn't sound right...) but I do have several. I have one crack that doesn't appear on the inside but does go right up the outside on the front! I will fill that one with something I can paint over and forget it. The ones on the inside haven't gone anywhere since they appeared, and new ones don't seem to be coming, so those, I'm not worrying about.

Get your oven a little more cured and see where you are with that crack. If it's a lot worse, fix it. If it isn't much worse, don't worry about it. Really, no matter what you do, you'll get some cracking. I don't think that any amount of brick and mortar, no matter how super duper, can withstand what we do to it without a few.

For the record, I think you are supposed to maintain the desired temp as long as you can on any given day. It's easier to do when you are reaching higher temps! Just be sure to let it cool down completely before you go to the next level. And you can put your blanket on as soon as you have trouble reaching temp, I'd say. It's easier to reach 800 with insulation.

None of the cracks on the inside ever leaked onto the insulation- if they do, you might want to fix them. I wonder about the crack going through the brick too- all mine follow mortar joints. Maybe you just had a weak spot in the brick, though. The way you cut your bricks makes it less of a problem for you than it would be in my oven, which isn't cut-to-fit. Watch it over the next few days and then decide.

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Thanks Elizabeth (and Les), that makes me feel better. You are right, my mortar joints are very tight in that area. So a crack shouldn't have a big effect. And those bricks still have 3 sides that are well attached and then there is the whole dome and soldier course surrounding the crack. Structurally, I'm not worried about it. It still seems really strong.

HERE'S THE PLAN: Today, 700 deg fire day, I'll put a 2' swath of FB Blanket over the crack on the outside, light my fire, go heavy on the smokey kindling to start and check the blanket after a couple of hours to see if there is any black smoke streak on it. If there is, (hope it's very, slight), I'll add a 1/2" of mortar cladding along that crack only, throw a wet towel on if for 2 days to make sure it dries slow and hard and be done with it.

It does seem that because of round shape of the dome and outward expansion, the outside cracks are always bigger than the inside, usually not even appearing on the inside. So my inside crack, though you see it, is probably not an issue for me. The brick corners it took with it, well, what can you do, I think it's still quite strong in that area.

That's it, done with crack, like Harry Potters scar, it just adds character.

[Les]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

I don't have any pix of my cracks

I'd have Wilson work on that.

Dino, If you do see soot on the blanket, I still think you are good. The blanket is rated way higher then your fire is going to get to. I think the consensus is that if there is a crack, and you cover it with more mortar, it will just crack again. Mine were fairly small - didn't even check it for smoke. Threw the blanket on it and called it good.

Les...

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Les, I did have a thin streak of soot (whispy) on the blanket after a 4 hour, 600 deg fire. I'm fine with that, I've got 3 boxes of FB Blanket, bailing wire and water-heater strap that will hold my blanket on. I'll wrap it this weekend.

BTW: My vent works like a champ. Never any smoke out the front. Cool, little, twin vortexes of ash on the oven landing spiraling up into the flue.

I was amazed this morning when I lifted the swath of blanket & the heat I felt, took a reading and it was still 140-160 deg in the oven after 12 hours. Can't wait to get the 3 blankets on it.

My partner's on his way to the Avocado fields in Moorpark this morning to buy a cord of mixed avocado & lemon wood, seasoned 2 years (supposedly) for $100.

I've figured out my roof pitch and eave lengths so I'm ready to cut the vertical steel studs this weekend. Lots to do. Thanks everyone, Dino