Drake's 38" Oven

[DrakeRemoray]

My wife and a friend who came over to watch the dome closing refered to it as "Darlene the Dome" so I guess it is a she. I think it needs a more italian name...

Yes, I am planning on smoothing the outside and filling all of the gaps, but I am going to wait until the forms are removed so I can do as much cleanup as possible inside.

Drake

[DrakeRemoray]

Removed the forms

Hi All,

I removed the forms this weekend!! Here are some pictures.

Drake

[DrakeRemoray]

Filled the gaps

Hi All,

I also filled the gaps in the bricks from the inside and outside as much as possible.

Some before and after here.

Drake

[CanuckJim]

Gaps

Drake,

Looking very, very good. Filling the gaps isn't easy, but you did a fine job.

Jim

[DrakeRemoray]

Hi All,

I have completed 4 curing fires in my oven so far. Attached are some pictures of the first (2 images) and the last (2 images).

I skipped the newspaper only fire, as the temp of the oven was already 98 degrees, gotta love that heat wave.

I did develop a small crack in the exterior when I fired it the last time and I am planning on patching that with some fireplace caulk (about $3 at the local ace hardware).

Comments and questions are welcome.

Drake

[CanuckJim]

First Fires

Drake,

I'm enduring the same heat wave, with tons of humidity, which is making hydrating my breads a nightmare, even with the AC on.

Your oven looks very fine, especially the herringbone hearth and the dome. I'd still be a bit careful with your fires for a while to be absolutely sure.

The only comment I have is that I'd get a narrow pointing tool and fill the joints at the entrance to your oven. Over time, these will fill with soot and not look all that pretty, unlike the rest of your work.

Well done,

Jim

[DrakeRemoray]

"I'd get a narrow pointing tool and fill the joints at the entrance to your oven"


I will do that. It will have to be a very narrow tool indeed. Do you know of an online source for such an item?

Drake

[james]

Time for Cooking

Drake,

Time to think about food and cooking. What are your plans -- and when is the first party? Inquiring minds...

James

[DrakeRemoray]

Baba Ghanouj

I did make a nice Baba Ghanouj (roasted eggplant dip). I have not really gotten the oven that hot yet. I have managed to get it rained on a few times (I start the fire, the sky is clear, but then storm rolls in before the fire is out and I cannot really cover a burning oven), so my drying out progress has been slow...

But the Baba Ghanouj was really good. Here is a picture of the roasted eggplants and garlic, right on the hearth...

Drake

[DrakeRemoray]

Vent Design

I am very happy with my vent design (again I give credit to KiwiPete). It is drawing very well, and very little smoke escapes from the mouth of the oven.

The back of the vent is blackening from the smoke and if the draw was not so strong, I think this same blackening would be on the mouth of the oven. See the attached picture...
Drake

[Fio]

"I'd get a narrow pointing tool and fill the joints at the entrance to your oven"


I will do that. It will have to be a very narrow tool indeed. Do you know of an online source for such an item?

Drake

I would use a popsicle stick and your finger. I know, mortar is caustic, but it won't take you but 5 minutes to do it.

[DrakeRemoray]

Popsicle stick!

Good idea, and it will burn afterward!!

Drake

[DrakeRemoray]

Framed it up!

Hi All,

I installed the metal framing this weekend.

I have a very tight allowance for insulation space, so I framed a sort of window with a header where the oven in close to the wall. This allowed me to put two inches on insulating blanket on and leaves me 2 inches (barely) for perlite.

I purchased a double wall chimney pipe but don't have pictures of that installed yet.

Drake

[maver]

Drake, that looks fantastic. I'm just about to that step myself - I hope my framing will be as square as yours looks. I think that window idea will work well, there will be little outward force with the perlite. Will you add any slope to the roof? What roofing material do you plan? I think I've decided on a cheap metal roofing - easy to apply and fire resistant. I plan a simple backward sloping roof with no gables. I was dreaming of copper but then I started looking at cost and stopped.

[CanuckJim]

Nice Work

Drake,

First the hearth, then the dome, now the enclosure; all look very fine. I neglected to answer the question about the narrow tool. What you need (or needed) is a pointing tool. These come in a variety of widths, from 1/2" to 1/8" and are available at Home Depot (usually) or a masonry supplier. If you have a grinder, the tools can be modified to suit. These are meant for facade brick and commonly come much too long. I did post a pic of my masonry tools at one point, but I don't know where it resides.

Jim