strapping down the blanket. Why?

[KEmerson]

Weather permitting, I hope to lay on the ceramic blanket today or tomorrow. I have noticed in many photos that people use some form of strapping, wire or even chicken wire to hold the blanket in place. My question is, why is this necessary? If I'm covering the blanket with - in my case - cement/perlite anyway, what's the point of the strapping?
Thanks
Kim

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: strapping down the blanket. Why?

even chicken wire to hold the blanket in place

The chicken wire will hold the blanket in place, but the main purpose is to give you something to attach your vermicrete to... It acts as a form/mold otherwise the vermicrete wouldnt have anything to hold onto and might just slop off and slide to the floor..

Mark

[KEmerson]

Re: strapping down the blanket. Why?

Thanks. Slopping onto the floor is clearly undesirable.
Kim

[RTflorida]

Re: strapping down the blanket. Why?

consider the chicken wire the same as wire lath in a stucco application...it serves the same purpose - to help hold a cement based product in place as well as give it added strength.

RT

[KEmerson]

Re: strapping down the blanket. Why?

Chicken wire is bought and paid for. But the sky is telling me we're on hold.

[texassourdough]

Re: strapping down the blanket. Why?

Alas, the rain gods and the WFO gods are not in alignment!

It sometimes seems amazing how oven plans invite the rain gods to play!

Hang in there!
Jay

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: strapping down the blanket. Why?

when the rain gods come out,, The plastic gods should be consulted.....

[KEmerson]

Re: strapping down the blanket. Why?

well, the sky was a taunt, a tease and I stood up to the dare. I hustled, I blanketed, I chicken wired and I tarped that sucker. Which is another way of saying it didn't rain. Forecast for today is mostly boasting about what it could do if it wanted to but won't. So today I perlite/cement the final insulation, stand back to admire my handiwork and fantasize about the pizza on the way.

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: strapping down the blanket. Why?

Kim,,
You can throw a small electric heater or some have used a propane turkey fryer in your dome and start curing your dome while your working on the vermicrete,,,,

Mark

[christo]

Re: strapping down the blanket. Why?

I used wire to hold my blanket (and extra scraps) in place while I poured vermilulite into my enclosure. For this enclosure style, chicken wire might be overkill.

Christo

[KEmerson]

Re: strapping down the blanket. Why?

I was just reading the forum posts on curing. I finished building the dome about two weeks ago. In the interim I was working on other parts of the construction, studied and asked about the blanket, waited for it to ship... so it's been a while and I am assuming the time alone has cured much of it so that all I'll do when the perlite mix is finished is to do the succession of fires. I plan on buying an IR thermometer but have not yet so if I wait till it arrives and use it to assist as I fire up the curing fires the whole thing will have slow cured itself somewhat. But I have been curious about what exactly we are curing. Is it strictly the oven dome and floor or does it include the outer insulation layer as well? It seems as though it is the dome and floor if I can begin curing those even before I'm finished with the outer insulating layer, as I've read here before.

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: strapping down the blanket. Why?

You can start your curing fires now,, many people cure the dome seperately from the finished oven... In other words, you will be pre-curing the dome, then you can cure the dome with blanket and vermicrete on it.. start your fires now !!!

you will get a lot of the dome moisture out of the way doing this

Mark

[KEmerson]

Re: strapping down the blanket. Why?

ok. Sounds good to me. Thanks.
Kim