Michael's 42in Pompeii Oven, Sydney Australia.

[John K]

Re: Michael's 42in Pompeii Oven, Sydney Australia.

Hi Michael,

Looks great!! All that sandstone and slate roof give it a great feel. Love the gas barbecue and outdoor sink area. I'm sure they will come in handy.

Dependant on how you want the sandstone to age, ensure that you keep sealing it and especially the travertine. I have exposed sandstone at home and it went black after a year or so from the weather and it took some time to clean. In relation to the travertine it is very absorbent so seal regularly!

Keep those photos coming!!

[MikeyMann]

Re: Michael's 42in Pompeii Oven, Sydney Australia.

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the delay in these posts, i've been working on so many things. The oven has changed a bit, and now I can proudly say that I am 99% finished.

I've thrown up some photos showing the various parts of the outdoor kitchen.

In summary, these jobs have been completed since last post:

Tiling & Grout
Sandstone & Grout
Sandstone cappings
Sealer for Sandstone & Slate
Slate Ridge Cappings
Chimney Cap & Spark Arrester
Plumbing of Hot & Cold Water
Plumbing of water waste to sewer
Plumbing of Natural Gas to BBQ and Side Burner
240V Power points installed and connected
Travertine workbench trimmed to size
Low power voltage power lines installed

I used Aquamix Enrich & Seal which makes the stone look wet, and it protects from oils, spills, dirt etc. Great product, just hugely expensive!


The only jobs remaining are to:

Install the low voltage lights (like garden lights on the oven wall). I am delaying this because we haven't decided on the lights yet, or how many lights to install on the pergola that I haven't built yet...

Move the bar fridge outdoors
Make timber doors for below the sink
Make timber eaves for under the slate roof overhang


So happy that it's almost over.... next job I am sure will be to replace the pavers in the backyard. They look pretty awful next to the oven!

[MikeyMann]

Re: Michael's 42in Pompeii Oven, Sydney Australia.

Hi Mitch,

Yeah thanks... I had a feeling this may be an issue... thats why I don't pay attention to it while cooking pizza. However... when roasting, I allow it to drop down to something like 200 degrees or less, and then there's never any flame.

It takes a while to get used to the oven... but each roast is getting better!

I'll take special watch tonight when I cook how the thermometer responds to flame. You've got me thinking now!

[Mitchamus]

Re: Michael's 42in Pompeii Oven, Sydney Australia.

Hi mikey,

Great work on the thermometer,
But please just be aware that it will over-read from the radiated heat of an active fire.... just like a temperature gauge will read higher in the sun than in the shade...

cheers,
mitch.

[MikeyMann]

Re: Michael's 42in Pompeii Oven, Sydney Australia.

Hi PlanoPhil,

thanks for the compliments!!

It took me forever to figure out the thermometer situation... i looked at various types and positions.

In the end I decided on a thermometer with a 300mm shaft. It enters the oven through a hole that I drilled, about 7mm in diameter. The shaft extends into the oven by about 70mm.

I did it this way so it would measure the temperature of the air inside the oven, on the opposite to the fire. This is primarily for cooking roasts, fish, and other meats.

I don't bother with the thermometer reading when cooking pizza... I just fire it up until the ceiling goes clear and a sprinkling of flour burns immediately when I throw it on the oven floor.

It took a while to cut the hole in the sandstone... did it with a chisel and hammer, took about 2 hours but worth it in the end.

The photo included is before I grouted the tiles. I'll take another photo showing you the end result... it's pretty good if you ask me. It sits cleanly against the stone, and the sand/cement keeps it in place.

I dont' want to glue it in, I am convinced that one day the thermometer will fail, and removing it is simply a matter of gently tapping it out from the inside of the oven with a hammer.

Hope this helps!

FYI, I would have spend many many hours on the phone trying to source this thermometer... so much time... but worth it in the end. It's a beautiful integrated part of the oven.

[Mitchamus]

Re: Michael's 42in Pompeii Oven, Sydney Australia.

wow great job!

[MikeyMann]

Re: Michael's 42in Pompeii Oven, Sydney Australia.

Hi John,

Yes eventually... I need to get more council permission for the pergola. They did say yes to the oven on the basis that was no actual rules for ovens, only BBQ's.

They said the BBQ itself couldn't be more than 4 sq. metres, and I couldn't commercially profit from the food!

But as far as pizza ovens go... he couldn't find any ruling in particular!

[PlanoPhil]

Re: Michael's 42in Pompeii Oven, Sydney Australia.

M
Love you workmanship. I will be building a simular layout soon and am learning from your experiences. Thanks for that.
I'm curious about the installation of the thermometer. Did you simple drill through the dome and insert the shaft and does it actually extend all the way through the firebrick into the dome or stop inside a brick?

Thanks and keep those great post coming.

Phil

[John K]

Re: Michael's 42in Pompeii Oven, Sydney Australia.

Very nice Michael!!

The cladding looks great as does the Barbecue area.

Are you also looking at covering the whole area with a pergola?

[MikeyMann]

Re: Michael's 42in Pompeii Oven, Sydney Australia.

I have started on the sandstone cladding. This job is much easier than the roof!! I have also placed the travetine slab, BBQ, sink and side burner in place, waiting for the bench to be tiled.

So close... yet so far!

Also included a photo of a margherita cooking in the oven, and a cooked salami pizza. Having so much fun!

M

[MikeyMann]

Re: Michael's 42in Pompeii Oven, Sydney Australia.

Hi Kebwi

To start the fire I used 6 pieces of hardwood (10 inches long, 2 inches thick), and built a small pile of kindling on top. Over the 2 hours I added about 6 more pieces I guess. I have discovered I am better off using smaller pieces and adding them more often. They create more flame.

To maintain the fire I add another piece every 20 minutes or thereabouts.

[kebwi]

Re: Michael's 42in Pompeii Oven, Sydney Australia.

How much wood do you use to reach final temperature?

[MikeyMann]

Re: Michael's 42in Pompeii Oven, Sydney Australia.

A couple of photos here of the fire and a pizza cooking in the oven.

Still need to buy a wire brush to clean the floor. The first pizza comes out with a grey underside that tastes of a little charcoal!!

The fire goes well. Worked out how to get it to full temperature in 2 hours. It used to take 3-4.!!

Otherwise... next step is to apply the sandstone cladding.

Roof is now done!

[MikeyMann]

Re: Michael's 42in Pompeii Oven, Sydney Australia.

Heya John,

The next step is to cover the brick walls with sandstone cladding. I decided this ages ago, and to answer your question as to why I didn't bricklay over the arch... well I didn't have the space to lay one whole brick width between the chimney and the opening arch. the gap there i only about 40 mm. So I cut a piece of fibro and attached it with ramset brick anchors.

The reason why there wasn't room is because I wanted a ledge around the whole oven, and if I built the arch further forward to accommodate the bricks above the arch, then I would have much less ledge left. If I built the oven again, i'd make the foundation slab and hearth bigger to allow for this.

I was able to join the bricks at the top once the chimney got out of the way... I directed it towards the centre of the oven dome as it gets higher. Seems to work well that way.

The thermometer has a long shaft.... 300mm, so it enters into the dome by about 40 mm. Works well. Gives me an accurate reading of the dome for cooking roasts, and other meats. Don't need it for pizza.. I just fire it up as hot as I can. Thermometer reads about 500 degrees when cooking pizza, but I know it's hotter closer to the fire. I placed the thermometer where it is so it measures the air where a roast would go.

Thanks for the comments... hope to see you finish yours soon!

cheers

M

[John K]

Re: Michael's 42in Pompeii Oven, Sydney Australia.

Michael it looks great and so does that pizza.

Are you looking at a rendered finish on the outside?

Out of curiosity was their a reason you did not bricklay over the front arch?

Also the thermometer gauge, does it sit in the dome itself or just the cavity between the dome and outer bricks?

Keep up the good work you will be done be Easter if you keep up this speed!!