First firing of cream hard clay bricks.

[deevex]

Re: First firing of cream hard clay bricks.

deevex, you are talking about firing wet clay not firing the oven built with firebricks arent you?

Yes Thats where the confusion began.

[Tscarborough]

Re: First firing of cream hard clay bricks.

David, The amount of thermal expansion is minuscule, but depending upon the shape and design, it can be attenuated (or minimized). As an example, the Bay of Fundy takes a minor tide and attenuates it by multiple of degrees of magnitude.

This is not to say that you should ignore it, it quite the opposite, you need to understand it and design around it. For example, on my barrel vault, both the inner arch and the back wall are lapped slide joints, since those are the points at which the expansion will be exaggerated, and would cause cracking, if not failure if they were hard joints.

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: First firing of cream hard clay bricks.

I was actually referring to the clay in the mortar which has not been fired

I was under the impression the prescribed fireclay component in homebrew mortar was fired.

[david s]

Re: First firing of cream hard clay bricks.

I was under the impression the prescribed fireclay component in homebrew mortar was fired.

Not the stuff I use. it's definitly unfired.

TS regarding the thermal expansion in my little oven, I should have mentioned that it was only 490mm in diam. So the expansion was 0.8%

[brickie in oz]

Re: First firing of cream hard clay bricks.

My apologies to David if I was out of line.

[Tscarborough]

Re: First firing of cream hard clay bricks.

That was the aggregate expansion, compounded by the shape.

[RTflorida]

Re: First firing of cream hard clay bricks.

While you guys fight it out about expansion rates and coefficients, I think I will go fire my oven and make pizza.
Not to be disrespectful, ok, maybe a little , I stuck to the plans as have many, and have had no major issues as have most. Thats my best advice to anyone. Read the plans and follow as closely as possible.
I choose to leave the science to the guys with the labs, PHDs, and slide rules. Let me know when you reinvent sliced bread, build a better mouse trap, or figure out a more simple, more efficient, and more cost effective oven design. If you are interested, pizza will be served in about 1 1/2 hrs.

RT

[RTflorida]

Re: First firing of cream hard clay bricks.

brickie, you are always out of line, why start apologizing now?
Its what makes us so endearing to everyone else

RT

[Tscarborough]

Re: First firing of cream hard clay bricks.

(I have a slide rule and know how to use it)