Bacterium's 2nd build

[oasiscdm]

Re: Bacterium's 2nd build

for browning the top of pizza - I received a tip last week. Once base is cooked and if you wish to brown the top a little more get pizza on the peel and lift and hold at ceiling height for a count of 10. remember its hotter at the top. for pies do the same unless you have many in the oven. It works a treat as I tried it on Monday.

[Campmaki]

Re: Bacterium's 2nd build

Hello Damon,
I built a 42" Pompeii last summer. My interior dome height is 22.25" and my entry arch is 19.75" wide by 12.5" tall. If I were to build another oven (as you are already doing), I would make my dome height a little lower (i.e. not a true hemispherical dome).

I would target around 20". I don't know if it would make any difference, but when cooking pizza I am compelled to retain a bigger fire than I really want, to to brown the surface of my pies. Maybe it wouldn't make any difference but I wish I could bring that heat/fire closer to my floor. Everybody loves the pizza, I just wish I could get the top browned a little faster.

Just my 0.02...BTW. I also built my floor with 1'x2' Medium Duty Firebrick Tiles (2.5" thick).

ATK, just wondering where you found your floor tiles and how much they cost? Pretty much am building same oven ,42 in. 21 in. high 20 in.door width 12.5 high, going to read rest of your posts to see if should change anything Thanks much, Wayne in Wisconsin

[BOOMERS WFO]

Re: Bacterium's 2nd build

Hi Damon,

How's the oven going? Been a while.

Cheers

Craig

[Bacterium]

Re: Bacterium's 2nd build

Sharkey,
that's great when a builder knows their stuff.
Maintenance free to.

Wayne thanks my skills have gone up....... I admit I fluked the colour to some degree.

[Sharkey]

Re: Bacterium's 2nd build

So obviously the colour of your sharp sand (depends on quarry source) and the cement type (eg. normal or a "Lite") influence what is the final colour. So this time around by considering this I have a very suitable colour and could just clear seal it and leave it at that.

Our house has a couple of rendered brick walls. Our builder showed us about a dozen samples of different colours you could have the render just by using different sands and cement. By having the colour in the cement we never have to paint those walls again - the colour is there forever.

The variety of colours was amazing. Each sample had the 'recipe' on the back and when the render was applied each mix was measured precisely using a bucket to ensure consistancy.

[Wayne73]

Re: Bacterium's 2nd build

It looks like your rendering skills have improved since you 1st build and for that matter your 2nd build is a whole lot tidier then your 1st .You must be very happy with how its turned out.

[Bacterium]

Re: Bacterium's 2nd build

Colin that's funny..... I love a good martial arts movie (esp.SBS with subtitles ).

also getting time to sit and read yours (and others) progress on the forum

yes I like the Granite render look you mentioned.....if my render attempt cracks too much or goes shabby I might go that direction yet.

Wayne.....part 2 render (and thats all I know )

Here are a couple of shots from my first oven build.
You will notice the "scratch" coat.

Depending on what you want as a final finish surface another consideration may be colour

Funny thing with my first oven was I tried to use an oxide in the final coat. Going by the suggested ratios you use quite a lot (relative to the $$).. It was a bit embarrassing as the final look was a baby poo brown .....not quite the shade planned. ..... I ended up painting that one later.

So obviously the colour of your sharp sand (depends on quarry source) and the cement type (eg. normal or a "Lite") influence what is the final colour. So this time around by considering this I have a very suitable colour and could just clear seal it and leave it at that.
OR
the other option is to use a render product (water based acrylic) which can be tinted to just about any colour you like.

[Bacterium]

Re: Bacterium's 2nd build

thanks Wayne - rendering is just another fun aspect when you get in the zone. My skill/knowledge level is very amateur (so other may chime in with corrections) but I mainly asked questions of the tradies when I'm on building sites/projects.

Basically I used a "sharp sand" which comes from a local quarry. The local landscape supplier supplies this specific one to the tradies for rendering. I used around 1/2 tonne for my 45inch oven.....can't remember exact as I had a couple other jobs not related to WFO.

The "Hydrated Lime" and the "Type GB Premium Cement" was from a local cement supplier
Adelaide Brighton Cement - Products
Ratio is 6 (sand) : 1 (Cement) : 1 (Lime)
or
If you don't have a trailer/ute/etc. to get it - there is always the pre-mixed in bags as an option. If you look on this website it has general technique/instructions.
You can google your local cement maker and their site may have the same info....also the back of cement bags have details as well.

First coat (scratch) tends to be the thicker of the 2. Put too much and make it too wet and you will notice gaps appear as it "sags" downwards.

Final coat is thinner and is about getting your final shape.

You need to wait a day between coats (or until the first one goes off).
I use a Hawk to hold some render, put it up against the surface and then use a float to apply/push it up and on.
A timber float has more grip so holds the render better but it drags when you sweep it. Whereas a metal float doesn't but you've got to be careful its easier to drop the mix and can shine or work the water to the surface if you go over it too much.
It also depends the final surface texture/look you are after.....beware the smooth you go the harder it is to hide things

The trick I find with the dome is a sweeping arc diagonal across the dome - going upwards tends to help you perfect the shape
but
no stress the scratch coat is good for experimenting (to a point as you will cover it up)........I think they call it scratch coat as once applied you "scratch it up" so the final coat has some texture to bed in or stick to (I could be wrong ).

....be careful don't go scratching something else lime is not a great mix on body parts.
I tend to wear surgical gloves under my thin work gloves and also wear glasses when at the cement mixer.

[oasiscdm]

Re: Bacterium's 2nd build

Hey Damon

Love that movie. How's your defence skills now?

Seriously looks great. I braved it tonight and decided to take out the arch. Was that a trial but out now.

Will be finishing my dome in a GRANITE look render. There's an example in my photos on my thread.

Enjoy your cooking.

[Wayne73]

Re: Bacterium's 2nd build

looks great! I'm going to render my build,do you have any tips or web site where you got your rendering instructions from?

[Bacterium]

Re: Bacterium's 2nd build

No pizza cooking last w/end but instead of sitting there staring into the bottom of my glass of red Friday night I got out and got cracking with the outer render(stucco) coat (lime/cement/sharp sand)... floodlights setup and away I went. Was as happy as a pig in.......!! well it is a pretty messy job.

Scratch coat on with a few little areas finished on Saturday morning. ..... ahh the dome shape is returning even more

On Sunday afternoon last render coat went on with a wood float and then used the metal one to get it nice, then I used a damp sponge to bring back the rustic look (too hard with wood float as it drags too much) ..... hides any imperfections well

Setup my gazebo in case of rain.... filled up a glass of red....ahhh last big job.....
Got a sore hand tho - it was a bit like Wax ON.....Wax OFF


Now to work on the front landing (inside) and find some granite edge pieces...... (front corners). I guess I could do granite for the first 300mm of the front landing....might tie it all in?

I'm tempted to do pizza this w/end or do I let the render cure a for another week?

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: Bacterium's 2nd build

thanks for the info

[rsandler]

Re: Bacterium's 2nd build

FWIW, Peter Reinhart has a book on Gluten-Free baking. A quick look in the Amazon preview indicates that it contains a recipe for pizza crust. I've not tried anything from that book, but my go-to wheat crust recipe comes from one of PR's books, and of course he seems to be the resident pizza expert for FB, so I'd have to imagine that recipe would work out well.

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: Bacterium's 2nd build

Thanks Damon,

Was hoping to find a scratch recipe for GF dough. But thanks for the feedback. BTW congrats of build 2 completion.

[Bacterium]

Re: Bacterium's 2nd build

Russell - I threw out the packet (recipe on back) but its a product from one of our local flour mills
Home Baker Products | Laucke Flour Mills

They do a gluten free white and multigrain flour.

I'd imagine you'd have some sort of local flour producer in your neck of the woods who would have a comparable product.

I also baked some muffins for him using Quinoa (in the WFO). Maybe once I or others get baking more of this stuff (Gluten Free, Dairy free....) we can start a thread on restricted diet/food intolerance diet cooking stuff......there is plenty of recipes on the web but not generally around cooking in a WFO.