Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

The first sigh of relief.

So true. Its a weight off, or some sizable fraction of the total. Should be an interesting week next week.

stonecutter, I see your point. :b:

[wotavidone]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

lot of small touching up to do on the inside mortar. After that the whole thing gets cleaned with a wire brush on a drill. I have to assume the silicate in the mix is why Sho had no need for sticks and no bricks falling in. Silicate is what they use here to build normal brick ovens and works very well when exposed to direct heat. They call the stuff silicate but what it is exactly I don't know.

That b ro-in-law of yours is a fine brick layer. I'm dead curious what the "silicate" is too, as it appears the bags under the oven are all labelled Holcim. We just happen to have a Holcim batching plant here in town, and the supervisor is an old workmate of mine. I'm pretty sure they don't have the stuff here, but he'd probably be able to get it if I knew what to ask for.

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

The bags are likely portland cement bags we put other stuff in. The silicate is dug out of the ground and not labeled, just a few guys digging up stuff. They use it to build ovens here. Mostly for flat laying of brick, not domes. To do a wedge shaped space I chose to use traditional materials to fill it, and add in some silicate. Use what is available, yes?

Sho does a great job. :b:

[cobblerdave]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

G'day
Holcim is one of the world biggest "cement" company's
SODIOM Silicate is used in cement works.
Firstly as an additive in " wet situations " ie laying foundations in a high water table. It's only really used when called for . And yes I have poured a slab like this, it was not pretty to day the least .
Its a good waterproof seal on cement and brickwork after the Portland has cured.
Its high temp application is as a glue to make perlite board.
But as a high temp additive in oven construction I can find no thing to help at this time.
Regards Dave

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

Yet in many cases its all they use. Or, its what they call whatever they use, who knows what it really is. Works though, I saw an oven in use, red hot with old bricks stuck together with this stuff. In fact when doubts come in the wee hours I think of that oven Cobbler, and sleep better for it mate.

Second small burn today...

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

Moon rise over the Bohol Sea...



You guys are going to know most of what I'm saying here but...never know someone who doesn't yet might look in...

Sho working on adding cut bricks to the outer arch to make the 3 arches level and ready to receive chimney bricks.



The front arch should be level across itself and to the other arches.

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

This is the first firing. At this point we are once again out of bricks.






"Tatay, what doing?"

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

Time for pics in front of the oven!



The smoke layer is below the chimney height.

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

The chimney will come back over the dome and from its center go straight up into a smoker/fuel drier using waste heat.



Because the chimney has to carry back we'll need to put bricks top on this section so its divided into slices.
I was concerned that would interrupt the flow so I made the total area really large.
Planning a slot in the oven face above this section of chimney to keep pizzas warm.
Don't know if it will be hot enough in the slot to bake bread when the pizza oven is 750 degrees.
Plan on baking bread in the early AM before adding fuel. Oven should still be plenty hot at that point.





Now sho is getting ready to pour the next level of the outer concrete surround.

[wotavidone]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

G'day
Holcim is one of the world biggest "cement" company's
SODIOM Silicate is used in cement works.
Firstly as an additive in " wet situations " ie laying foundations in a high water table. It's only really used when called for . And yes I have poured a slab like this, it was not pretty to day the least .
Its a good waterproof seal on cement and brickwork after the Portland has cured.
Its high temp application is as a glue to make perlite board.
But as a high temp additive in oven construction I can find no thing to help at this time.
Regards Dave

Our company refractory guide lists sodium silicate as one of the alternative binders used in low cement refractories. I can't find a definitive advice on the proportion to use.
I find in my fascination with refractories and cements in general that there seems to be no standardistion of units of measure with these things.
I've seen brochures for calcium aluminate cements where the cement is listed by weight in the recipes but the other ingredients by volume.
Very often a research paper will speak of the refractory nature of a material with (say) 2% of something in it, and then fail to specify if that was 2% by weight or volume. Very frustrating, it would have earned me a "fail" grade when I did my training as an assayer.

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

Glad we added it to all the mortar mixes then wot. :b: Interestingly we needed no sticks to hold the bricks from falling even at the top of the dome.

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

Using bricks that have a divot on one flat side which I was saving for rocket stoves we brought
both sides of the chimney up to height and poured another 16" of the outer dome.
Had to do the bricks first to bring the height up to meet the new pour, and pour up to the bricks.

Next week its going to get a bit complicated because we'll bring that outer dome in a bit.
In the back of the oven I want to form it to create a shelf to work off. Climb some steps, stand on the shelf and access the smoker/drier.

[oasiscdm]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

Looking good lancer. A fire feels good didn't it.

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

Like magic Oasis, like magic but without actually eating pizza. A minor, hungry sort of magic. Fired it twice now and am satisfied. Its been warm and dry and as Cobbler says, the tropical climate will help.

So, this week, maybe day after tomorrow or the day after that we'll fire it with the intent to cook. Got good flour, motz, Roma tomato sauce, basil and other spices. Am ready to eat pizza!

On the construction end we've raised the outer refractory concrete shell a total of 32" and am now ready to prepare to pour a deck for the drier / smoker. Something someone could climb a ladder to and get in and work in comfort on. That person will need to change the fuel donuts, smoke sausages, and check on the above while its in the process. All this business end stuff happens around the back of the oven.

For the front I still have to manufacture a medieval obtuse pointed arch out of plywood that Sho can follow when bricks arrive. If we set points at which the plywood is placed we can then set bricks according to the pattern to make the arch. Got the math down to make the pattern but the bricks are still over a month off so no hurry. We're still involved in myriad other small carpentry jobs with our excellent carpenter as well.

The fire does feel good Oasis. I was profoundly pleased to see it burning there and again when the whole thing didn't blow up or something. I tell you amigo, it felt good to the core.

[Greenman]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

Hey Lancer - It is all looking good. Nothing like a bit of smoke and flame to keep the inspiration alive. I am pleased that it is all going to plan and you are on track for cooking the things that spawned the project.

Watching with great interest.