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

[Lancer]

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

Good points cobbler, I'll leave off the space blankets. Thanks for checking that out! :b:

david, no worries. First thing we did is cut through the concrete floor and dig out a foundation for each post pour. Then added metal bar which goes all the way up from the foundation, through the posts and connects to the bar in the table.

[Greenman]

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

Hey Lancer - The dome looks good. You should be happy with the job so far, it is an interesting build.

[Lancer]

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

Thanks Greenman! I am pleased with it, and Sho's work has been excellent.

[Lancer]

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

Well what joy. 500 bricks in and we have to order 200 more. That means another 5 weeks...of just waiting. :arg:

Theoretically we could fire it, cook out the water, and make a few pizzas. I can't think of a good reason why not. Dome is complete and we ran out a ways into the chimney. Right now its just going up and hasn't curled back towards the top of the dome yet. So, it should function...

[Greenman]

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

I see no reason that you could not dry the dome and use it. Might not be at peak efficiency but you should be able to use it. Just need to hasten slowly as you dry it out and get it up to pizza temps.

If your build was an Olympic event every stage would have a degree of difficulty of 10. Your ingenuity when it comes to materials is quite special.

Enjoy your first pizza.

[Lancer]

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

Greenman, I'm getting a big head already. That usually means something catastrophic is about to happen.

Definitely a slow drying...

[Lancer]

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

Regarding the materials, its my main worry. The biggest is the lime. Its from 4 gallon buckets which is mostly limestone and is basically lime wash. Well all old lime wash was cooked lime, limestone turned into quicklime, quicklime turned into slaked lime, but I have no coal and couldn't do it myself. Yet how many of you guys take the same risk at your local home center? So, I believe 90% in my lime, no more. If its not slaked lime it will turn from limestone to quicklime within the mortar, but what then? Any contact with water will cause the reaction which turns it into slaked, but w i t h i n the mortar. That would be b a d. The bricks are cooked at a potter's place. He has a hole which he digs out clay from. He gets materials to mix with the clay from the area, and kiln dries it in a hole in the ground. Does he use enough wood to fire it or save? Does it matter? Can I finish the firing of the brick in place in the oven? I sure hope so. The clay. Does it contain alumina? Or is that the silicate? Of the things you guys describe, what have I found to bring to the table and what is lacking?

I just don't know.

I can say this, I'll fire it slow as molasses on a cold New England day.

[Greenman]

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

The quality of the materials we use are pretty much guaranteed and it would be very unusual if what was written on the bag did not accurately describe the contents. We do have it easy with materials and the challenges you face with that would put a lesser man off the job. Our ovens are a project, yours is more of an adventure.

That will make it all the sweeter when you have yours up and going.

[Lancer]

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

Thank you Greenman. That's very kind of you to say.

[cobblerdave]

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

G'day Lancer
You live in the tropics ! Oven drying has a slightly different bend to the experience of those nth and sth of you .
Your on the ocean which of course is humid but a hot sun which will dry that oven shell some enough.
Add some internal heat and you'll have that shell dry in No time . Check with a bit of plastic over the dome if it has moisture bead under it of course it's still damp .
Once dry go for those pizza temps why not? As long as you keep a fire going it will still do it. Might take a bit more fuel, but what the heck.
You might find without the insulation you can cook pizza bake bread and then slow cook , all in a one day.
The heat that gets to the outside of the brick of the dome you could even stack your " compressed rice husk fuel pucks " to dry ?
Don't really know ... As you said before its a limitless experimental thing , what works for you
Regards dave

[stonecutter]

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

Regarding the materials, its my main worry. The biggest is the lime. Its from 4 gallon buckets which is mostly limestone and is basically lime wash. Well all old lime wash was cooked lime, limestone turned into quicklime, quicklime turned into slaked lime, but I have no coal and couldn't do it myself. Yet how many of you guys take the same risk at your local home center? So, I believe 90% in my lime, no more. If its not slaked lime it will turn from limestone to quicklime within the mortar, but what then? Any contact with water will cause the reaction which turns it into slaked, but w i t h i n the mortar. That would be b a d. The bricks are cooked at a potter's place. He has a hole which he digs out clay from. He gets materials to mix with the clay from the area, and kiln dries it in a hole in the ground. Does he use enough wood to fire it or save? Does it matter? Can I finish the firing of the brick in place in the oven? I sure hope so. The clay. Does it contain alumina? Or is that the silicate? Of the things you guys describe, what have I found to bring to the table and what is lacking?

I just don't know.

I can say this, I'll fire it slow as molasses on a cold New England day.

Once your lime has cured it won't revert back after being exposed to water.

[Lancer]

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

Stonecutter, I'm not thinking it will revert back, but instead go through its thermal (iirc) reaction when put in contact with moisture and by doing so go from quicklime to slaked, and have that reaction. Even humidity would be bad. I hope its locked up tight in the clay and portland though, and hope even more that the company selling the buckets did it right.

G'day Lancer
You live in the tropics ! Oven drying has a slightly different bend to the experience of those nth and sth of you .
Your on the ocean which of course is humid but a hot sun which will dry that oven shell some enough.
Add some internal heat and you'll have that shell dry in No time . Check with a bit of plastic over the dome if it has moisture bead under it of course it's still damp .
Once dry go for those pizza temps why not? As long as you keep a fire going it will still do it. Might take a bit more fuel, but what the heck.
You might find without the insulation you can cook pizza bake bread and then slow cook , all in a one day.
The heat that gets to the outside of the brick of the dome you could even stack your " compressed rice husk fuel pucks " to dry ?
Don't really know ... As you said before its a limitless experimental thing , what works for you
Regards dave

Good info cobbler, and timely. We plan a low fire for about an hour this evening and then again perhaps tomorrow or Monday. Hope to be cooking pizza by later in the week next week. I'll try the plastic sheet to determine moisture. :b: Good tip!

You guys are the first to know...

Tonight's the night!

[Lancer]

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

All good, only embers remain. Burned a small fire for about 2 hours, will do so again soon.

[Greenman]

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

The first sigh of relief.

[stonecutter]

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

Stonecutter, I'm not thinking it will revert back, but instead go through its thermal (iirc) reaction when put in contact with moisture and by doing so go from quicklime to slaked, and have that reaction. Even humidity would be bad. I hope its locked up tight in the clay and portland though.......

All slaked lime is, is burnt limestone as you probably know. What I mean by not going back, is once the lime has cured - absorbed carbone dioxide, then introducing water and heat ( that a wood oven produces) will not change it to calcium oxide from calcium carbonate. Unless you are running your oven has hot as a pottery kiln.