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Post by pete123 on Jun 18, 2012 20:25:48 GMT
I was a bit worried about the smoke. Attachments:
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Post by pete123 on Jun 18, 2012 20:34:17 GMT
..but 40 seconds with a weed burner to get it going and a couple of minutes later it was off like a rocket. I have to confess to a few sleepless nights worrying how smoky it would be. If future fires carry on like this I'll be well happy. I can't believe how in the space of 2 minutes the smoke can disappear. I lit this one near the entrance to get some air in but I don't think I needed to. Attachments:
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Post by pete123 on Jun 18, 2012 20:37:44 GMT
I didn't let it get much bigger than this for the first firing. Attachments:
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Post by pete123 on Jun 18, 2012 20:39:08 GMT
One of the roof. Attachments:
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Post by pete123 on Jun 18, 2012 20:53:37 GMT
What is the WFO ettiquette on the number of pictures of fires one can post? I'll build them up slowly over the next week. The bricks especially over the entrance were nice and warm. It was only burning vigorously for 20 minutes or so today. I'll ration the fire photos from now on & try to keep the number to below the number of Rocky films made. Attachments:
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Post by turkey on Jun 18, 2012 21:29:45 GMT
lol, we love pics so don't worry :-)
I think I ended up with a good few hours of semi hot fire burning over the weekend, but it did not really get that hot I don't think so probably a sign that it needs plenty more sensible curing.
have you sourced a load of wood for this, or just burning garden off cuts?
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Post by pete123 on Jun 19, 2012 17:17:57 GMT
I put the offcuts of twigs aside last year.
I've been burning a bit of pallet today. I also keep pinching the odd log here & there from friends & family.
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Post by pete123 on Jun 19, 2012 17:50:20 GMT
I've had another fire today it was a bit bigger and lasted for about 2 hours. This crack has developed the lower bit has cracked there previously and I cemented over it. At present it's about 1mm wide. No smoke escaped from it. My thoughts are to leave it alone. It hasn't reached anything like full temperature yet. I'll keep building the fires up and see what happens. Attachments:
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Post by pete123 on Jun 19, 2012 17:54:05 GMT
It's not very clear but it's just visible from the inside. Attachments:
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Post by pete123 on Jun 19, 2012 17:56:34 GMT
I did put a potato in the embers though. Attachments:
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Post by turkey on Jun 20, 2012 8:00:03 GMT
cracks are part of the setting process, that is not structural at all and if the oven settles like that you can easily point inside and out to seal it now the bricks have found their status quo
forgot about fire cooked baked potatoes, the stuff of dreams :-)
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Post by pete123 on Jun 20, 2012 18:08:16 GMT
The crack has expanded a bit with today's fire. It's up to 3.5mm now & through the bottom vertical brick you can see the fire glowing inside.
When I try & seal it I might try & miss out the cement from the homebrew? Or perhaps reduce the cement by half as the lime & clay (mixed with the sand) will have more give in them whereas cement sets solid.
There must be usable 200 year old ovens in old manor houses which were made without cement at all.
It might be best to have a bit in though to bind / set it all together.
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Post by faz on Jun 20, 2012 18:25:32 GMT
Is there any heat resistant mastic that you can squirt in. If the crack isn't structural the mastic doesnt need any strength, just needs to be flexible and fill the gap.
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Post by pete123 on Jun 20, 2012 20:50:01 GMT
Thanks Faz, that's an interesting thought. Mastic would fit into the gap easier. I'll ponder & research that one. My instinct tells me to stick with some sort of homebrew to paper over the cracks. I think if I didn't do anything & just plonked the insulation blanket & vermiculite on top it would be OK. I'll try & get it to full temp before I decide.
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Post by pete123 on Jun 20, 2012 21:00:28 GMT
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