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Post by stefan on Oct 5, 2014 20:22:43 GMT
Inside of the dome. I've still got to tidy up the joints and squeeze some mortar in there. Last week (end of September) I built the outer arch. Again it's not quite done yet but major parts are in place. I need a chimney now, not yet been able to source one. Tips anyone? Would prefer recycled rather than buying new. Cheers Stefan
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Post by stefan on Oct 5, 2014 20:43:57 GMT
One more question: is a fire blanket/insulation layer recommended before I apply the Vermicrete layer, or will Vermicrete alone do the trick?
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Post by leetheldc on Oct 6, 2014 8:57:46 GMT
Verm alone would work all depends on how you want to use your oven and how much wood you have available the better the insulation less wood needed to keep burning and longer heat retention Ceramic Insulation Alumina-Silica insulating boards and blankets are the most efficient material available for pizza oven insulation. Heat resistant to over 2,300ºF, ceramic fiber boards and blankets offer extremely low thermal conductivity and are twice as efficient as Insulating Concrete based on either vermiculite or Perlite. Oven insulated with 100% ceramic insulation provide faster oven heat up and better heat retention, and use less space. From fb
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Post by stefan on Oct 8, 2014 20:40:47 GMT
Thanks, blanket plus Vermicrete it is then. Cheers.
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Post by stefan on Nov 14, 2014 9:28:50 GMT
More progress - lots in fact. Chimney fitted. First small curing fire and check if chimney is drawing - it is. Fibre blanket fitted. I used one roll of 25mm blanket so I ended up with 2 - 3 layers in most places. Mixing the devil's porridge. I now know why it's called that... Proved tricky to start with. I did not go all scientific about it but simply mixed a cement slurry in a bucket and added it to the Vermiculite in the mixer. Added a bit of lime and water until happy with consistency. Some folks mentioned that a mixer may break up the Vermiculite but I saw no evidence of that. After a couple of loads I go the hang of it.
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Post by stefan on Nov 14, 2014 9:36:35 GMT
I started building up the Vermicrete layer. Again tricky at first, but getting easier as I went along. I had one collapse at the back because there's not much base left to rest the Vermicrete on. My little helper made sure it took a bit longer than necessarily required :-) The light started to fade. This was last Sunday, November 9th. Progress was slower than I expected. I did not manage to finish the insulation layer that day so I sealed it with a thin layer of Vermicrete and a slightly stronger cement mix. I finally closed the dome on Wednesday, November 12th. The entrance now needs finishing and some sort of render needs to go on. I think the oven already looks like a piece of art, I love the way the Vermicrete looks. Stefan
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Post by edinburghman on Nov 14, 2014 12:14:07 GMT
More progress - lots in fact. Chimney fitted. First small curing fire and check if chimney is drawing - it is. Fibre blanket fitted. I used one roll of 25mm blanket so I ended up with 2 - 3 layers in most places. Mixing the devil's porridge. I now know why it's called that... Proved tricky to start with. I did not go all scientific about it but simply mixed a cement slurry in a bucket and added it to the Vermiculite in the mixer. Added a bit of lime and water until happy with consistency. Some folks mentioned that a mixer may break up the Vermiculite but I saw no evidence of that. After a couple of loads I go the hang of it. Nice work Stefan! How many bags of vermicrete did you use please?
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Post by stefan on Dec 21, 2014 9:36:01 GMT
Hi edinburghman, apologies for the late reply.
I used 4 bags of Vermiculite and it was only *just* enough.
Hope this helps.
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