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Post by smagsmith on Jun 16, 2015 20:14:50 GMT
Just purchased enough therm blocks to cover the entire slab surface. I have fire bricks for the oven floor and reclaimed red bricks for the dome. I am struggling to find fire clay for the mortar mix when building the dome. Can get it off eBay but 10 quid to buy and 10 quid to deliver. Seems steep to me.
Cheers Smag
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Post by yorkshire on Jun 17, 2015 17:15:19 GMT
Hi, I used Jewsons in Honley, but I think that they have a store in Town as well. Cannot exactly remember the cost (somewhere in the £15 range I think) gave the discount code on this site, but I do not think that it provided much discount as they explained that it was regional?!?! I will have a check and see if I can find a receipt somewhere. Give them a call. I think that it took approx a week to come as they do not carry in stock (at least in Honley) Cheers
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Post by smagsmith on Jun 17, 2015 20:54:28 GMT
I have found a place in notts (near where I work) that has all the materials. So going to pop in tomorrow to collect. Today I have bedded in the layer of thermo blocks on top of the paving slabs. Feels like I am now finally ready to start building the oven.
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Post by smagsmith on Jun 20, 2015 7:38:58 GMT
Started cutting the fire bricks for the hearth
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Post by oblertone on Jun 20, 2015 16:33:33 GMT
When you lay your first 'ring' try and slip a piece of corrugated cardboard between the hearth bricks and dome; this will burn out in use but gives a useful even expansion joint. I used a slightly different method using heater blocks, but used old red bricks for my dome and it works well.
Keep us updated with progress, I love to see these things grow !
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Post by smagsmith on Jun 21, 2015 8:05:02 GMT
When you lay your first 'ring' try and slip a piece of corrugated cardboard between the hearth bricks and dome; this will burn out in use but gives a useful even expansion joint. I used a slightly different method using heater blocks, but used old red bricks for my dome and it works well. Keep us updated with progress, I love to see these things grow ! Nice tip with the cardboard. Will start the dome next week and will post photos have finished the cutting of fire bricks to create the hearth now cheers Smag
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Post by smagsmith on Jun 26, 2015 6:32:32 GMT
First course of red brick going in. Tried making a plywood dome former but just could not get it right. So going for the sand former option instead. Hopefully get cracked on this weekend
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Post by cobblerdave on Jun 26, 2015 9:09:56 GMT
G'day Yes I built to a ply form... Trust me a truly terrifying experience to burn out. Can I suggest a Hybrid. Cut yourself a cross section of your oven interior. Cut that in 1/2. A nail in the middle of your floor to rest it against. Use it to set you bricks to up to say... 6 or seven high. Easy to see what your doing and great to clean as you go. Then when gravity starts to become the enemy. Cut a circle of ply into the dome and support it on a car jack and some blocks of wood. Build a sand dome on that for the last rings. Lest time needed for the last part then it's a case of letting of the jack and cleaning up a smaller amount. Regards dave
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Post by smagsmith on Jun 27, 2015 13:15:30 GMT
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Post by smagsmith on Jun 27, 2015 20:28:07 GMT
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Post by smagsmith on Jun 29, 2015 20:42:24 GMT
Starting the process of curing fires. I am on my 2nd fire. Only small at the moment. Is there a set time to leave between fires? I am doing one a day at the moment. One slight worry I have is the dome is weeping smoke in a couple of spots when the fire is going. Obviously it is not 100% sealed in about 5 or six spots. Should I be worried? Do I need to do anything to these areas before I wrap in insulation? I was thinking about covering the whole dome in a mortar mix before insulating.
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Post by cobblerdave on Jun 29, 2015 21:14:49 GMT
G'day Yes a render layer is sensible. Smoke and soot is never going to be good in the insulation. And it will lock your brick together Regards Dave
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Post by smagsmith on Jun 29, 2015 21:43:44 GMT
Thanks Dave. Will render tomorrow. Any advice on the curing process? How many and how long to leave between each fire
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Post by smagsmith on Jun 30, 2015 6:51:31 GMT
Image of last fire
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Post by oblertone on Jun 30, 2015 8:41:12 GMT
Another + for a layer of mortar/home brew over the dome; added stability and seals cracks, what's not to like. As to the curing fires, mine got progressively bigger fires everyday for a week but this was just a bare (but rendered) dome before any insulation. You need some time between fires for the trapped moisture to migrate into the drier areas,then you drive it out with the next fire incrementally reducing the overall content each time.
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