My take on curing

[bombasha]

Hi there, just finished installing the Premio 2G and started the curing process. So far everyone has talked about reaching certain temperatures but no knoe has said where they are taking the temperature reading. I have a huge range of 180-500 when the fire starts and obviouslty the hottest surface is the center roof of the dome inside. Any tips on what area you should take the readings from is really welcomed.

Cheers

David

[Neil2]

"allow the mortar to set for 28 days "

Only if it is a Portland based mortar. Refractory mortars (including the "home brew") do no need this long. Allow it to rest for a week or so then start applying the curing fires.

[david s]

Neill,
from my experience the addition of lime to a Portland based mortar or concrete tends to slow its curing. This means that the "home brew" which is 50/50 Portland and lime would need a longer curing period. I agree that a calcium aluminate based mortar or concrete does not require prolonged curing, in fact the manufacturers recommend 24hrs as being sufficient.

[ronh]

David, don't drive yourself crazy over the differences in temp....yes, there should be more guidance given on the topic, or at least acknowledgment that you will not get consistent temps as measured on the various points inside. However, I quickly learned to embrace the general concept rather than going crazy over the exact temp. So start with the smallest fire you can maintain for a long period of time and gradually build up over 5 or 6 different firings. Yup, even the smallest first will get the dome directly above it over the goal temp.....don't see how you can avoid this.

[SCChris]

Bombasha David, ronh is right, and you're not the first one to make the question about the temperature differences throughout the oven, especially during the curing. "start with the smallest fire that you can maintain" yep!

When we would fire a load of pots in the kiln the start was just lighting the burner and having it just lick at the opening of the kiln for several hours. low and slow.

Chris

[debf]

We did the propane curing method Ron suggested (he lives in our neighborhood and showed us how) and it WORKED. Tonight will be the first night we try the "Top down Fire". Wish us luck. Oh ya, did I mention it was 90 degrees outside!! WE MUST LOVE PIZZA!!!

[CSpringsOven]

The propane idea looks like a good solution.

Any ever use candles? Something like 1, then 5, then 10, etc? Not sure how much of a difference there is between 1 and 10.....

[ronh]

I doubt you'd get enough heat for candles to be meaningful in any way.

[Annie M.]

Just wondering if I could use a small cast iron pot filled with coals (lid on) suspended in the oven for curing. No flame to contend with and just keep replacing the coals to provide an even central heat.

[UtahBeehiver]

TU used chafing dish fuel. I tried it but eventually used charcoal brickettes prior to wood cure. Brickettes got up to about 400 f.