Oven Crazy Friend

[benguilford]

Hey Mick, I drilled holes into the concrete hearth slab at regular intervals around the dome (every 150mm or so), with the holes about 20mm off the dome wall (this was covered up by the 50mm blanket), and hammered in green plastic plugs, which I then put hooked screws into and used galvanised tie wire to crisscross the blanket over the dome and tie it all down. This was also handy for attaching the chicken wire to until my perlcrete was applied.

[cobblerdave]

Dear Mick
You the same as everyone else I think hopelessly addicted and will not post a photo till after the fact! (Just in case something doesn't quite work out). I'm always amazed on how well the ovens all turn out! were basically all mug builders who have never layed a brick!
Yep you should be proud of the transition ....very neat work
Putting a layer of chook wire is not complicated.
Just put wrap a cylinder of the chook wire around the oven cutting out the entrance. Cut slits down from the top so you can bend the wire over the dome. Cut the excess off if you wish or just overlap. Twist the little bits of the chook wire from your cuts to hold it together. If you get a bit thats a bit slack put you pliers on that bit and twist the wire sideways in a few spots that will tighten it up. It doesnt have to be super tight or good looking to do the job. Same with the first coat of render just get it on there and scratch it with the end of your towel so the next coat sticks. The later coats will enable you to get rid of the lumps and bumps and the odd bit of chook wire that pokes out. If you plan to paint with one of the render type finishes remember it will need a month to wheather before you can.

regards Dave

[mickyD]

Hi guys, thanks for all the excellent advice and compliments.

To your mate Ovenking i spead the disease to 3 others im now on thier wifes hit list,but that always changes once i get them over for "PIZZA" the worlds only known cure for such ailments.

Peter, I think Oven king’s wife has got the bug thanks to me, not him. It’s worked the other way around. He originally started this thread to make a joke of it all, oh how its back fired on him, his wife now wants an WFO and he regrets starting this thread, hence he hasn’t been back, yet. One good thing came out of it, It gave me the courage to finally become a part of this forum.

You the same as everyone else I think hopelessly addicted and will not post a photo till after the fact! (Just in case something doesn't quite work out). I'm always amazed on how well the ovens all turn out! regards Dave

Dave, you are spot on. I didn't think I would get this far hence why I haven't posted anything yet.

I did my third firing today, dome temp reached about 150 C. Problem I had is that I think I did not put enough kindling on the bottom of the fire as I had a larger piece of wood on the top which started to smoulder when the kindling ran out. Who would have thought you can stuff up lighting a fire.

[cobblerdave]

Mick
Try this.... its pretty well the best way to light a fire and of course it came off the forum.
In the oven entrance lay some sticks side by side till you have a raft say 250mm x 250mm, now lay some more wood around the outside of the raft and make a log cabin structure say 180mm high. the hollow in the middle dop some balled up newspaper and really small kindling on the top. Lite it and once it gets a go on push it to the middle of the oven. I think its called the top down method.
My prefered method is to soak (just a tblsp or 2) of lighter fluid or kero into a handfull of charcoal and lay this on a piece of newspaper in the hollow. you just can miss!

Regards Dave

[C5dad]

Mick,

There is hope. After a few months of firing the over, you will get to wanting a door for heat retention, or tweaks for better performance. My wife thinks I'm nuts talking about rapid prototyping doors and such, optimization of the chimney dimensions, etc - oh well.

She just wants a "finished" oven. I laughed and told her that it would be spring until it is enclosed. Now lets see, 3 more flue liners, 8 bags of pearlite, LED lighting, granite counter, Someone got a good source of soapstone...........

CW

[mickyD]

Dave, I’ve done a bit of research on the forum and have found the method of lighting fires you are talking about. I’ll try that method today and see how it goes. Got to be better than what I’m doing now. I’ve also seen a clip on you tube.

C5dad, I know what you mean. You think you have finished the oven when you’ve got that key stone in but then you realise your only half way. I’m also thinking of a granite counter. Going to try and get a quote today and get it in before I render the dome, hopefully in the next couple of weeks. I think every bloke on this forum has there wife on their back just wanting then to finish the oven. I think mine has given up and has realised that she just can’t rush me. Good things take time.

Regards,

Mick

[mickyD]

Well, it’s finally happened. I knew it would happen but it still freaked me out. On my fourth firing a got a hairline crack around the top of the dome and down one side. I actually heard it crack. I had a dome temp of about 230c I made a slurry of hight temp motor and fine sand and painted it on while the oven was still hot, don’t know if that will do anything. The cracks don’t seem to have gone through to the inside yet. I will keep pushing on and see how it goes.

Mick