several dumb questions, if I may...

[carioca]

Hello Maver,

that's an excellent idea - now why couldn't I think of that :-).

At the moment I can't spend too much time on this project, because we're entering a full-blown bushfire season and need to prepare. Yesterday and today I spent the afternoons - 30 C and a strong northerly - slashing two thirds of our 200 m lot frontage using a petrol-driven Japanese 'whipper-snipper' with a four-point metal blade...

Same routine tomorrow, then getting ready around the house, filling and connecting the firepump, laying out hoses - you get the idea.

Cheers for now!

Carioca

[Hendo]

Originally Posted by carioca

my potential supplier of refractory bricks kindly sent me a magazine article (.pdf) that explains in very good detail how to build a tunnel-shaped oven...

I suppose that - mutatis mutandi - one can adapt the techniques to a circular dome oven (for which my supplier does NOT provide any instructions).

Carioca

Carioca,

Is it possible that the “kit” you plan to purchase might be for such an oven, rather than a Pompeii style? With the designer of the “kit” now retired and no plans or instructions about, I wonder if current staff have confused the two different oven designs? I only mention this as it may impact on total brick numbers required, and may also explain why the manufacturer recommends a course of straight bricks.

BTW, I noticed on another manufacturer’s web-site a photo of various fire bricks, including tapered ones. For any members who may be confused about the direction of the taper ….

See: http://www.consolidatedrefractories.com.au/dense.htm

[jengineer]

took a while to find it - I never could find Waldo. The tapers are the white ones neqr the bottom left of the picture
http://www.consolidatedrefractories....es/pics/10.jpg

[carioca]

Thanks, Hendo and Jengineer!

It is possible that Darley's pizza oven 'full-cut dome' kit refers to a tunnel oven shape - I've also had nagging doubts about it ever since Tonia sent me the magazine link.

Will check this out when she's back in the plant next week (only does certain days)... She MAY know more about this subject as she may be related - daughter perhaps - of the retired chap Mark Taylor...

BUT: the article refers to a different supplier of refractory bricks, in Sydney, AND her 'kit' does NOT rpt NOT call for straight bricks! Per the quote I have from Darley, it is for ALL arch bricks, of two different tapers!

Tonia only stated that the first course is made from UNCUT tapered bricks, all the following courses are built from tapered 230 mm bricks cut in half.

BTW, I redrew my sketch at 1:10 scale and come up with 11 rpt 11 full tapered bricks for the first course, allowing for a 600 mm opening.

The Queensland site you guys mentioned also resells Darley bricks as well as a few others, in addition to producing their own refractory materials, from what I can gather at their site.

The BH&H article refers to www.fieldfurnace.com.au as the supplier. I've e-mailed them but as yet no reply.

Best regards,

Carioca

[carioca]

Hello there!

Careful reading between the lines of an e-mail by Darley's Tonia Taylor lends more weight to the argument that the 'kit' is indeed for a round dome oven.

[See excerpt below:]

Hi Luis,
Yes, these bricks are cut to form the dome. So they are 230mm long x
115mm wide x 75mm thick at one end that tapers down to either 57 or 63.
These would be the best way to go by far - rather than have to hand cut
each brick.

The idea of firebricks is that there is as small a gap as possible
between each brick (mortar joins between 1-3mm).

I don't have any plans on how to make these ovens, the approximate
requirements were worked out by our last Plant Manager(who was wonderful
at this), but he has since retired.

I can only tell you that we have quite a lot of people buy these bricks
and make the dome oven - although if you haven't done much bricklaying,
I believe that the dome can be quite difficult to build. You are
building it from 4 sides instead of 2, and it needs to be precise as the
last brick will key in the whole lot together.

[end excerpt]

Note the wording 'you are building it from 4 sides' and the reference to the central keystone...

But I'll double-check Monday AEST!

Ciao,

Carioca