Using Steel Plate for dome

[rodeair]

I am getting ready to start my brick oven and I just enjoy the idea and function of the wood fired brick construction. One of the things I'm looking forward to also is cooking other items after the pizza, using retained heat. Might not want to touch anything inside the oven the next day with a brick oven.

[RTflorida]

Cat skinning, now THAT I have not tried. Guess I could get lessons from my neighbor. I swear, whatever it is she is always cooking, it is not intended for human consumption Rumors in the neighborhood abound.......is it dog, cat, rat, or is she simply burning garbage?

Thought I would lighten things up a bit.......may sound sick, but seriously...at least once a week.............

RT

[Wiley]

Regarding interior rust on a steel WFO, a small update: I have been using my steel dome WFO since Sept 08 and so that makes 2 plus years of use. So far I have not had any issues of rust scale forming on the inside of my WFO. Yes, if one runs a bare hand around the inside of the oven one will end up with a rust stained hand. So my suggestion would be: don't rub your food against the inside of the WFO. Likewise I would suspect rubbing one's food against the inside of a brick or cast WFO would not be advised.

There are alot of domes built with a piece of structural steel in the lintel of the entry as support....How many have had problems with rust scaling?

Also, so far I have not had a single crack in the dome (or other steel WFO section... so that is not some cleverly worded statement to cover problems). Nor have I had any cracks or loose bricks in my steel arch entry. And when I run the rake around the inside to gather up the ashes I run the edge of the rake in contact with the inner surface of the dome without fear of catching on or damaging a brick. A steel domed WFO is not a delicate thing.

Wiley
(Located in the damp Pacific Northwest)

[steel framed]

Hi Wiley,

One of your blogs i googled lead me to this forum.
Its great to be in contact with other people interested in steel framed ovens.

A friend and me are building a 13 mil T bared dome. The frame is pretty much welded up and ready to go. The 13mil steel flats are welded in position to make a dome skin. The dome is welded to a base plate, which encompasses the whole floor space of the oven, and some.

We are grinding the corners of the bricks, to shape them, to fit snuggly with each other. We are tryng to construct the oven dome without cement on the inside cooking space? We will use fire cement on the upper side of the brick, then the padded refractory blanket 25mm. On top of the blanket we will put a couple of inches of clay.

I wonder if the description fits the project. I will be posting photos very shortly.

[Wiley]

steel framed,
Looking forward to seeing photos of what you are describing. Perhaps you might consider starting a new thread under "Other Oven Types".
Bests,
Wiley

[steel framed]

A new thread is a good idea.

I will take photos and post them on a new thread

[Neil2]

(The Romans did have steel.)

[lwood]

Forming a dome out of brick is a lot easier than out of steal, even today. I think the reason these ovens have been made from refractory materials as opposed to steal is for than one reason. Maybe not for those of you that have a metal forming shop in our backyard. But for the DIYers brick is a doable project. Steal is something for the skilled craftsman with a lot of tools. I see nothing wrong with steal, ovens have been manufactured for ages. So feel free to venture out on your own.

This forum primarily exists to discuss WFOs and characterize them through the experience of others. Steel framed, even subtle differences are discussed here at length. Not sure how much the knowledge base applies to the steel oven. The best way to understand your oven is to use it. You will find the cold and hot-spots and start to understand the heat management issues the more and more you use it. If you plan to manufacture 1000s of these ovens, then some sort of finite element analysis may be in order. Which I don't believe has been done. Would love to see that with empirical data. Feel free and share it with us. Don't forget to make some pizza.

[Neil2]

I have pushed my (brick) oven to 1400 F.

Some steels start to lose their strength at temperatures as low as 450 F. Ordinary steel re-bar starts to lose strength at about 600 F. Other types of steel are good for somewhat higher temperatures, but, generally speaking, steel is not designed for high temperature applications.

If you insist on using metal, cast iron is a better bet.