First Pizza & Cracks!

[brickie in oz]

If that were mine Id heat it up again and mix a slurry of water and cement and while still hot and expanded paint the slurry into the cracks.
As it cools it should stay expanded like it wants to but with a seal in place to stop any smoke.

Is it cracked on the inside too.

[Lburou]

Originally Posted by texassourdough

It won't hurt to try to patch it but it won't make much difference. Many/most? ovens develop cracks through the interior dome to the insulation. Not desirable but... Based on photos some of the cracks are pretty large but the ovens still work okay. Not as big a deal for pizza IMO as bread but...not really a big deal either way.

Hang in there!
Jay

Originally Posted by brickie in oz

If that were mine Id heat it up again and mix a slurry of water and cement and while still hot and expanded paint the slurry into the cracks.
As it cools it should stay expanded like it wants to but with a seal in place to stop any smoke.

Is it cracked on the inside too.

Thanks for the help guys

I don't see mucking around to expose the exterior cracks and putting a slurry in them is much of a risk to the oven. There are some tight places in there though and the risk to me may be a bit larger .

The oven works well in terms of my expectations. I don't think I cured too fast. I suspect the settling of the underfloor insulation may have a substantive part in these cracks. Yes Brickie, there are cracks on the inside but they didn't look that bad to me. With tapered bricks I doubt the bricks are going very far.

The bond problem is at the heart of these cracks too: Lesson learned. I wish the plans recommended only sailor courses, period.

I found some Dap ASTM E-136 rated High heat mortar in a tube. Tube says its good to 2000 F & cures in one hour, less if it gets warm.....Will that serve as your slurry Brickie? I see myself leaning over the enclosure -oven at medium heat- with a caulking gun and putty knife

Thanks again

[lwood]

Congrats Lee, job well done and happy baking. Those cracks don't look that serious. Do you see smoke coming out of them when you are firing the oven. I see the soot in the crack but it doesn't look like it lets much gas escape. I would try to patch it to stop any hot gases from escaping. Doing it while it's warm seems like the right thing to do, so you might want to get some help.

You now have a lot of fun ahead learning your stove and dough. Good luck Lee.

[brickie in oz]

Originally Posted by Lburou

Will that serve as your slurry Brickie? I see myself leaning over the enclosure -oven at medium heat- with a caulking gun and putty knife

Probably, but I dont know the product.

[Lburou]

Originally Posted by Lburou

Thanks for the help guys

I don't see mucking around to expose the exterior cracks and putting a slurry in them is much of a risk to the oven. There are some tight places in there though and the risk to me may be a bit larger .


The bond problem issue is at the heart of these cracks: Lesson learned.
I wish the plans recommended only sailor courses, period.

I found some Dap ASTM E-136 rated High heat mortar in a tube. Tube says its good to 2000 F & cures in one hour, less if it gets warm.....Will that serve as your slurry Brickie? I see myself leaning over the enclosure -oven at medium heat- with a caulking gun and putty knife

Thanks again

The Dap ASTM E-136 rated High heat mortar in a tube -From HD or Lowe's- was easy to use and, for at least one firing, plugged the cracks and stabilized the loose bricks with ease. I removed a lot of loose mortar, cleaned the areas between bricks with an ice pick and started a fire in the oven. After 30 minutes of fire in the oven, I caulked the cracks with the mortar and smoothed the outside with a putty knife. Max dome temp I measured was 950 F, then, I fed a smaller fire for three hours to cure the mortar.
This morning, the cracks are filled, bricks stable....All seems OK.
I would use this product again.