Kettle bbq with refractory cement walls and dome

[david s]

Hi tinkerric,
This is an interestingbbuild. I am a bit mystified as to why you used an insulating refractory. Generally the inner dome needs to be a dense material. By adding perlite to the mix you are also weakening it. The idea is to have a dense material to give you sufficient thermal mass to store heat then insulate all round it. Not saying your idea won't work, I think you should proceed and see how it goes. I think small is good, less cost, less time, easier stand etc. And most folk only cook one at a time anyhow.
Dave

[tinkerric]

Hi David,
I agree with both of your points.
I will probably end up casting the next one with just dense refractory.
But, the pizzahacker's lightweight dome is what got me moving on this project.
His oven gets up to temp and his pizzas bake pretty fast.
Maybe it will work. I can't wait to try it out.
My dome is probably more dense than his so I may need insulation anyway.
Then I might as well omit the perlite. Its an experiment.
I was all set to build a 28" oven but after seeing your oven, I went small again.
Thanks for all the information you've shared.
Rich

[tinkerric]

A few more pictures of my molds.
The entrance was to be cast as a separate piece if I had had enough material.