Artigiano 120

[james]

This is one of the "don't do this at home" moments. I get to break the rules because I am always trying to learn new things, and see how ovens respond to unusual circumstances. And besides, it's already cracked. :-)

James

[Archena]

Huh-huh...


You have no patience at all, do you?

[james]

None.

But I looked at the dome today, both the inside and exterior, and I could see that the mortar was still curing. There were dark patches where the water was still curing out, which became smaller over the course of the day.

The curing fires will have to wait for a while. :-)
James

[james]

I decided to do the right thing, and wait. The dome interior and exterior have had 5 days to dry, and they look good. There are not cracks on the exterior mortar, and the inside looks stable. I added a thin coat of RefMix to smooth out a couple of hairline cracks where the mortar was thick.

So far, so good. I think the only remaining risk is when I get to the serious fires at the end of the curing.

Here are a couple of photos of the second curing fire. The first was just a newspaper.

James

[Archena]

Coolness!

[james]

Third day of curing and I burned some scrap studs from the renovation. I got the dome to about 300ºF. The dome interior seems solid, and isn't moving much, but I have a little network of hairline cracks on the outside, above where the major cracks are.

I'm going to keep patching the cracks when then oven is cool, and keep going with the curing. We'll see, and I can relate to Pompeii builders where the bricks shift and settle with the curing fires.

James

[james]

Day 4. Cracks, cracks, cracks.

I'm still burning scrap studs, with the dome hitting 400ºF+. The inside of the dome is looking good, but my little network of hairline cracks on the outside keeps coming back, so I have had to order another bag of RefMix.

At the start of the curing process, the oven puts out a lot of grey smoke, regardless of how dry the newspaper and kindling are -- the dampness of the oven itself creates a cool, smokey fire. As the process goes on, it's easier to start the fire, and my oven exhausts a lot less smoke.

It's interesting that the brick interior is looking better than the exterior; only a couple of tiny hairline cracks inside. The dome is still black, but we are getting close to some serious heat.

Next stop. A patch of white.

James

[Ryan]

James,


Your curing process reminded me of a question I've had. Do I cure the dome and then finish the vent and insulating process? I thought I fired up the dome when the vent was up and the insulfrax was on, but now I think I need to test the dome first. What do you suggest?

Thanks,

Ryan

[james]

Hey Ryan,

My approach with this oven has been to do all the curing without the insulation installed, as I have wanted to see how it behaves with firing and the cracks. It's been interesting to see that as my fires got larger, the cracks inside the oven have stayed relative stable and not gotten bigger than they were with my repairs. The outside, on the other hand, has developed a crack network that has gotten a little larger each time my fires have become larger. I think that's interesting.

My view is that geometric structure of the dome is carrying the weight and gravity very well, while the expansion and contraction of the oven has pushed to outer walls to expand the cracks. I am not getting smoke through the outer wall cracks. Which is basically good news.

Now that my oven is fully cured, I have decided to completely reseal the oven one last time with a coating of Remix -- and call it a day.

I think it is going to work out well, and we've all learned from the experience.

For Pompeii builders, I would be very drawn to the idea of curing your oven without the insulation installed. You can see how the interior and exterior of your oven behave during the curing process.

Onward and upward.
James