Time to Cure--or is it? Firing Your Oven Discuss Time to Cure--or is it? in the Oven Management forums; Hey guys, I let my completed dome sit for eight days while I was out of town, but now I'm ...

[Modthyrth]

Hey guys,

I let my completed dome sit for eight days while I was out of town, but now I'm back and I want to start the curing fires! Only problem is that it's gloomy, they're predicting rain over the next three days, and it looks like we got some rain last night. I've found some references to curing fires in the rain on the forum, but my dome isn't weatherproofed yet. Should I wait for another 7 day dry spell and then start the fires? (Please say "no," please say "no," I want fire!)

[MAVANO]

easy does it ,first I would waterproof then dry out the bricks, try it with a heat lamp placed inside the oven, after water proof. or dry it out and protected from future rain dont make the mistake I did, haste makes waste. Slowly build temp.or you will crack the dome

[Frances]

I think you should be ok if you light fires at the times when it isn't raining, covering the oven when it is (and always hoping for enough time for the oven to cool down inbetween times). Could you rig up a temporary roof or an open tent over the oven? Then you could cure away...

After all there's no way you can depend on getting 7 consecutive days without rain anyway - not around here anyway.

How are you going to insulate the oven? If you're insulating with a blanket, then you can fling it on, start curing the oven and whenever it starts raining cover the whole thing with a tarp - the insulation will stop the tarp from melting.

On the other hand, if you're in for several days of solid rain, it'd all be a bit miserable however you did it, and you might enjoy the cure more if you waited a bit.

Either way, make sure you post some cool fire pics!

[Modthyrth]

I can put up an easy-up shelter to protect the oven from most of the moisture. We're not expecting much wind, just rain. I'm using insulating blanket and building an enclosure, so I was figuring I'd be curing before closing it all in. Husband had to go to Boston this week (missing our annual gingerbread house decorating party and all the leadup work!) so he's not around to help me build the enclosure until Saturday at the earliest.

I'd still love to have pizza by Christmastime--oh, the quandry.

[egalecki]

I'm with Frances. Pizza sooner is always better!

[Frances]

Yep, build the shelter and go for it! Take it nice and slow and you'll be fine.