Dome interior surface -How smooth?

[Jed]

I have just finished the dome construction on a 36 inch Pompeii oven. Thanks to all who traveled the path before me for sharing your experience, it really helps.

Now that it is put together, do any of you have any experience, advice, suggestions, regarding the interior surface on the dome. I didn't do a very good job of installing the bricks consistently, so the interior surface of the dome is not smooth... there is as much as a 1/4 or 3/8 of an inch (6 to 9 mm) change in elevation of the bricks surface from one brick to the next in a few places in the dome.

How does this affect the oven? Does it have any affect at all?

Should I get in there with the grinder and smooth off the corners a bit? (this sounds like a completely lousy job...)

How smooth is smooth enough?

I will spend more time cleaning up the mortar, but the attached picture shows the completed interior.

Now to be patient... wait,,, wait,,, finish the vent, and exterior, let the moisture evaporate slowly, slowly, slowly.....

Then a really big fire and good food!

Thanks,

JED

[asudavew]

My advice....

Fire that baby up!!

(of course let it cure... and use curing fires)
other than that.. DONT SWEAT IT

[asudavew]

By the way.

I don't think it looks lousy.

Looks really good in my book.

But I think you owe the group more pics!!

[RTflorida]

Jed, don't give it another thought...looks great. Please, go the multiple curing fire route.....not too big too soon.

RT

[mfiore]

I agree. Looks very cool. I have yet to get to the dome, but I hope mine looks nearly that nice.

[mfiore]

Oh, and I also agree with Dave. We need way more photos. Seems we went right from the stand to the Keystone!

[Ken524]

Looks great!! Fire it up!

[dmun]

I had a fit when i finished my dome, some of the interior sections didn't line up exactly and I added heat-stop mortar to smooth out the steps between some bricks. This turned out to be not a good idea: It turned out that some of those ramp-up sections of mortar flaked out with repeated firings.

I agree with everyone: It looks great, time to start curing that dome.

[gjbingham]

One last time - It looks great - give it a week (or four) then fire it up!

There is nothing to gain by grinding on the bricks. It is not a parabolic mirror for a space telescope. The bricks are radiators not reflectors. Irregularities, while a bit unsightly to the builder, are hamless in fuction and will never be seen by anyone else.

[Jed]

Thanks Team!

It is great to get some opinions on an obscure topic...

I will leave the dome to set for a week or two before starting a curing fire sequence...

And I will post more pictures here in a couple minutes. I have been posting photo's directly to the photo gallery. Look up JED in the photo gallery section for the 'full story'. And I will go back and post foundation and hearth images in the gallery also.

Thanks again to James for hosting this site. The information, and encouragement sure make the process easier and more fun!

JED