Pompei Oven Collapsible Form

[tdibratt]

Hi, I built my last Pompei using sytrofoam vanes as a form to make sure the bricks stayed in place. I just saw this video on Youtube:

YouTube - Pizza Oven

I think this link works otherwise look for "Pizza Oven Hangitup".

Check out the form. Made of wood and looks like it will work very well.

Anyone have any details on how this is made?

Thx

[Modthyrth]

How intriguing! The builder said in the comments that they burned the form on the first firing. I'd think that would get too hot for the first curing fire. But what if you did it with corrugated cardboard?? Oooh, and James, that could be very easy to manufacture and ship as a pop-together, lightweight item.

[asudavew]

Originally Posted by Modthyrth

But what if you did it with corrugated cardboard?? Oooh, and James, that could be very easy to manufacture and ship as a pop-together, lightweight item.

Now you are on to something!! Great Idea

And great video.

Strange bricks though.

I would think the holes would add to cracking.... after the air heats up.

Dave

[dmun]

We saw another slat-formed form in a traditional Quebec oven. By coincidence, that one didn't have a trace of insulation either.

[tdibratt]

Originally Posted by asudavew

Now you are on to something!! Great Idea

And great video.

Strange bricks though.

I would think the holes would add to cracking.... after the air heats up.

Dave

Yes they look like ordinary clay bricks used for home construction. Not what I would have used for the inside dome.

[tdibratt]

Originally Posted by Modthyrth

How intriguing! The builder said in the comments that they burned the form on the first firing. I'd think that would get too hot for the first curing fire. But what if you did it with corrugated cardboard?? Oooh, and James, that could be very easy to manufacture and ship as a pop-together, lightweight item.

Would cardboard hold up to the weight. I guess maybe if you had enough slats. The wood slats he uses appear to be very thin since he bends them in shape. Must be 1/8" - 3/16" I would imagine. Using 1/4" starts to get pretty difficult to bend. He calls it hardboard.

Thx

[Modthyrth]

Corrugated cardboard can be incredibly strong. My mom used to have a book on building furniture out of cardboard, and we made a few items when I was a kid. The experience has always stuck with me; I was really impressed with the versatility and strength of the material.

Vertically, cardboard can support a lot of weight, and most of the support would be from the vertical arches. The thin strips on the exterior would help keep the bricks in the right place, but the support would come from the internal structure. At least that's how I'm envisioning it. I guess I'm gearing up to be the guinea pig. ;-)

[tdibratt]

So how do you build such a structure. In looking at it, I presume you make some vanes out of wood and then staple the cardboard webbing onto it?

Getting the right shape would be interesting too.