wire over insulating blanket?

[waynebergman]

Getting ready to place insulating blanket over dome. Couple things I am not real sure about.
1.After blanket in place I understand I put wire between blanket and vermic concrete? Is the wire shown in attachment appropriate for the job?
2.It must be a springy mess putting this layer of vermiculite concrete on.Does it help to start at either the top or bottom of dome.
3. I may have asked this question earlier....it it that important to do a skim clading coat of mortar over the intire oven INCLUDING THE ARCHWAY. I am running a little low on mortar now and most of the dome has half inch or so of cladding but not all of it. Is this step important just to add mass or is it also structurally important?...

Thanks folks...getting close now....wayne

[asudavew]

Wayne,

Don't worry about the cladding. You won't need the extra mass. I had some mortar on mine, but not much. I added none after I completed the dome. My temps are still over 500 the next day.

I think most cover their oven with wire and start the vermcrete at the bottom.
At least from what I have read.

I built a wire cage around my dome and poured my verm/perlite into that. I think the insulating properties will be better that way.


Oh yeah. I built my cage out of wire just like yours and covered it with window screen. If you are doing perlcrete I would suggest chicken wire. I'm not sure the stuff you have will provide a good enough "hold" for your perlcrete.



Good luck,

Dave

[RTflorida]

Wayne, prior to insulation I merely skim coated the dome and arch with Heatstop, I still had almost a full bag, so I figured - why not?

As for the wire mesh - Yes, it needs it in my opinion. It gives the vermicrete or perlcrete something to hang on to. I'm in agreement with Dave, chicken wire is probably a better choice - a smaller wire pattern, and more to hold on to. It is also a finer gauge wire, easier to form to the dome.

Do start at the bottom, it really helps give the vermicrete a base to hang on to as you work your way up.

RT

[gjbingham]

I agree. Chicken wire was pretty easy to work with. The wire you have would work well, but be harder to adapt to the dome. Leave a gap width between the wire and the dome for whatever depth of insulation you are going to apply, 'cause the stuff just does not stay put outside the wire. The wire just holds it in place.

George

[Archena]

If you're stuck with the wire in your pic cut slices into it from the top down to where it needs to begin to curve. It will let you adapt it a heck of a lot easier - and probably solve the 'having enough wire to hang onto' problem for the dome.



- Red lines are cuts

It's an old seamstress' trick - the cuts allow you to make the folds without having to tuck the excess material.

[Kemo]

wayne,

it looks like you have quite a bit of wire there. Probaby enough to double up on the wire cage around the dome. this might solve any issues with the pattern being too big for the verm/pearlcrete to bond to. JMHO