Bette’s Fiery Oven Construction Workshops:
Workshop day #1. August 4th:
Foundation and Oven Base Construction
· Dig out and level 5x5’ square 6” deep in the yard where oven will situate and make a surrounding form for adding smooth concrete surface to foundation slab.
· Dig postholes and make footings using the Sonotubes and ready mix concrete.
· Add 3” layer of pea rock for under concrete slab.
· Set 5x5’ concrete slab base, rough side up, & add smooth surface concrete overlay.
· Center and set 3’x3.5’ concrete culvert tile on slab to support the 5x5’ oven platform concrete slab. Add the top 5x5' slab rough side up.
· Make a wood form for a 2” wide x 4” high rail on the platform top that will retain insulation for the oven floor.
· Center the wood rail form and mix, fill, level and smooth vermiculite/concrete mix in the form.
· Once vermicrete has set remove form and place 2 Duraboard 2x4 foot sections side by side in insulation retainer.
· Add sand on top of Duraboard, pack the sand, smooth and level it
· Using thinned Airset refractory mortar, coat4x4’ firebrick edges and install bricks for the oven floor.
· Cover the entire base loosely and let it cure for @ 48 hours.
Workshop day #2: Cob Oven construction
Date to be determined – likely 2nd or 3rd week of August
Making the dome oven chamber
· Make plywood template for shaping sand dome mold diagram
· Create sand dome with damp sand, finishing and smoothing with the plywood template
· Apply latex/newspaper coating dome
· From cob recipe mix/apply cob over sand dome
· Build entry arch form and set in place
· Mortar and lay bricks for entry side walls
· Construct entry roof with firebrick set on 2 angle iron bars
· Overlay entry with cob
· Cover and cure structure for @ one week
· Start small fire and begin heating oven for one hour to begin drying process. Repeat over 4 to 5 days with slightly hotter fires doubling the heat and duration each time. Oven must be protected from rain and dampness with tarp cover.
Workshop Day #3 - Insulating and cladding the oven dome
· Cover the oven with loose chicken wire. Warp the wire shape over the exterior oven so wire is irregular and not flat against the surface.
· Mix cladding recipe of concrete, vermiculite, sand and lime
· Apply cladding from bottom up to achieve a four inch thickness. Cover the entry with cladding also.
· Allow the coating to set up
· Complete the surfacing work using the stucco cement by applying a one inch coat of stucco over a stucco wire blanket .
Workshop day # 4: Exterior decoration and cooking utensils
· According to Bette’s ideas for using field stone, sort stone for relative size and positioning and lay up with mortar..
· Have oven basic utensils ready for use; (peel, shovel, broom, rake, oven door).
Workshop day # 5: Final drying and firing to cooking temperatures.
· Over a period of 3 days complete 3 firings, each one progressively hotter (@200, 400, 800 degrees) and of longer duration.
· Use the third firing for experimental cooking once 800 degree temperature is reached.
