Specifically, fireplace or brick oven experience??? I decided it's time to stop dilly dallying with this pizza making business inside the kitchen and step up my game to a DIY pizza oven! Here's the catch, I'll be building a smaller economical concrete based cast type of oven rather than using fire bricks/bricks. I'm reserving that build for my next home south of here. Instead this one will be made with the use of a LIGHTWEIGHT cement [Portland] mix. I've watched a handful of DIY video's, apparently, there is a concoction made with Portland and vermiculite or perlite or crushed pumice stone. I don't think pumice stone is readily available here stateside??? So I'll probably be leaning towards the perlite. My question is, anyone in the business (or happens to just) know of any 'superior' high heat (refractory) cement than what they offer at the local Big Box stores....any must haves???? Also looking for high heat insulation, where can one source something like that? Anyone here ever build one?
Check out stuff called Heat Stop. We use the pre-made stuff already mixed from a gallon pail. I use this with firebrick for fireplaces and firepits. It will lay about 100 9"x4.5" refractory firebrick. You "butter" the edges of each brick and lay them. There is also fireproof mortar that comes in 70 lb bags, you mix with water, it will lay about 120 regular brick which are laid in a bed of mortar. You have to be careful using regular brick around hi heat, they will explode. Even a wood fire can reach over 1ooo degrees. Will this be built like a chimney with a flue to discard the smoke?
Is the Heat Stop a premade sand mix? Is it heavy? This is going to sound nuts but, guys are mixing up straight up cement with perlite (or some other lightweight aggregate), nothing else = no sand and utilizing it as an insulating barrier in these DIY pizza oven builds. Well, I located one guy who used ONLY this combo mix and cast the entire oven out of it. Then mounted it on a rolling wooden cart. Pretty nice set up actually, it's a smaller oven, maybe fits two 10" pies. But that'd be fine for now. He claims to get 700-800* temps and only complained of some minor cracking since he built it last spring, which were easily repaired/filled. I have a few ideas of taking it a step further than what this guy has built. I haven't worked out the details of the flue design or material but yes it will have a short flue, maybe 24"-30" high above the oven.
I read your post again and I believe you're looking more to cast an oven than create one out of brick. I believe that Heat Stop site has a mixable concrete mix to create anything you like. Heat Stop has pre-made and mixable types, it is heavy though. That's why others are adding lightweight materials to keep the weight down. I looked on the Heat Stop website and their main page shows a pizza oven. I think a little aggregate with the concrete would make it much stronger. I don't know how the heat would affect any plasticizers or bonding adhesives. I've built a few pizza ovens, but they were around an exterior kitchen where looks were just as important. The outside was brick, the inside was firebrick, then a small chimney. One was gas fired, the other was wood fired.
Yes, looking for a simpler/cheaper cast type deal on this project. That Heat Stop product looks like a winner when I'm ready to build one out of bricks. Unless they sell a bag of straight up> cement, then I don't think that'll work on the current idea I have. I think most have been using regular portland cement for their LW mix, I just wanted to see if a high heat cement existed. Thanks for your input Razr!
Heat Stop makes a fireproof cement that can be casted in shapes...http://www.heatstoprefractorymortar.com/productDetail.php?HEATCAST-40-4
Actually, Lil Caesars is probably one of my fav lower end pizza chains! But they only have them in the worst parts of town at my local ghetto so I'll pass. That'd be PERFECT but I don't think it's available locally. I'm learning lotsa shit is very much regional. In Europe, apparently, pumice stone is readily available I haven't found anything in bulk around here. A quick Google for the lava rock turned up a few hits at the big box stores but none of mine have'em. I didn't realize that was a popular landscaping stone however, so I may go to an actual Stone/landscaping store not too far from me and check it out. Thanks for the heads up! Dude! I think that's exactly what I need, there is a dealer about a half hour from me, swinging by there tomorrow! TY!
