Monday, December 6, 2010

Intimate Contact


When placing firebricks on your concrete slab, you're really looking for intimate contact between the bricks and the slab for maximum heat transference, and that means a hotter floor. Here's how Pat Manley puts it "Firebrick laid dry on the sub hearth is fine if everything is perfectly
flat, so that there is total contact for perfect heat transfer.
But, that is not usually the case.
I use a thin paste of pure clay to assure 100% heat transfer to and from
the sub hearth."
I haven't done this yet, but on my next oven I will.

1 comment:

Katherine said...

Hello Stu,

I live in Maine and manage the organic garden a Bowdoin College. I attended the Kneading Conference this year and participated in your workshop. I've spoken with Albie Barden about trying to get a big, beautiful Le Panyol oven on campus sometime in the future for garden, dining, and campus use, but that's still in the dream phase. In the meantime, a student intern and I are pulling together a proposal for an earth oven at the organic garden on campus, and I wonder if you could 1)advise us 2)help us answer some questions the College has regarding safety, and/or 3)help us build! My email is katherinecreswell@gmail.com and any guidance you could provide would be fantastic!

Thanks a million,
Katherine Creswell