D105 Precut Brick Oven Kit Installation Manual

D105 PreCut Brick Oven Kit Installation Manual Page 1
D105 PreCut Brick Oven Kit

Installation Manual
Revision 3.4
SAFETYWARNING
AND WARNINGS
A MAJOR CAUSE OF UNINTENDED OVEN-RELATED FIRE IS FAILURE TO

MAINTAIN REQUIRED CLEARANCES (AIR SPACES) TO NEARBY
COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS.
IT IS OF THE HIGHEST IMPORTANCE THAT THIS OVEN BE INSTALLED ONLY

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
IF THIS OVEN IS NOT PROPERLY INSTALLED, A FIRE MAY RESULT. TO

REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE, FOLLOW THESE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS.
PLEASE READ THE FULL SET OF INSTRUCTIONS AND WATCH THE

INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS BEFORE INSTALLING AND USING YOUR OVEN.
FAILURE TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS MAY RESULT IN FIRE, CARBON

MONOXIDE POISONING OR EXPLOSION LEADING TO PROPERTY
DAMAGE, BODILY INJURY, OR EVEN DEATH.
If you have any questions at all regarding the safe installation of your oven, please
don’t hesitate to contact us, we will be very happy to assist you.
The Melbourne Fire Brick Company

11/167 Princes Hwy
Hallam, VIC 3803
03 9703 1758
admin@melbournefirebricks.com.au
www.melbournefirebricks.com.au
CLEARANCES TO COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS

A major cause of oven-related property fire is failure to maintain the required clearances (air spaces)
between the oven and combustible materials. When you’re planning the location for your oven,
ensure that you maintain clearances to all combustible materials, including but not limited to nearby
walls, posts, ceiling structures and vegetation.
The minimum clearance requirements are as follows;
1. 50mm clearance to combustibles from all sides of the insulated oven dome.
2. 400mm clearance to combustibles above the insulated oven dome.
3. 750mm clearance to combustibles from all sides of the uninsulated stainless steel flue.
4. 700mm clearance to combustibles from all sides of the Vent Bricks and Precast Flue Gallery.
5. Complete clearance above the flue, maintaining the 750mm radius around it.
6. Non-combustible floor material should extend 1200mm from the front of the oven, for the
width of the oven dome, to protect against falling hot embers.
If the oven is being built in close proximity to a structure (eg. beneath a pergola), the clearance from
combustible materials to the flue can be reduced by using a twin or triple skin ventilated flue system.
If you’re planning to do this the flue must be specified and installed by a licensed plumber to ensure
that the flue system is compliant with the relevant standards and local laws for your area.
If in doubt, contact a qualified plumber or your local fire authority for more information.
SAFE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

Dust Exposure – Respirable Crystalline Silica
Inhalation of airborne dust may cause irritation to the mucous membrane and upper airways.
Symptoms can include coughing, sneezing and breathing difficulties. Repeated exposure to respirable
silica may result in pulmonary fibrosis (silicosis). Silicosis is a fibronodular lung disease caused
deposition in the lungs of fine respirable particles of crystalline silica. Principal symptoms of silicosis
are coughing and breathlessness.
The following materials used in building your wood fired oven contain respirable crystalline silica and
a suitable dust mask should be worn while handling them;
• Airset refractory Mortar

• Refractory Castable
• Firebricks (only when cutting or shaping them with an angle grinder)
• General Purpose Cement
• Perlite
While the Ceramic Fibre Blanket doesn’t contain respirable silica, the fibers are very irritating to the
respiratory tract and can cause irritation in the nose and throat, and chest discomfort.
Eye Protection
This is a very hands-on project and you are advised to wear safety glasses when mixing materials or
cutting/grinding bricks. This also applies to applying the ceramic fibre blanket insulation, which is
irritating to the eyes. If in doubt, wear safety glasses!
Skin Protection
The mortar mixture that you’ll use to lay the firebricks in your Wood Fired Oven Kit is very alkaline,
and repeated exposure to your skin can result in chemical burns. The same goes for the Refractory
Castable and Perlite Render mixes. This is compounded by having to handle wet bricks, which (if done
without gloves) makes your skin softer and more vulnerable to being affected.
To avoid this, wear heavy duty rubber ‘washing up’ gloves underneath ordinary gardening gloves to
protect your skin. Rubber gloves alone will not work well for long, as handling the firebricks will wear
straight through them very quickly. Keep your hands dry, and if you notice a hole in the rubber gloves
you would be well advised to replace them immediately. Avoid gloves with an elastic cuff – these can
rub your skin and leave it exposed to attack from the alkaline material you’re handling.
The Ceramic Fibre Blanket can be irritating to the skin, with some people experiencing rash symptoms
so we have provided you with two large plastic gloves that loop over your neck and cover the full
length of your arms. Please wear these when handling the Ceramic Fibre Blanket.
SAFE USAGE INSTRUCTIONS

WARNING: PLEASE READ ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE INSTALLING AND
USING YOUR WOOD FIRED OVEN. FAILURE TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS MAY
RESULT IN FIRE, CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING OR EXPLOSION LEADING TO
PROPERTY DAMAGE, BODILY INJURY, OR EVEN DEATH. SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
If your oven is not installed properly, an unintended fire may result. To reduce the risk of such a fire, please follow our
installation instructions carefully. It is critical to use only the materials specified and provided to construct the oven.
Contact your local Building Authority, or Fire Authority regarding local laws for installation of this oven in your area.
OVEN IS HOT WHILE IN OPERATION. KEEP CHILDREN, CLOTHING AND FURNITURE WELL CLEAR. CONTACT WITH
UNINSULATED PARTS OF THE OVEN INCLUDING THE BRICKWORK AND CHIMNEY FLUE MAY CAUSE SKIN BURNS.
DO NOT BURN FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS OR WASTE MATERIALS IN THE OVEN.
DO NOT CONNECT THIS OVEN TO A FLUE ATTACHED TO ANOTHER WOOD BURNING APPLIANCE.
Keep children and pets away from the oven when it is hot, DO NOT leave children near the oven unsupervised.
Use good quality firewood for burning only. DO NOT USE charcoal, pressure treated timber, sappy timber, laminated
timber or any material other than well dried medium or hard firewood. This does not apply to kindling.
DO NOT USE liquid fuel (firelighter fluid, gasoline, lantern oil, kerosene or similar liquids) to start or maintain a fire.
BEWARE of very high temperatures in the oven and use long oven mitts or welding gloves rated above 400°C to handle
pots, pans and uninsulated tools.
DO NOT put any unprotected part of your body inside the oven while it is hot. The oven can remain hot without a fire.
DO NOT close the oven door fully while a fire is burning in the oven. Closing the door fully will cut off oxygen to the fire,
causing the fire to flare up explosively if the door is then removed. This does not apply to hot coals.
Dispose of ashes using a metal shovel and place in a metal bin with a snug fitting lid. The container should be stored on
a non-combustible surface, away from all combustible materials. It is not necessary to empty the ashes from the oven
each time it is used, empty as required.
Ensure the ashes are completely cold before disposing of them in an appropriate manner.
VERY IMPORTANT - BEWARE of sparks and embers flying out from the oven opening, as firewood can crackle and pop,
sending embers flying. Ensure no combustible materials are within range of the oven at any time.
DO NOT use water to extinguish the fire or cool down the oven.
DO NOT fill the clearance spaces around the oven with sand, insulation or any other material.
Follow the instructions for Curing the Oven with care. Failure to follow these instructions may cause damage to the
oven, poses a safety risk to those nearby, and can void the warranty.
FOR YOUR SAFETY do not store or use gasoline or other flammable liquids or vapours in close proximity to the oven.
Ensure that an able bodied person of suitable age, who’s judgement is not impaired by alcohol, drugs or medication is
present to monitor and control the fire from the time that it is lit to the time that it is extinguished.
Ensure that a suitable dry chemical or CO2 fire extinguisher is on hand when the oven is lit.
Inspect the flue regularly for any buildup of soot, and remove excess soot if it is found.
If the oven is being built indoors, check with your plumber to ensure that the building has adequate ventilation to feed
the fire without lowering the quality of air in the room, or risking a buildup of carbon monoxide.
LIMITED WARRANTY
THE WARRANTY
The Melbourne Fire Brick Company Pty Ltd, a manufacturer of wood fired ovens, and warrants its ovens (henceforth
referred to as the Oven) to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of (1) one year from the
date of purchase.
QUALIFICATIONS TO THE WARRANTY

The complete Product Warranty outlined above does not apply under the following circumstances:
1. The Oven was not installed in accordance with The Melbourne Fire Brick Company installation instructions and
local building codes.
2. The Oven has been subjected to non-standard use, such as burning fuels with abnormal burning characteristics
including but not limited to; driftwood, charcoal, plywood and wood Ovens using a binder that may burn at
excessive temperatures and cause damage to the Oven.
3. This Warranty does not apply to normal wear and tear.
4. This Warranty does not apply to any cracking caused by over-firing or the failure to follow a proper curing
schedule.
5. On parts that would be normally worn or replaced under normal conditions.
6. Normal cracking due to expansion and contraction stress relief in the brickwork, precast flue gallery or floor tiles.
LIMITATION ON LIABILITY
It is expressly agreed and understood that The Melbourne Fire Brick Company’s sole obligation and purchaser’s exclusive
remedy under this Warranty, under any other warranty, expressed or implied, otherwise, shall be limited to replacement,
repair, or refund, as specified above, and such liability shall not include, and purchaser specifically renounces any rights
to recover, special, incidental, consequential or other damages of any kind whatsoever, including, but not limited to,
injuries to persons or damage to property, loss of profits or anticipated profits, or loss of use of the Oven.
In no event shall The Melbourne Fire Brick Company be responsible for any incidental or consequential damages caused
by defects in its Ovens, whether such damage occurs or is discovered before or after replacement or repair, and whether
or not such damage is caused by The Melbourne Fire Brick Company’s negligence. Some regions do not allow the
exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.
The duration of any implied warranty with respect to this Oven is limited to the duration of the foregoing warranty. Some
regions do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts, so the above may not apply to you.
INVESTIGATION OF CLAIMS AGAINST WARRANTY

The Melbourne Fire Brick Company reserves the right to investigate any and all claims against this Warranty and to
decide upon method of settlement.
HOW TO REGISTER A CLAIM AGAINST WARRANTY

In order for any claim under this Warranty to be valid, The Melbourne Fire Brick Company must be notified of the
claimed defect in writing or by telephone to The Melbourne Fire Brick Company, Factory 11/167 Princes Hwy Hallam,
VIC 3803. Claims against this Warranty in writing should include the date of installation, and a description of the defect.
OVEN LAYOUT DRAWINGS
For information on building a suitable stand for your D105 PreCut Brick Oven Kit,
please see the separate Oven Stand layouts and building instructions on our website.
D105 PreCut Brick Oven Kit Instructions

Congratulations on the purchase of your D105 PreCut Brick Oven Kit!
Our PreCut Brick Oven Kit is the result of years of design and development and is something that we
at The Melbourne Fire Brick Company are immensely proud of. We have been blessed to have had
some incredible customers over the years who have provided great feedback to help us make the
PreCut Kits as good as they can possibly be. Make sure you read these plans AND watch the
instructional videos that we have provided on our website to fully understand the building process.
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE KIT
CALCIUM SILICATE BOARD

4 x Calcium Silicate Boards 1000x500x50mm
This is the 50mm thick insulation board layer underneath your oven; it comes with printed paper
templates & drawing pins so that you can pin the templates onto the CalSil board and cut out the
pieces you need, following the lines shown on the paper templates.
REFRACTORY CASTABLE
Novaref Refractory Castable: 5 x 25kg bags
Refractory Castable is premixed high temperature concrete, which you will use to form the 25mm
sub-floor heat bank under the Fire Brick Floor Tiles, and for pouring the dome keystone.
FIRE BRICKS - OVEN DOME

All bricks for the Oven Dome are provided, carefully cut to keep the internal gaps on the inside face
of the oven to an absolute minimum. The fire bricks used in the oven dome are 38% Alumina, rated
to 1350°C and are 115mm thick.
You will need to grind down a keystone brick for the end of each row in the dome. We supply you
with several dome bricks that are smaller than the rest to use for making keystone bricks. As your
keystones will be unique you will need to grind them slightly, using an angle grinder with a standard
masonry grinding disk.
FIRE BRICKS - FLOOR TILES

The Floor Tiles are all cut to size and ready to lay; the center tile has a 3mm hole predrilled in the
center for the trammel tool to lock into. The fire bricks used in the oven floor are 38% Alumina, rated
to 1350°C with an exceptionally hard wearing surface, and are 50mm thick.
FIRE BRICKS - ENTRY & VENT ARCHES

The bricks for the Entry and Vent Arches that form the mouth of the oven are all cut precisely to size
from 38% Alumina fire bricks rated to 1350°C, ready to lay.
The Entry Arch Bricks (the opening into the dome) are machine-ground on their back face to follow
the curvature of the dome, to give you a smooth transition from the dome into the opening.
The Vent Arch Bricks are carefully selected as these will be on display at the front of the oven. They
are all cut to size, and are cleverly designed to 'key' into the Entry Arch for strength and stability.
FORMWORK - ENTRY & VENT ARCHES

We provide CNC machined timber formwork with your kit to construct the Entry and Vent Arches
around, to ensure that your brickwork is exactly as per our design.
The Formwork is clearly marked to help you position the arches accurately, and has machined
markings showing the location and thickness of each mortar joint.
TRAMMEL TOOL
The trammel is a tool that you will clamp each dome brick into, enabling you to lay the dome bricks
in a perfect hemisphere. It has a pin in the base that fits into the 3mm hole drilled in the center tile.
FIBREGLASS DOME FORMWORK

To lay the last few rows of bricks in the dome we provide you with a custom made fibreglass dome
form. It also comes with a circular plywood support, to spread the load when you jack it up into
position.
REFRACTORY MORTAR
42% Alumina Airset Refractory Mortar: 3 x 20kg bags
This is the mortar you will use to lay the fire bricks that make up the oven. Please be aware that you
will need to mix the Airset mortar with General Purpose Cement, Lime and Washed Sand* in the ratio
shown in the plans and on the mortar bags. This makes a hybrid mortar mix perfectly suited to laying
firebricks for fireplaces and wood fired ovens.
CERAMIC FIBRE BLANKET

One full roll and a half roll of 25mm thick Ceramic Fibre Blanket are provided, which will give you two
full layers over your brick dome for 50mm coverage which is precisely what we recommend.
PERLITE RENDER
LiteFill Perlite: 3 x 100L Bags
This is the Render you will use to cover the Ceramic Fibre Blanket layer, which you will be mixing with
GP Cement, Lime and Washed Sand*. There is enough Perlite in the kit to build up a 50mm shell of
render over the oven dome, with plenty left in reserve if some is wasted by accident.
*Sand, Lime and GP Cement are available at all hardware stores and will need to be purchased in
addition to the kit. Please see notes on Additional Materials Required on the next page for quantities.
PRECAST FLUE GALLERY

The PreCast Flue Gallery is the molded section that fits over the brick arches at the front of the oven.
Made from stainless steel fibre reinforced refractory castable, it comes fitted with 7" Stainless Steel
Flue Sleeve, ready to attach the other flue section onto.
STAINLESS STEEL FLUE & HAT

1 x 7" Stainless Steel Flue - 900mm Length (extra lengths are available for purchase)
1 x 7" Stainless Steel Cowling
EXTRA ITEMS PROVIDED

- 75mm Plastic Formwork for Sub-Floor Heat Bank
- Plastic Strips for supporting the Arch Formwork
- Box of drawing pins for Calsil Templates
- Roll of Chicken Wire
- Roll of galvanized Tie Wire
- 12No. 125mm Nails
- 2No. Long Sleeve Gloves to be used when fitting the ceramic fibre blanket
OVEN DOOR
The final part of your kit is our Stainless Steel oven door, coated in a satin black finish. The handles
are beautiful oiled hardwood, with solid stainless steel rings top and bottom. The door comes fitted
with a vacuum sealed temperature gauge accurate to 550°C.
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS REQUIRED

- 4No. 20kg Bags GP (General Purpose) Cement
- 2No. 20kg Bag Lime
- 5No. 20kg Bags Fine Washed Sand (if you can’t find this, look for Paving Sand or Gap Sand)
- Household aluminium foil
- Masking Tape
- Approximately 15No. screws (50mm or longer)
We don’t put these items in the kit for several reasons – they add a significant amount of weight
(which takes the kits over 1000kg, greatly increasing the cost of freight), they’re available at all good
hardware stores, and we find that many of our customers already have these materials on hand.
TOOLS REQUIRED
- Trowel
- Small Plastic ‘Flexi’ Tub for mixing mortar & castable
- Large Plastic ‘Flexi’ Tub OR a Wheelbarrow for mixing
- Angle grinder with masonry grinding disk (for grinding keystone bricks for each row)
- Jigsaw
- Drill/driver for putting in screws
- Level
- Straight Edge (can be a nice straight piece of timber or metal)
- Stanley knife/scissors
- Car Jack
- Sponges, scourers & rags
SAFETY GEAR REQUIRED

- Safety Glasses
- Ear Muffs
- Heavy duty rubber gloves
- P2 or equivalent rated Dust Mask
- Suitable clothing
- Safe access to climb onto your oven stand & fall prevention if working at height
SUB-FLOOR INSULATION
The first step in building your oven is to prevent the heat in the oven floor from being conducted into
your concrete slab, and from there into the surrounding air to be lost forever. To do this we use
Calcium Silicate (CalSil) board as it has excellent insulating properties and is easy to work with.
Cut the CalSil board to fit the ‘footprint’ of your oven. The kit comes with a set of printed templates
for cutting the CalSil board to size, showing how to arrange the boards on the slab. Make sure you
allow 100mm from the edge of your slab to the rear and sides of the CalSil. Leave as much room at
the front of the oven as you can, to use as a landing area. Mark the centerlines shown on the printed
plans on your concrete slab, so you can transfer them back onto your castable slab later.
If your concrete slab is flat and level, you can lay the CalSil directly onto the slab. If your slab is uneven
use a thin layer of dry sand to bed the board down, to ensure the Calsil is uniformly supported.
SUB-FLOOR CASTABLE HEAT BANK

To store additional heat in the floor of the oven, we pour a 25mm thick slab of dense refractory
castable on top of the CalSil Board which will act as an additional heat bank under your fire brick
tiles, and give you a nice flat surface to bed the fire brick tiles onto later on.
Calcium Silicate (CalSil) board is highly absorbent, and will soak up any water that comes into contact
with it almost instantly. This means if wet refractory castable mixture contacts the surface of the
CalSil board it will dry out and harden straight away. To overcome this problem, we cover the surface
of the board with household aluminium foil, taping the joints with paper masking tape. We use
aluminium foil not because of any insulation value, but because it waterproofs the CalSil effectively,
ensuring that the refractory castable mixture doesn’t dry out too quickly.
Cover the top surface of the CalSil board with aluminium foil, taping the joints with paper masking
tape, then secure the plastic formwork around the perimeter using long screws (approximately
50mm) through the plastic edging, into the Calsil board.
POURING THE CASTABLE

There are five 25kg bags of refractory castable in your D105 Kit. To pour the sub-floor heat bank
you will need to use three and a quarter bags. The remainder is for filling large gaps in the oven
dome as shown later on. If the outside temperature is less than 25°C you will need to add a very
small amount of lime to the castable to accelerate the setting time, otherwise the castable can
take a long time to set. If the temperature is above 25°C you will not need to add any lime at all.
1. If the temperature requires it, mix lime through the dry castable, using the ratio of 1 teaspoon
of lime per bag of castable (for the 3.25 bags you will need about 3 teaspoons).
2. Add water and mix until the castable reaches a consistency similar to thick porridge. See the
video instructions for a clearer understanding of this consistency. Mix it and pour it quickly.
3. Pour/shovel this mixture onto the foil, and use a trowel to spread it over the entire surface.
4. Use a straight edged piece of timber or metal to screed the top surface flat. By moving the
timber back and forth as you screed, you’ll get a nice smooth finish.
5. Once you have screeded the castable layer flat, wait for it to start setting. This will take
anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours depending on the ambient temperature & wind
conditions. Once the castable has started to set, cover it with plastic or a wet sheet. This
prevents drying shrinkage cracking from wind or high temperatures. If you do see any surface
cracking please don’t worry, this is very common and will not affect the performance or
longevity of your oven in any way, as this layer is in pure compression.
6. Leave covered to set for at least 12 hours.
7. Once the castable has set, remove the plastic edging and transfer the centerlines that you had
previously marked on your concrete slab onto the sub-floor heat bank as shown below.
Your sub-floor heat bank is now complete, well done!
LAYING THE FIREBRICK FLOOR TILES

Firebricks are very porous, and just like the CalSil board will absorb a significant amount of water, so
if you apply mortar to a dry firebrick this mortar will dry out and harden immediately, and will not
bond well to the firebrick. To overcome this, soak your firebricks in water before you lay them. We
find the best method is to put all the bricks that you’re about to use into a wheelbarrow or tub full
of water 10 minutes before you start laying them, then when you grab a brick to lay, give it a quick
dab with a towel or sponge to remove the excess surface moisture and then set the brick in place.
You’ll be using the mortar mixture shown below to bed the tiles down and get the flat and level.
MORTAR MIXTURE
• 2 Parts Airset Refractory Mortar

• 2 Parts Fine Washed Sand
• 1 Part GP (General Purpose) Cement
• 1 Part Lime
These measurements are by volume (i.e. 2 cups Airset, 2 cups sand etc). Mix well while dry, before
adding enough water to make a smooth, thick mixture. Take a small trowel of the mortar and hold it
upside down, it should stick to the trowel. The pot life of this mix is around 20 minutes.
While you can mix a quantity of dry mortar ahead of time, please make sure you use this mixture
within 24 hours, as the GP cement in the mix will react with moisture in the air after this time and
the strength of your mortar mix will be significantly reduced. Any dry mix left over after this time
should be discarded, so it’s wise to only mix the amount you think you’ll need.
1. Use a wet sponge or light spray with a hose to soak the castable layer in the center of the floor.
Get all of your floor tiles soaking in water, and mix up some mortar (see the previous page for
mixture ratio, please don’t use the castable for this). Only prepare one small area at a time,
enough to lay a single tile. If you try to cover more than this at once, the mixture will dry out
before you have a chance to lay the tiles. Spread a layer approximately 10mm thick on the top
of the cured castable. Use your fingers to notch this mortar mixture, to bed your tile into. Lay
the tile in the center first, lining up the corners of the center tile with the centerlines as shown
below. If you get your first tile positioned correctly, the rest will follow suit. Make sure you
really take your time getting this right, so that your oven sits straight on your slab.
2. Continue the process and bed each tile down into the mortar mixture, ensuring that each is level
and the edges are flush with each other. Use the diagram over the page to set out the remaining
floor tiles. Get the joints between the tiles as tight as you can, and once they’re all laid, fill any
gaps with the refractory mortar mix. The videos have some great tips for this part of the build.
3. We designed the layout of the CalSil board to be about 20mm larger than the floor tiles all the
way around the perimeter of the oven floor, so that there is some tolerance on the positioning
of your floor tiles. The extra CalSil/Sub Floor extending around the dome of the oven will be
covered by the insulating blanket and render layers, while the sections protruding under the
front and sides of the square section of the oven floor can be either cut back using an angle
grinder, or left in place and covered over once a landing is fitted.
4. Leave the Floor Tiles to set for at least 12 hours before starting the construction of the dome.
5. If there are any raised edges at joints between the tiles once you have completed the floor, these
can be ground back using an angle grinder with a masonry grinding disc or sanding disc. Do this
before you build the dome, while you have easy access. Don’t grind the tiles unless you
absolutely have to! Only grind the high spots that you might catch your oven tools on.
BUILDING THE DOME

To lay the bricks that make up the dome and opening of the oven, you will be using the same Mortar
mixture that you used to bed down the floor tiles. We have included it below again. Remember,
firebricks are very porous, so if you apply mortar to a dry firebrick this mortar will dry out
immediately, and will not bond well to the brick. To overcome this, soak the bricks that you’re about
to lay in water for at least 10 minutes before you lay them. Before you lay each brick, give it a quick
dab with a towel or sponge to remove the excess surface moisture and then set the brick in place.
The same problem applies to bricks that you laid earlier, maybe days or weeks before, which will
have dried out. To wet these bricks before you lay them a thorough soaking from a wet sponge works
well, or even a light spray from a hose.
We have listed the mortar mixture below again for the sake of clarity, parts are by volume;
MORTAR MIXTURE
• 2 Parts Airset Refractory Mortar

• 2 Parts Fine Washed Sand
• 1 Part GP (General Purpose) Cement
• 1 Part Lime
We said it before, but we’ll say it again - while you can mix a quantity of dry mortar ahead of time,
please make sure you use this mixture within 24 hours, as the GP cement in the mix will react with
moisture in the air after this time and the strength of your mortar mix will be significantly reduced.
Any dry mix left over after this time should be discarded, so it’s wise to only mix the amount you
think you’ll need.
Be very careful not to ‘bump’ any part of your brickwork as you go. This can break the bond between
the mortar and the affected bricks. This is a big project, so take your time and be careful. Give yourself
good access to your slab, you may want to make a step or use trestles to get better access once you
reach the higher courses.
The mortar gap on the inside face of the oven should be kept to a minimum. Aim for brick-on-brick
joints for the inside face of the dome! The mortar gaps between each brick in your vertical columns
that form the entry and vent arches should be a uniform 3mm. There are markings on the formwork
to show you where each joint should be and how thick to make them. Make sure you completely
fill every gap in your brickwork with mortar, from the inside to the outside face. Every brick joint
in the oven should be completely filled with mortar.
IDENTIFYING BRICKS FOR THE OVEN DOME
There are 4 different types of bricks in your kit that you will use to build the dome of your oven. We
ship our oven kits all around the world, so we have to be certain that you have more than enough
bricks to complete the oven even if you drop a few of them. To make sure of this we have put about
5 extra bricks of each type needed to build the dome into your kit, so don’t be surprised when you
complete the build and find that you have quite a few dome bricks left over.
Use the descriptions below to identify each of the different dome bricks. While the floor tiles are easy
to spot, as they’re all 50mm thick, the bricks for the rest of the oven can be more tricky to identify.
Please watch the video series that support these instructions, which will clearly show you how each
of the bricks will look and help you to sort them into their types, ready to be laid.
Type 1 Bricks are shown in the 3D model coloured brown. They are tapered in only one section. There
are 120 Type 1 bricks in your kit.
Type 2 Bricks are shown in the model coloured dark grey. They are similar to the Type 1 bricks, but
are tapered in two sections. There are 80 Type 2 bricks in your kit.
Type 3 Bricks are shown in the model coloured white. They are tapered in two sections, and are
approximately half the size of the Type 2 Bricks. There are 28 Type 3 bricks in your kit.
Stagger Bricks are very similar to Type 1 bricks, but smaller. These are shown in the model coloured
yellow. We identify them with a wiggly line across the back face of the brick in permanent marker.
These can also be used as keystones at the end of your rows (you may find that when you reach the
end of a row you will need a specially sized brick to fit – there are two different sized stagger bricks
in the kit to accommodate this, you may need to grind them down slightly to get the perfect fit).
There are 18 stagger bricks in your kit.
The Entry and Vent Arches

This is the most complex part of the oven construction, however if you take your time and read our
instructions carefully you will find it easy to identify the bricks that make up this section. The bricks
that make up the walls of the Entry and Vent Arch are shown in the photos below. Put these bricks
aside to avoid damaging them, as there are no spares for these provided.
There are 8No. ‘Entry Arch’ bricks in the D105 PreCut Oven Kit which you can see in the image on
the above left. On the right you will see a set of bricks numbered 1-9, this is the Vent Arch brick set.
Please put these aside and be sure not to accidentally use them as keystone bricks in the dome!
These bricks are packed in long narrow cardboard box to prevent damage during transit.
1. The first step in building the oven dome is to construct the entry arch. Use the trammel, along
with a pencil, to mark out the continuation of the inside edge of the dome across the opening.
Also mark a line along the center of the floor as shown below.
2. Without using any mortar, position bricks L1 and R1 such that their curved edge is in line with the
arc you have drawn. Use the formwork marked ‘1’ to set the gap between the two bricks. The
centerlines on the formwork must be in line with the centerline you drew earlier.
3. Once you have positioned L1 and R1, mark the position of these two bricks with a pencil onto the
floor tiles. Mortar the two bricks into place. Prop the #1 formwork on top of the two plastic strips
provided. The reason for doing this is to ensure you can remove the formwork without damaging
your arch. By pulling out the strips, the formwork is lowered, which should allow you to remove
it easily. We advise that you leave the #1 formwork in position until you have completed this
arch – please note that we have not shown the formwork in the other images so that you can
clearly see the layout of the brickwork.
4. Position the trammel tool in the oven using the steel pin located at the base of the tool. This pin
fits into the hole in the center of the oven floor. Occasionally grit or mortar gets into this hole as
the tiles are laid or during the building process, if this happens you can use a small drill bit to clear
the hole so that the pin will fit all the way into the hole properly. The trammel tool will be used
to position most of the bricks for the dome section of your oven.
5. Laying bricks with the Trammel Tool – Firstly, thoroughly soak the area that you are about to
lay the brick onto, using a wet sponge. Apply mortar to the area that the brick will be touching,
then clamp the brick into the trammel tool, and bring the brick down into position. You need to
keep the inside face of your brick joints as tight as possible, so we recommend ‘wiggling’ each
brick into place, until you feel it rubbing on the bricks underneath it. You can further tighten the
joint by giving the brick a tap with a rubber or dead-blow mallet if you want. Then the joint is as
tight as you will be able to achieve. There will be a 5mm mortar joint between the first row of
bricks and the floor tiles due to the taper on the dome bricks – this is part of the design, and the
normal mortar mixture can be used here.
6. Place the two bricks at the front of the oven, using the formwork marked ‘2’ to set the gap
between the two bricks, laying the formwork flat to get the bricks parallel. Again, make sure the
centerlines on the formwork are lined up with the centerline that you have drawn. Allow
approximately 5mm of mortar between the faces of these bricks the and L1 and R1 bricks.
7. Lay course number 1. This is made up of Type 1 bricks.
8. Lay bricks L2 and R2, followed by the next two bricks for the vent arch.
9. Lay course number 2, this is also made up of Type 1 bricks. Start at the back of the oven, in the
middle of the row. Keep the vertical joints staggered for optimal strength.
10. Lay bricks L3 and R3, followed by the bricks for next layer of the vent arch columns. This layer
‘keys’ into the entry arch columns, using special bricks which are easy to identify in your kit. Dry
fit these bricks to make sure you have the mortar joints set correctly between them.
11. Lay course number 3. This is made up of Type 1 bricks, remember you may need to cut/grind a
keystone for each end of the course.
12. Lay bricks L4 and R4, followed by the two 25mm thick bricks for the next layer of the vent arch
columns.
13. Lay bricks L5 and R5, followed by the two ‘springer’ bricks that complete the vent columns.
14. Lay course number 4. This is made up of Type 1 bricks, and a couple of ‘stagger’ bricks will be
needed to keep the vertical joints in the brickwork staggered.
If you purchased the optional temperature probe to mount through the oven wall, find a straw, rod
or dowel of similar diameter to the probe, oil its surface and insert it through the base of a mortar
joint between rows 3 and 4 as shown. This will be removed later and leave a hole for the probe to fit
into. Don’t put the probe in at this point, as you’ll most likely damage it during the building process.
Insert the rod perpendicular to the dome so the gauge can be flush mounted in the Perlite Render.
15. Lay course number 5. This is made up of Type 1 AND Type 2 bricks, in an alternating pattern.
Remember you may need to cut/grind a keystone for each end of the course.
16. Do a ‘dry-run’ of the Entry Arch, to check the gaps between each brick (they should be almost
brick-on-brick). Once you know the gaps that are required, lay all of the Entry Arch bricks over
the #1 formwork, working from the outside in. With the full arch in place, the weight of the arch
keeps the joints in compression and the arch becomes self-supporting. The Entry Arch bricks are
a full sized arch brick with a chamfer cut off the back face, so they should be easy to identify.
17. While you can remove the formwork quite quickly after the arch is completed (if the bricks in
course number 5 have been set for several days), we advise that you allow at least 12 hours for
the entry arch bricks to set. When you’re ready, pull the plastic strips out from under the
formwork, it should drop slightly which will allow you to carefully remove it.
If the formwork gets stuck, don’t panic! Just undo the screws that hold it together and gently tap
the back piece out using a rod or similar through the holes in the front piece. With that gone, you
can tap the front piece out and remove the side pieces.
18. Lay course number 6. This is made up of Type 1 AND Type 2 bricks, in an alternating pattern. A
couple of stagger bricks will be needed. You will need to use a small amount of the castable to fill
in the gap left between the first bricks and the entry arch.
19. You have now reached row number 7. You will notice that there are some large triangular gaps
between the arch and this course. These gaps will need to be filled with Refractory Castable.
Mix up a small amount of the castable with enough water to make a fairly stiff mixture (remember
to add a small amount of lime if the temperature is less than 25°C, following the ratio of 1
teaspoon of lime to 25kg of castable. It doesn’t take much lime to accelerate the setting). Wet all
the brick surfaces that will be touching the castable, so that the castable will bond to them well.
Fill the triangular gaps with your castable mixture. If you are finding that it won’t stay troweled
in place, you can temporarily ‘form up’ the inside face by using a piece of plastic or cardboard
held in place with a stick as shown below.
20. Lay course number 7, starting at the center of the course at the back of the dome. This course is
made up of Type 1 & Type 2 bricks, in an alternating pattern. A couple of stagger bricks will be
needed. You may find that the two bricks over the entry arch will need the undersides ground
back slightly to fit. Alternatively these can be left out, and the space can be filled with castable
(note that we have used the fiberglass dome to form up the inside face of this section).
If you do decide to use the castable method, make sure that you keep the circle even and level!
21. Lay course number 8. This course is made up of Type 2 bricks only. You may need to grind a
Type 2 brick to make a keystone to complete this course.
22. You have now reached course number 9. At this stage you have the option of removing the
trammel tool and using the fiberglass dome to lay the remaining rows of bricks on. Put the
fiberglass dome into the oven through the door or the hole in the top of the dome, and prop it in
place using the circular plywood and a car jack as shown below.
You can continue laying the dome bricks with the trammel tool if you choose; it gives you more
control over the final position of each brick in the dome, as you can actually feel that the brick is
flush with its neighbor, which is something you can’t do when using the formwork. If you are
finding that the bricks are starting to slide once released from the tool, use this trick: soak your
dome bricks in hot water rather than cold. The heat accelerates the chemical reaction in the
mortar mix, making it set much more quickly, which means you don’t have to wait for 5 minutes
for each brick to set before removing it from the trammel.
23. Lay the bricks for course number 9. This course is made up of Type 2 bricks only.
24. Lay course number 10. This row is made up of Type 2 and Type 3 bricks in an alternating
pattern.
25. Lay course number 11. This row is made up of Type 3 bricks only.
26. THE KEYSTONE. At this point you have two options – you can cut your own fire brick keystones
using the remaining bricks in your kit, OR you can simply fill the void with refractory castable. You
will have the fiberglass formwork positioned in the oven at this stage, so the formwork will leave
a perfect dome shape on the inside of this castable keystone.
We prefer to use the castable; it sets just as hard as the fire brick, and it makes a great
keystone because it has perfect surface contact with the surrounding ring of bricks.
To make sure the fiberglass dome comes off cleanly, wipe the dome surface with a small amount
of vegetable oil. Add a tiny amount of Lime to the castable if the temp is below 25°C.
To prevent the keystone from experiencing drying shrinkage cracking, cover the wet castable
immediately after the pour with a wet cloth or cling wrap. Allow the keystone to set for
approximately 12 hours, after which you can remove the fiberglass formwork (it should peel off
quite easily, and can then be pulled through the doorway).
27. The next step in building your dome is to ‘point’ the mortar joints on the inside face of the oven,
and clean off any excess mortar that has bled through onto the fiberglass formwork as you can
see in the photo top left.
To do this, you will need to slide into the oven on your back… Not much fun, but a very necessary
part of the process! Take a small tub of wet mortar mix, several scourers, a sponge, a small bucket
of clean water and a small metal paint scraper in with you. First scrape off as much of the excess
mortar/castable as you can, then scrub any remnants off using the scourer.
Now fill in any holes in your joints using the wet mortar mix, and wipe off the excess (before it
sets) with a damp sponge. The finished result should look something like the photos above and
below.
TIP: Don’t wait too long to get in and clean your oven! If you wait for 12 hours after your keystone
is poured, then remove the fiberglass formwork and get in there you’ll find it relatively easy to
clean the dome. If you wait much longer than this, the mortar and castable will set rock hard and
be quite difficult to clean off.
28. You have reached the last step in your brickwork! It is time to lay the Vent Arch – you will need
to position the #2 Formwork at the very front of the oven, in line with the front edge of the two
vertical columns. Remember to use the plastic strips provided with the kit which will help with
removing the formwork after the arch has been laid. We wait until this stage to build the vent
arch, to avoid breaking it when sliding into the oven to clean the brickwork.
29. While you can remove the formwork quite quickly after the arch is completed (if the vent spring
bricks have been set for several days), we advise that you allow at least 12 hours for the vent arch
bricks to set in place. After this, pull the plastic strips out from under the formwork, it should drop
slightly which will allow you to carefully remove it.
If the formwork gets stuck, don’t panic! Just undo the screws that hold it together and gently tap
the back piece out using a rod or similar through the holes in the front piece. With that gone, you
can tap the front piece out and remove the side pieces.
Please note the top of the Vent Arch bricks are approximately 15mm higher than the Entry Arch
bricks, this is part of the design.
INSTALLING THE PRECAST FLUE GALLERY

The brickwork of the oven is now complete, congratulations! Now, it’s time to install the PreCast Flue
Gallery. This is a job for two people, due to the weight. There will be a larger gap (15 to 20mm)
between the Entry Arch bricks and the PreCast Flue Gallery, which is part of the design. Some of the
images used below are of our P85 PreCast Oven but the process is precisely the same for the brick
oven.
1. Wet down the upper surfaces of the Vent Arch bricks and the top of the Entry arch bricks where
the PreCast Flue Gallery is going to land, highlighted orange below. Also soak the underside of
the PreCast Flue Gallery in water so that the mortar will bond properly to it.
Please note that some of the images in the instructions for placing the PreCast Flue Gallery are of
our PreCast Oven being assembled – the process is identical for the brick ovens.
2. Place spacers 3mm to 7mm thick on top of your Vent Springer bricks – in the photos below we
have shown an alternative material, using small sections of cement sheet which were left in place
(this area doesn’t get much over 200°C so the cement sheet will remain stable), you could also
use the yellow plastic spacers that come with the kit as temporary packers that you remove once
the PreCast Flue Gallery is set in place.
Trowel mortar around the packers and across the top of the Vent Arch bricks. While the mortar
is still wet, lower the flue gallery onto the mortar and ‘wriggle’ it into place until it lands on the
packers. Leave the gap between the PreCast Entry Arch and the PreCast Flue Gallery for later.
3. Use the remaining mortar to fill in any gaps that were left behind after placing the flue gallery.
4. With the PreCast Flue Gallery mortared into position you can fill in the gap between the Flue
Gallery and the Entry Arch with a mixture of Refractory Castable. Wet the top of the Entry Arch
bricks and the underside of the Flue Gallery to ensure a good bond with the castable.
5. Fill the gap between the PreCast Flue Gallery and the Entry Arch with the refractory castable
mixture, smoothing off the inside face. Cover the wet castable with clingwrap so that it sets
without plastic shrinkage cracking, and use a trowel to clean up the inside face.
6. Allow all the castable to set for at least 12 hours, then you can remove the cling wrap and proceed
to the next step.
INSULATING THE DOME

Your oven will now look something like the photo shown below – please note that you do not have
to clean the outside of the dome bricks, this is something we did just so that you could see how the
oven is assembled. You now need to wrap the dome of the oven in the Ceramic Fibre Blanket. The
photos used below show the Flue Gallery already painted – this is typically done later on.
1. Take the full roll of ceramic fibre blanket and wrap it around the base of the dome, resting it on
top of the castable layer. You will need to cut ‘V’ sections out of the top of the blanket as shown
below to allow the blanket to wrap tightly around your dome.
2. Run a section of blanket from the PreCast Flue Gallery to the back of the dome, then trim pieces
to fill in the gaps. Providing it’s not too windy, the blanket should remain in place. Remember to
wear a good quality dust mask and goggles when working with the ceramic fibre blanket.
3. Repeat the process for the second layer, but this time the horizontal section will come all the way
down to your concrete slab, insulating the exposed castable layer. Don’t throw any offcuts away
until you are finished, as there is just the right amount of blanket in your kit!
4. To hold the blanket in place, we lash it down to the dome using tie wire, secured around the base
of the dome. Where do you tie this wire you ask? Use the 125mm nails provided, hammered into
the CalSil board around the perimeter.
Put these nails through into the CalSil board at approximately 300mm intervals, then use the heads
of the nails as tie points to lash the blanket down against your dome using tie wire.
TIP: USE THE LONG GLOVES PROVIDED TO PROTECT YOUR ARMS WHILE USING THE BLANKET
5. With the blanket firmly tied down, you need to put a layer of chicken wire over the dome. This is
to give the render coating something to bind to, and gives your render additional tensile strength
to resist cracking. Run the chicken wire from one side of the dome across the top, to the other
side, securing it at the base using the nails that you installed earlier. You will have sections of the
dome where the chicken wire will overlap.
You will find that the chicken wire tends to bulge out, away from the dome. You can ‘scrunch’ these
sections down, which will pull the chicken wire back in against the blanket.
Run the next layer of wire around the perimeter of the dome, hooking it onto the screws around the
base, and fold/scrunch down the areas that are bulging away from the dome. Add wire until you have
covered the entire dome with chicken wire, running right up against the back of the flue gallery, and
in behind the Vent Arch columns. To push down any troublesome high spots you can use more tie
wire to lash the chicken wire down against the blanket.
Before you move onto the next step, check the dome for loose wires that are poking out, and fold
all of these down, as they will interfere with putting the render layers on.
OVEN LANDING & SURROUNDS

Before you render the dome of the oven, we recommend you finish the top of the concrete slab with
tiles or stone, and seal off the exposed CalSil board at the sides and front of the vent area. If you do
this now, you’ll find it a lot easier to cut the tiles to size around the oven. You’ll be applying a 50mm
layer of render over the top in the next step, so the tiles don’t have to be cut very accurately if you
install them now. You’ll be able to render in around your landing as well, so do this step now.
The CalSil board is highly absorbent and needs to be protected from water – the render will protect
the perimeter of the dome, but the front and sides of the CalSil beneath the Vent area will still be
exposed. Our preferred method to cover it is to install a polished granite landing at the same height
as the oven floor (we have the granite pieces for sale as an optional extra, subject to availability). If
your stand isn’t deep enough for a landing, we have a Stainless Steel Wrap available to seal off the
front edge of the oven floor from the elements, pictured below.
INSTALLING AN OVEN LANDING

If you have the depth available, we highly recommend installing an oven landing. This has several
benefits – it’s a handy area to pull trays and dishes onto to check how they’re cooking, and it’s also a
platform to rest the oven door on so that it can be used as a ‘Draft Door’ (see our instructional videos
on using your Wood Fired Oven for more information on this). Polished granite is the best material
to create your landing with – it’s one of the best natural materials for resisting high temperatures,
it’s easy to keep clean and it will last forever.
First you’ll build an ‘upstand’ to bring the height of the concrete slab up around the vent area. We
use 20mm thick polished granite for the oven landing, so we build the upstand to a height
approximately 25mm below the oven floor height (20mm granite + 5mm adhesive).
There are two methods you can use to create the upstand; forming up and pouring concrete, or
putting down bricks or Hebel block on tile adhesive, to give you a solid base to install the granite on.
We prefer to use bricks or Hebel block as it’s quicker, just as strong and much less effort! Once the
upstand has set for at least 24 hours, attach the granite pieces using plenty of tile adhesive.
Cut and lay non-porous ceramic or stone tiles to cover the remaining surfaces of the slab, and the
front and sides of the upstand for the granite landing. Attach these with standard tile adhesive and
once the adhesive has set, fill the joints with normal tile grout. Make sure you choose non-porous
stone or tiles; you don’t want them to get stained with oil from the delicious food you’ll be cooking!
We have a video that goes through this process on the website, called ‘Tiling around your Oven”.
PERLITE RENDER
In your kit you will find bags of LiteFill Perlite – this is a lightweight aggregate that you will be using
to make an insulating render layer, over the blanket. The Perlite render layer serves two purposes –
it forms a protective shell over your ceramic fibre blanket, and it provides additional insulation to
your oven dome.
If you’re installing the optional wall-mounted temperature gauge, this is the time to find it. Oil the
probe, and wrap the head of the gauge in cling-wrap. Remove the rod you had installed earlier, and
push the probe through the oven wall until the glass face of the gauge is sitting out from the ceramic
fibre blanket by about 50mm (the intended render thickness). You can then render around the gauge,
pulling it out slightly as you build up the area surrounding it, then nestling it back into the wet render.
Once the render sets you can remove the gauge and take off the cling-wrap. This leaves a neat cast
pocket for the gauge, and lets you remove the gauge in the future should it require replacement.
PERLITE RENDER MIXTURE

• 5 Parts LiteFill Perlite
• 1 Part GP Cement
• 1 Part Lime
• 1 Part Washed Sand
Mix up a wheelbarrow (or large tub) of render, combining the Perlite, cement, lime and sand while
dry, then add water. Mix thoroughly, adding enough water to wet it all out. You should be able to
make a ball with this mixture, throw it up and catch it without it running through your fingers. The
thicker and stickier you can make this mixture, the easier it will be to apply.
The Perlite render needs to be put on one layer at a time, for the first layer we simply work the wet
mixture into the chicken wire as shown in the photos below. Start by working around the base, then
cover the top. This layer will only be around 15mm thick. Allow this layer to cure for 12 to 24 hours,
covered in wet sheets or hessian to prevent drying shrinkage cracking.
Before the next layer, wet the surface of the previous layer so that it will bond to the new layer.
Trowel the next layer on, you are aiming to build up around 15mm or so in each new coat.
Again, let this layer cure for 12 to 24 hours before applying the next. Repeat this process until you
have made the total render shell layer approximately 50mm thick. We recommend that you bring
the perlite render in behind the vent arch columns, then your render layer remains thick, rather than
tapering out to a very thin section which is likely to crack. As an optional extra we have specially
shaped polystyrene render floats that have the curve of the dome cut into them, use this polystyrene
float to shape the render surface. This makes it much easier to get a uniform curve on the dome.
PRO TIP: If you’re very familiar with using render, and have a mixing drill available, it’s possible to
build up the full 50mm of Perlite Render in one hit. It’s critical that the render be mixed up very
thick and sticky to achieve this. Please don’t try this unless you’re 100% confident.
CURING
Once you have finished building your wood fired oven, it will be full of water – each brick was soaked
in water as it was laid, so your oven will be holding water in the walls, floor tiles and CalSil board. The
problem with this is that if you light a big fire in the oven at this point, the water inside the bricks and
mortar joints will boil and produce steam, which can cause bricks to crack. You need to slowly dry
the oven out, or ‘cure’ it before you start lighting major fires.
Allow seven days to pass without firing the oven after you complete the last layer of dome
render, to give the mortar and refractory castable time to set and reach their full strength.
Before you light your first fire, clean the stainless steel flue to remove any marks or fingerprints left
on it from installation. Use a solvent such as methylated spirits, thinners, acetone or rubbing alcohol
to wipe the surface down, then wash with soapy water before drying with a soft cloth.
To cure the oven, we burn a series of small fires to dry the oven out over seven days. These days can
be spread out over a couple of weeks, but you will need at least seven days of slow firing to cure the
oven properly. We have put together an Oven Curing video which you will find on our website.
For the first four days you will be making a small fire, roughly in the center of the oven floor. You
want to keep this fire going for as long as you can; 3 hours would be the minimum but keep it burning
all day long if you can. Do the same thing for the next three curing days, lighting a small fire and
keeping it going for as long as you can. On the 5th curing day you can increase the size of the fire
slightly and push it against the back wall of the oven, again keeping it burning for as long as you can.
Repeat this on the 6th day of curing. Now, if you are REALLY patient you could continue with these
fires for another few days, which will minimise the size of the cracks in your oven.
Once you have gone through these six curing fires, you’re ready to really ramp up the temperature.
Follow the same process you have been using for the last few curing days, getting a medium sized
fire burning against the back wall of the oven dome and let it burn for a good hour. By then you will
have slowly ramped the temperature of your oven up, and you’re ready to push it up to the next
level. Load on a few more pieces of timber and get a good blaze going, and keep feeding it until all
the black carbon buildup on the inside of the dome burns off – this is known as ‘clearing the dome’.
You may notice that the floor cools down more than you would like initially – this is because the CalSil
board is still holding water, which makes it less effective as an insulator. After a few more of these
big firings the CalSil board will be completely dry and your oven will retain its heat for a longer time.
CRACKING
Please note that it is completely normal to see some fine cracking in your oven, in fact we can
guarantee that you will! This is because you’re heating up a rigid, ceramic structure to extremely high
temperatures, which will make the brickwork in your oven expand, and contract upon cooling. This
expansion will result in small cracks that run along your mortar joints; it’s very common to see a crack
starting at the base of the dome that runs all the way up to the keystone, as well as some fine cracks
in the bricks that form your vent arch.
You’ll also see some cracks in the outer dome render, radiating from the junction with the flue gallery.
Don’t panic! These cracks are normal and there’s nothing that you can do to stop them, so don’t
stress. If you do happen to get a large crack in your mortar joints (more than 2mm width) then we
have repair materials that can be sent out to you, however this is rare, and is usually due to the oven
being over-fired early in the curing stages. Cracking in the dome render will be covered by the roll-
on acrylic coating that you’ll apply once the oven is fully cured.
PAINTING THE FLUE GALLERY

The PreCast Flue Gallery comes in the kit in a plain cast finish, which is a light grey colour. You can
leave it in this finish if you want a more natural look, or coat it with high temperature paint which
not only makes it look sharp, but seals it to prevent it soaking up rain. Make sure the oven is fully
cured before you paint the flue gallery.
There are a range of high temperature paints available, however there are very few colours to choose
from. We have tested almost all the available high temp paints and the one we have found performs
the best is PPG Temptec 328, which we have available for sale in spray cans coloured satin black.
Mask off the edges of the brick work with masking tape and paper, particularly if you are using a
spray can. Apply the paint in several light coats leaving at least an hour between coats and allow to
dry for at least 12 hours prior to firing the oven again. Please note that you can spraypaint the flue
gallery before you install it and touch it up later. There are pros and cons to both methods, the
deciding factor is whether you want to paint the mortar join between the precast and the arch bricks.
ACRYLIC ROLL-ON RENDER

We highly recommend that once you have cured your oven, you put a layer of Acrylic ‘Roll-On’
Render over your Perlite layer, as the perlite render is not waterproof. Wait until the oven is
completely cured and dry before you put it on, or you will get bubbles forming in the acrylic layer
from escaping steam. We have this Acrylic Roll-On Render in a variety of colours available for sale.
Acrylic Roll-On Render is essentially a thick, elastomeric paint with a fine aggregate such as sand
through it for texture. Wait for a day of good weather with no chance of rain to apply the first coat,
nice and thick, allowing at least 12 hours for it to set before applying the second coat. The key is to
make sure that the roll-on render doesn’t get even slightly wet for a minimum 48 hours after the last
coat is applied. Any rain or dew on the roll-on in the first 48 hours can ruin the roll-on.
You’re not limited to just leaving the oven in a rendered finish – you could cover the dome with
tiles, slate, river pebbles or even another layer of bricks. What you do from here is up to you! Once
you’ve driven all the water out of your oven, the render will only get mildly warm from being fired,
so there are a wide range of materials you could cover the dome with.
FINISHED OVEN EXAMPLES
To give you some inspiration, we have included photos below of some of the builds that both
ourselves and our customers have done over the years.
Well, there you have it. We hope that you have enjoyed your project, and that your oven
brings you, your family and friends, much enjoyment in the years to come.
Please see our website for more information, as well as how-to videos for using your oven.
If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

D105 Precut Brick Oven Kit Installation Manual

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D105 PreCut Brick Oven Kit Installation Manual Page 1

D105 PreCut Brick Oven Kit

A MAJOR CAUSE OF UNINTENDED OVEN-RELATED FIRE IS FAILURE TO

IT IS OF THE HIGHEST IMPORTANCE THAT THIS OVEN BE INSTALLED ONLY

IF THIS OVEN IS NOT PROPERLY INSTALLED, A FIRE MAY RESULT. TO

PLEASE READ THE FULL SET OF INSTRUCTIONS AND WATCH THE

FAILURE TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS MAY RESULT IN FIRE, CARBON

The Melbourne Fire Brick Company

CLEARANCES TO COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS

The minimum clearance requirements are as follows;

SAFE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

• Airset refractory Mortar

SAFE USAGE INSTRUCTIONS

QUALIFICATIONS TO THE WARRANTY

3. This Warranty does not apply to normal wear and tear.

5. On parts that would be normally worn or replaced under normal conditions.

INVESTIGATION OF CLAIMS AGAINST WARRANTY

HOW TO REGISTER A CLAIM AGAINST WARRANTY

OVEN LAYOUT DRAWINGS

D105 PreCut Brick Oven Kit Instructions

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE KIT

CALCIUM SILICATE BOARD

FIRE BRICKS - OVEN DOME

FIRE BRICKS - FLOOR TILES

FIRE BRICKS - ENTRY & VENT ARCHES

FORMWORK - ENTRY & VENT ARCHES

FIBREGLASS DOME FORMWORK

CERAMIC FIBRE BLANKET

PRECAST FLUE GALLERY

STAINLESS STEEL FLUE & HAT

EXTRA ITEMS PROVIDED

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS REQUIRED

SAFETY GEAR REQUIRED

SUB-FLOOR CASTABLE HEAT BANK

POURING THE CASTABLE

Your sub-floor heat bank is now complete, well done!

LAYING THE FIREBRICK FLOOR TILES

• 2 Parts Airset Refractory Mortar

BUILDING THE DOME

• 2 Parts Airset Refractory Mortar

IDENTIFYING BRICKS FOR THE OVEN DOME

The Entry and Vent Arches

7. Lay course number 1. This is made up of Type 1 bricks.

INSTALLING THE PRECAST FLUE GALLERY

INSULATING THE DOME

OVEN LANDING & SURROUNDS

INSTALLING AN OVEN LANDING

PERLITE RENDER MIXTURE

PAINTING THE FLUE GALLERY

ACRYLIC ROLL-ON RENDER

FINISHED OVEN EXAMPLES

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