[Cob] Re: My cob oven

[Georgie Donais]

Jon,


>What a nice job!  What's it covered with?

My oven is covered just with a clay plaster: red clay dug out of a farmer's 
field in the suburbs of Toronto, fine sand and whipper-snipped straw. I 
decided to leave it rough after having not much luck smoothing it 
attractively. We'll see how I like it next spring.

>I built one over the summer
>but haven't been able to track down lime to make a plaster for the
>outside, which is quite a challenge in cities like Minneapolis.

In the city, tracking down materials seems to be the most onerous part of 
the job, huh? I made friends with a local disposal company and they let me 
go in with my car, shovel and pails and take out whatever clay and sand I 
could haul away. The stone came from a neighbour's foundation; they were 
just throwing that stuff away!

  BTW, in the
>2nd picture that shows fire, there's something at the top of the center
>of the doorway, is that the smoke being drawn up the chimney? It's cool
>whatever it is, and if it's the smoke, then even better!

It is indeed smoke! The chimney works admirably, I am pleased to say. The 
diameter is 4" (tomato cans) instead of the recommended 5 to 7", so I 
wondered if it would still function ok. Seems to though.

Georgie
http://www.busygirl.ca/oven/index.htm